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Thinking of leaving

See what options you have depending on your reasons for leaving USS

Pension tax changes

The government has announced changes to pension tax allowances and charges, which may affect tax management measures that you’ve put in place or your savings decisions. Find out more in our pension tax update.

New joiner

If you’ve recently joined USS through automatic enrolment, and simply want to opt out, before you do, it’s worth looking at what you could get when you retire.

Leaving for another reason

There could be a number of reasons why you’re thinking of leaving USS. But whatever your reason, we’re here to help you understand your options and what you need to do next.

What have I built up?

We’ll tell you what you’ve built up so far when we send you your leaver statement. You can also see what you’ve built up in the Retirement Income Builder, as well as view and manage any Investment Builder savings, in My USS.

To get an estimate of what you’ll receive when you reach the Normal Pension Age (NPA), you can use the Benefit Calculator in My USS.

If you need a hand, give our Member Service Team a call on 0333 300 1043 (lines are open 9am-5pm Monday-Friday).

Your benefits are safe and secure

The benefits you’ve built up are protected by law and the Scheme Rules. And they’ll carry on going up with inflation too, subject to certain caps.

Next steps if you’re leaving

Make sure you’re aware of all the benefits you’ll be missing out on if you leave. Visit what you get as a member to find out more.

If you’re certain about leaving, please speak to your employer in the first instance. We’ll then send you a leaver statement once we’ve heard from them.

  • For more information about when you can start taking your pension once you’ve left, see your pension after leaving.
  • Find out if you can get a refund.
  • If you’re interested in transferring your USS pension, see transferring to another scheme.
  • If you stop building your USS pension but decide you want to re-join, all you need to do is speak to your USS employer.

Remember, if you stop paying in but carry on working with a USS employer, they must auto enrol you again every three years by law as part of their re-enrolment cycle. Find out more in the How to join section in a pensions overview.

Do we have the right email address for you?

It’s important to update your email address in My USS when you leave, so we can keep you up to date when it’s time to take your benefits and any savings you have.

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