How to get a pension forecast

If you pay into a public sector pension, you already have a forecast waiting somewhere. The NHS, local government and Civil Service schemes all issue a yearly statement, and you reach it through a member account. The State Pension is a separate forecast on GOV.UK. If you need a figure for a particular retirement date, that is a different request and goes to your scheme.

NHS Pension Scheme

NHS staff who use ESR can see a Total Reward Statement there (my.esr.nhs.uk). It summarises your pensionable pay, allowances and estimated pension benefits, and refreshes every year using employer data up to 31 March. NHS Pensions says the statements are free of charge. If you are not on ESR, you register for the My NHS Pension portal instead.

If the statement is not enough, NHS Pensions asks active members to talk to their employer first, because the employer may be able to give a different type of estimate. The scheme prioritises estimate requests from people within a year of retirement, people who are terminally ill and people who need an estimate for a court order or legal proceedings, such as a divorce. Send a form that does not meet the criteria and the page warns that NHS Pensions will not be able to create an estimate.

The early retirement calculator will not estimate 1995 Section benefits for members aged 50 to 55. For that group a request to the scheme is the only route. The NHS Pension Scheme guide explains what the sections are, and the partial retirement guide covers drawing pension while still working.

Local Government Pension Scheme

LGPS funds must give every active and deferred member a statement by 31 August each year. Pensioners do not get one. For an active member it estimates the benefits you had built up at 31 March of the current year, and it may include a projection of the pension you could have if you carry on working to normal pension age. A deferred statement shows the value of your pension with cost of living increases added.

The LGPS member site suggests checking three things when yours arrives: the pay used in the calculation, your contact details and your partnership details. A wrong salary feeds straight into the figure. If you were not told the statement is online and no paper copy came, ask your pension fund why. Each fund has its own contact route, so the first step is knowing which fund covers your council. The LGPS guide has the background on how the scheme works.

Civil Service pension

The Civil Service Pension Scheme publishes an Annual Benefit Statement in the member portal. The 2025/26 one is an estimate of benefits built up to 31 March 2026, and the scheme uploaded most of them on 31 August 2026. Registered members get an email when theirs is ready, and members who chose paper communications are sent a copy by post.

It is for eligible active members, with exceptions. Someone who joined on or after 1 November 2025 may not have one yet because the data is not complete. The scheme page says dates for deferred member statements had not been confirmed. See the Civil Service alpha pension guide for how the pension is built.

Teachers’ Pension Scheme

At the time of writing, the Teachers’ Pensions website shows a notice that some services are temporarily unavailable until 2 November 2026, while the scheme moves to a new administrator. It lists an urgent contact for bereavement, serious ill health or serious financial hardship. This page does not set out forecast routes for teachers, so check the Teachers’ Pensions site once services resume, and ask your school’s payroll or HR provider in the meantime. The Teachers’ Pension Scheme guide covers the basics.

The State Pension forecast

The State Pension forecast tells you how much State Pension you could get and when you could get it. Use the GOV.UK service online, or the HMRC app. You may be asked to prove your identity, which normally means photo ID such as a passport or driving licence. You can also phone the Future Pension Centre and have the forecast posted, or send a BR19 form. The phone and postal routes only work if you are more than 30 days from State Pension age.

You cannot use the online service if you already receive the State Pension or have deferred claiming it. GOV.UK says applying online is the quickest way. The State Pension guide explains how the amount is worked out, and the State Pension age guide helps with the date.

What a forecast leaves out

Statements rest on assumptions about pay, service and, in many schemes, the date you retire. Early payment can cut the amount, and unresolved issues such as the McCloud remedy can change the final figure. For a figure on your actual retirement date, ask your scheme.