Four things you should do
It’s easy to take the pension you’ve left with USS for granted, but there’s a few things you should do to make sure it’s working for you.
1. Keep your forms up to date
Even though you’ve stopped paying in to USS, your loved ones could be eligible for benefits, so it’s important to keep your forms up to date.
There’s the Expression of Wish form, which lets us know who you’d like to receive your benefits when you die.
There’s also the Registration for potential dependants form, if you’re not married or in a civil partnership, or you’re no longer living with your spouse/civil partner, it’s important you keep this up to date. This tells us who you’d like to receive the equivalent of a spouse’s pension when you die.
We recommend you log in to My USS and update these forms at least every three years so we know they’re correct, even if your wishes have not changed.
2. Keep your personal details up to date
Make sure all of your personal details are up to date in My USS so we can contact you about your benefits and savings, and write to you when they’re ready for payment.
3. Check what you’ve got and what you could get in the future
Log in to My USS and check your summary of benefits and use the Benefit Calculator to estimate what you might get in the future from what you have built up in USS. This should help you understand, along with any other pensions you might have outside of USS, whether you’re on track for what you want.
You can also use the Benefit Calculator to see the impact of dialling up or down your pension/tax-free cash and other combinations and ways you might choose to access your pension.
4. Find out more about your options
If you’d like more information on the options you have with the benefits you’ve left with USS, there’s a free webinar covering Decisions after leaving, on 27 May. If you’re unable to attend on the day, you can watch a recording at a time that suits you.