So, it’s important to know how the process works to help you to prepare
It might be worthwhile building in some planning time now, so you can consider your options, take any financial advice you may need and lay the foundations for your future.
Here’s a few things you should know:
- As someone who has left USS, you must take your benefits in the Retirement Income Builder (defined benefits) before or at your Normal Pension Age (NPA). This age will be different depending on when you paid in to USS.
If you have savings in the Investment Builder (defined contribution) you can choose to take these at the same time as your pension in the Retirement Income Builder or you can keep them invested past your NPA. - Once you’ve decided when you would like to retire, let us know and we can kickstart the process. If you’re four months away from reaching your NPA and you’ve not been in touch to tell us when you plan to retire, we will send you a retirement quote. It will outline your benefits and any savings, as well as your options for taking them. You can then select the use your retirement quote option in the Benefit Calculator in My USS to explore your options. The Benefit Calculator also shows you the potential impact of taking your Investment Builder savings at a different time to the pension you’ve built in the Retirement Income Builder.
- You don’t have to wait for your retirement quote to use the Benefit Calculator, just log in to My USS to get an idea of how much your benefits might be worth when you come to take them.
- For more information about the retirement process, visit the timeline to retirement.
- Also check out our retirement checklist.
Published: 15 January 2026