We were recently contacted by a retired officer from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (‘PSNI’) regarding an ill-health pension calculation from two years ago. The officer had joined the service under the Police Pension Scheme 1988 (‘PPS 1988’), and retired under the Police Pension Scheme 2015 (‘PPS 2015’).
A calculation had been given to the officer in question who immediately thought the sums given appeared on the low side. They had already contacted the force once and were informed that the figures were correct.
The officer had been given figures for a combined pension under the two aforementioned schemes of just a little under £12,000 p.a. We provided them with our calculations, which revealed that the true figure should have been £18,000 p.a. This was a staggering difference of some £6,000 p.a. since they started receiving their pension.
Of course this figure not only affected their annual pension, but would also make a significant difference to any commutation taken.
Now armed with what we believed to be the correct calculation, the former officer contacted the force again, and we are pleased to say that the force now conceded that they had miscalculated this officer’s pension. The officer is to receive back payment of the missing amount.
This begs the question, has every pension calculation since the introduction of the PPS 2015 been wrong? And it may not just be under this scheme alone, ordinary and deferred pensions may have been miscalculated as well?
If anyone else would like to do a calculation for them, can you please complete the form found here – https://iodpa.org/contact/
Here is a list of standard questions that we’d need answers to in order to work out your figures –
- What type of pension i.e. ordinary, deferred or ill-health
- Date of joining
- Date of leaving
- Date of birth
- Whether you brought any pensionable service from a previous occupation
- Which police pension you joined under (PPS 1987, NPPS 2006)
- Which police pension scheme you retired under (PPS 1987, NPPS 2006, PPS 2015)
- If now a member of the PPS 2015, what date you transferred to this scheme (the default date is 01/04/2015)
- If now a member of the PPS 2015 the value of your pension pot in the 2015 scheme (if not known, I’ll estimate it)
- If retiring under the NPPS 2006 or the PPS 2015, whether you were granted upper or lower tier ill health retirement
- Annual salary upon retiring
- Whether you took a commutation, and if so what percentage (1-25)
- If awarded an injury pension, what band were you given
We have already had a number of enquiries over this matter, so please allow us time to respond.
UPDATE: We have confirmed a second case of maladministration, where the pensioner has now recovered tens of thousands of pounds.
Unbelievable just unbelievable! But great work from the brains of IODPA. How can it be that in this day and age a mistake in calculations has been made, surely with all the technology available this kind of mistake should be a thing of the past!
Maybe it wasn’t a mistake and who can be held responsible for such an error? If this kind of mistake was done by a serving police officer I have no doubt disciplinary proceedings would commence. I somehow doubt anyone will be brought to book over this!
Keep up the great work IODPA.
It is my strong feeling that PSNI won’t be the ONLY force that is guilty of such maladministration. An even worse part is that only those who discover they are being wrongly paid their pensions will ever be put right. It is VITAL that ALL IOD pensioners become aware of such maladministrations which are being discovered almost monthly now with IODPA and, because IODPA exists, any member who discovers or even suspects that something is wrong they can check with IODPA Trustees and other members.
My sympathy for the former officer who has suffered this injustice. Congratulations to IODPA for identifying this issue; another facet of pension maladministration. It is to be hoped that all calculations made by the person/department responsible will be checked and where necessary remedied without delay. A national pension scheme applies, so the question must be asked, ‘How widespread is this issue?’
Well done for finding this ‘error’ but as others have said how many other forces have done the same thing. And I agree with the other comments that all deductions should be shown in full on payslips so you know exactly what they have taken.
great maths work IODPA
Dear Dear….Police officers now have to do a ‘degree’ course as part of the entry programme, in England…I wonder if PSNI will include this, and add basic maths to it….because it seems the idiots need it!
Well done IODPA in helping out this retired officer..
Such a shame his/her own force couldn’t be arsed!.
I have seen for myself that PSNI only share the policing board what the board want to see and hear and the Policing board admin are great believers in Nelsonian knowledge… they only can share what they have seen, even when they know it is not “the whole truth”.
If a police officer behaved in this way with a case they would rightly be dismissed if not prosecuted but rules do not seem to apply for administrators whatever their position
The PPA’s are ruthless when it comes to claiming monies back for over payments however, why don’t we see such enthusiasm when it comes to compensating for underpayments?
Brilliant working of maths there.
I am not surprised something like this has gone on. Police Forces in general seem to be unable to process anything correctly when it comes to them having to pay money out. Not only have they got this wrong (how many others you may ask are affected by it???) but they have also wrongly been taking to much money from injured officers in receipt of Industrial Injuries Benefit over the past 9 years. Guess what they are dragging there feet to repay that back to those concerned. And don’t get me started on the way way they have been conducting reviews of injured officers. A witch hunt comes to mind…….Nothing surprises me any more regarding the ineptitude of those responsible for sorting these matters out. They are clueless…how on earth they became police officers in the first place baffles me……
A good result for all concerned. However, that won’t be the end of it. The official side will continue to make mistakes as they are incompetent. As said before they are reluctant to accept any challenges despite how obvious the mistake is.
Everybody should try to keep an eye on their pension especially when any changes are made.
Of course, what makes it more difficult is the lack of information printed on the occasional pay checks we get. I believe all deductions including social security benefits should be printed in full and listed on each pay check!
I am sure you all do BUT keep any correspondence you receive from the official side! It could save you thousands!!!
My belief is that this is the tip of the iceberg a freedom of information request across all forces would show regarding pension calculation evidence of system as these issues always seem to be to the benefit of the authority.. Can anyone report a case where they were paid too much?
It beggars belief that an organisation such as PSNI cannot do simple math.
Hardly surprising really.
The Forces have never learnt and dare anyone to challenge them, they must be extremely concerned at the cost implications for the decades of maladministration. Forces, might, be considering giving responsibility to a Grade B HR Admin worker, who I hasten to add only just scraped through a maths GCSE/O’level, was probably not the best person to deal with pensions calculations.
I’m waiting for IODPA to check my calculations I was given, put simply, knowing now what I do now, I have a feeling that mine were also calculated incorrectly.
Well well well, more wrongdoings then. Lets hope other officers from PSNI start to challenge their pension figures to see if it was a one off mistake or several times on purpose.
Thank god for IODPA, you really do have our backs. Every police officer around the country should be made aware of you good people.
Well done IODPA for discovering this flaw. The million dollar question is ‘deliberate or accidental’?
So pleased that this officer has got what is rightfully theirs, he would never have known any different if it wasn’t for this great charity.
IODPA, you just go from strength to strength.
Why is it that police forces always think they are right?
Who checks these calculations? If there is a query, do they actually check them, or just blindly state that they are right?
It seems that only when confronted with absolute evidence of error, do they then change their stance and I’m sure that without IODPA’s help, this retired officer would still be fighting the ‘wall’.
Will it be the ‘I’m always right’ police staff member who apologises for this error, or will some poor minion be blamed, as this must not appear on their CV, ever………..that is unless, there are 00’s of these errors and the £’s quickly mount up! However, don’t hold your breath for any honesty here!
I hope he has been given interest on the monies owed to him. Stated cases by the ombudsman for the commutation debacle is how an underpayment for my husband made interest available to be claimed too.