If you’re considering leaving USS, it’s worth having a think about the benefits you’ll be missing out on that are exclusive to members who are building their pension with us.
To find out more about leaving USS, take a look at thinking of leaving.
Leaving or already left
Frequently asked questions
Leaving or already left
How much we refund you will depend on various things like how long you’ve been paying in and if you contributed via salary sacrifice. Even if you don’t get a refund, you can still take your pension at retirement or you may be able to transfer your pension elsewhere.
For more details on when a refund will and won’t be possible, take a look at getting a refund.
Once you leave USS you’ll stop building your pension with us. Watch our short video on What happens when you leave USS?, to find out what your options are and how to keep your details up to date if you leave.
You can find the value of your benefits at your date of leaving in My USS or on your leaver statement. Enter these into the Deferred Pension Increase Modeller to see what they could be when you reach the Normal Pension Age.
- If you’ve stopped paying in but you’re still with a USS employer, please speak to them directly.
- If you’ve stopped paying in and left your USS employer, but you haven’t started taking your benefits yet, call our Leaver Team on 0151 556 0626.
- If you’ve stopped paying in and want to transfer out, call our Transfers Out Team on 0151 556 0626.
- If you’ve stopped paying in and now want to start taking your benefits, call our Deferred Retirement Team on 0151 556 0626.
Yes – you can still do this in My USS. But you can’t make any more additional contributions.
You can update your address in My USS. Or you can complete and return the Notification of change in details form for any other updates.
Log in to My USS to complete the Registration of potential dependant form online or download the Registration of potential dependant form to print and return to us. We recommend that you update this at least every three years so we know it’s up to date, even if your wishes haven’t changed.
For more information, take a look at what happens when you die.
Log in to My USS to complete the Expression of Wish form online or download the Expression of Wish form to print and return to us. We recommend that you update this at least every three years so we know it’s up to date, even if your wishes haven’t changed.
For more information, take a look at what happens when you die.
If you’re moving overseas, you can ask your new scheme whether you can transfer your USS pension over to them.
We won’t transfer to an overseas scheme unless it’s a Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme (ROPS). So we’ll check this before completing the transfer. You can also check this for yourself using the Recognised Overseas Pension Schemes notification list.
If your new scheme doesn’t meet certain conditions, you may be charged an Overseas Transfer Charge (OTC). It’s a 25% tax charge taken from your transfer. Even if you don’t need to pay this right away, you may need to pay it later if circumstances change within five years.
For more information on moving overseas, see our Working or retiring overseas factsheet.
This may be if you’ve left within two years of joining USS. Your Annual Member Statement assumes that you’ll be with us for at least two years and shows your benefits on your earnings to reflect this.