When & How we Pay
When and how we pay your pension
We pay your annual pension in twelve monthly instalments. We pay directly into your bank account on our pension pay day.
We pay all new pensions at the end of each month, on the last banking day.
A banking day is any day on which banks are open for business and conducting financial transactions. Typically, this includes weekdays (Monday through Friday), excluding bank holidays.
So, if the last day of the month were a bank holiday Monday, we would normally pay your pension on the Friday before.
For all new pensions, and anyone else who is receiving a pension paid at the end of the month, the forthcoming pay dates are:
- 30 April 2026
- 29 May 2026
- 30 June 2026
We pay some pensions on a different date. If this applies to you and we currently pay your pension at the beginning or middle of the month, see ‘When is my next pay date?’ below to find out your future pay dates.
Your pension payment will show as TMBC on your bank statement.
If you move house, remember it is important to let us know. If we get undelivered mail sent back to us we will have to stop your pension until your address is updated. You can update your address through your My Pension account or by calling our Customer Services team on 0161 301 7100.
We pay most pensions, including all new pensions, at the end of the month.
If this is you, your future pay dates will be:
- 30 April 2026
- 29 May 2026
- 30 June 2026
If we currently pay your pension in the middle of the month, your future pay dates will be:
- 16 April 2026
- 15 May 2026
- 16 June 2026
If we currently pay your pension at the start of the month, your future pay dates will be:
- 1 April 2026
- 1 May 2026
- 1 June 2026
Where can I check if I’m not sure?
You can check your My Pension account to view your online payslip to see when we last paid you or check your latest bank statements.
By registering or logging into your My Pension account you can:
- See your monthly (and historic) payslips and annual P60s
- View your tax code
- Amend your personal details including your address
- Change your bank details (alternatively you can call us to request a form)
It is also possible to elect to have your P60 sent through the post by writing to us and requesting paper communications.
The safest and most secure way to update your bank details is by registering or logging into your My Pension account.
Alternatively, you can contact our Helpline on 0161 301 7000 and request a form to complete and return. The form will be sent upon completing the necessary security checks. We will only accept changes to bank details by the above methods. If you write in to update your bank details by letter we will send you the necessary form to complete.
Any changes must be to an account in your name (or in the case of a joint account, you must be one of the account holders). Please also sign and date the form.
Please make sure we get the details of your new account around two weeks before your normal pay date. That way we can make sure the updates are carried out in time.
If you’re receiving more than one pension, you can have them paid in to different accounts. Any approved bank account changes will be applied to all pensions currently in payment. If you would like your pensions to be paid into different bank accounts, please contact our Customer Services team, who will be happy to help. You can call them on 0161 301 7100.
Your pension, just like your salary from work, is classed as a taxable income. His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) sets the amount most people can earn each year before paying tax. This is called the personal allowance. The personal allowance can change each financial year.
If your total income is higher than the standard personal allowance then the excess amount is taxable. Other taxable income can include:
- State Pension and other pensions
- unemployment benefit
- wages from other jobs
- interest on some savings
If you haven’t reached your State Pension age (SPA) by 5 April in the financial year that you are retiring, we will apply the same tax code to your pension that was applied to your income whilst you were working.
If you have reached your SPA by 5 April in the financial year that you are retiring we will apply the basic rate tax code to your pension whilst HMRC assess what your actual tax code should be. By applying this tax code to your pension it means that you may overpay tax on your pension initially. This will be amended when HMRC have assessed what your income is and how much tax you should be paying.
When you leave your employer you will be given a P45 form, this will be sent to us. When we make your first pension payment an electronic copy of the P45 form is sent to HMRC to help determine what your tax code should be.
Example
Mrs Smith retired from her employment on 2 July 2019 and her pension from GMPF is £6,000 a year. Mrs Smith has reached her SPA and is receiving her State Pension, which amounts to £8,767.20 a year. The total amount that she receives is £14,767.20. The standard personal allowance set by HMRC for 2023/34 is £12,570, therefore £2,267.20 of Mrs Smith’s pension from GMPF is taxable.
| Pension from GMPF | £6,000 |
| State pension | + £8,767.20 |
| Total income | = £14,767.20 |
| Personal allowance for 2019/20 | - £12,570 |
| Remaining income to be taxed | £2,197.20= |
National Insurance
There are no National Insurance (NI) contributions to pay on the money you receive from a pension scheme. This includes your pension from GMPF and your State Pension. If you are still working whilst receiving your pension and under your SPA, then you may still pay NI contributions on this income.
We currently pay pensions internationally. We pay members pensions directly through Convera UK Ltd. We send your monthly pension to Convera UK Ltd on the traditional payment date each month. Convera UK Ltd convert the payment into your local currency before forwarding the payment onto your bank. There is no charge for this service and it takes approximately three banking days.
To have your pension paid overseas you will need to complete a bank mandate for your country and send it to us.
What are the tax implications of having my pension paid abroad?
Different countries have their own tax rules and laws. When you have income from one country and are resident in another, you may have to pay tax in both countries under their different tax laws. To help avoid being taxed twice the United Kingdom has negotiated double taxation (DT) agreements with more than 100 countries.
If you are a resident of a double taxation country you may be able to apply for relief from UK tax. You will need to contact the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) residency team by visiting the HMRC website
What are 'Identity verification checks’ and why do you do them?
We regularly carry out anti-fraud checks to make sure that we are paying the right amount of pension to the right people. If you live outside of the UK, we cannot do some of these anti-fraud checks automatically. Therefore, we need you to complete an identity verification check, where you confirm to us your identity and that you are still receiving your pension. There are several ways you can do this and each year we will write to you with the details.
Before 6 April 2016, the State Pension was made up of two parts, the basic State Pension and the additional State Pension. How much additional State Pension you received depended on your National Insurance contributions. The additional State Pension part was known as the State Earnings Related Pension Scheme (SERPS) from 1978 followed by the Second State Pension (S2P) from 2002.
If you were an active member of GMPF, contributing to the scheme, between 6 April 1978 and 5 April 2016 you were automatically contracted out of the additional State Pension. This means that during this period you wouldn’t build up much, if any, additional State Pension. You have been building up pension benefits in the Local Government Pension Scheme instead.
The rules have changed over the years, but for the period from 6 April 1978 to 5 April 1997 the amount of additional State Pension you would have earned had you not been contracted out is called your Guaranteed Minimum Pension (GMP). This GMP forms part of your GMPF pension and is not in addition to your State Pension or your GMPF pension when payable.
From 6 April 2016 the Government introduced a new single tier State Pension; this replaces the basic and additional State Pension and ends the contracting out of the additional State Pension. The single tier State Pension will be payable to you if you reach State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016. You can find more information about your State Pension age and the new State Pension on the Government's website.
Unfortunately, identity fraud is a real risk. We strongly recommend you take steps to keep your pension safe from fraud.
You can help minimise the risk of fraud by keeping your My Pension login details safe and not sharing them with anyone else. You should keep all documents that include your personal data in a secure place and shred them before throwing them out.
To help keep your pension safe:
- We will always ask you security questions when you call us to confirm your identity.
- We will never ask for your My Pension account login details.
- To change your bank details or address you need to either log in to your My Pension account or call us so we can confirm your identity. We can then update your address or send you a form so you can update your bank details.
- You can upload copies of your personal documents to My Pension instead of sending them to us by post.
If you believe you have been the victim of identity fraud involving your GMPF pension contact us immediately on 0161 301 7000.
You can find out more information about identity fraud on the Action Fraud website.
State Pension
Visit GOV.UK to find out more about the State Pension and when you are eligible to receive it.