How to get involved
Step one: The application form
Once you have decided to register any part of your business for Combined Pension Forecasts, the first step is to complete an application form
If you have any queries regarding the application form please contact a Customer Account Manager
Please note: Combined Pension Forecasting is a voluntary service and the information contained in this form is not binding.
Step two: The registration agreement
Once we have received your application form we will send you a registration agreement telling you what to do next.
Please note: This agreement is not binding and you can change the dates on the form by discussing them with the Combined Pension Forecasting team at any time.
Step three: The data test
When we have processed your registration agreement and obtained your approval we will ask you to send us a small sample of mock data in the appropriate format as a test run. This will help to ensure that we are able to read your file and convert the data.
Our request file generator will help you create the data file in the appropriate format.
Please note: The mock data should mirror the live file (National Insurance number, surname, date of birth etc) but should not contain genuine personal details.
Find out more about the data test in the Combined Pension Forecasts – technical guide
Step four: Getting your members’ consent
Providers need to let their scheme members know that they intend to take part in Combined Pension Forecasting (CPF) and give them the chance to opt-out or opt-in.
The Combined Pension Forecasting team will provide the support documentation to issue to your members but you must first decide whether you intend to use an opt-out or opt-in consent process to make sure we send you the right information.
You will only need to do this once for existing recipients: after that only new scheme members will need to go through this process.
Please note: You need to keep a record of who has chosen to opt-out or opt-in.
Step five: Exchanging the live data and issuing the Combined Pension Forecast
The next step is to send in the personal details of individuals who are happy to receive a Combined Pension Forecast.
We will then work out each individual’s State Pension estimate, based on their National Insurance (NI) payment record and a projected figure assuming similar NI contribution rates up to State Retirement age, and send this back to you.
A provider can opt for forecasts to be presented as weekly, four-weekly, monthly, quarterly or yearly amounts, to fit in with their own pension statements.
The forecast can then be merged into the pension provider’s own statement format as a separate section or included as a separate sheet. In certain circumstances it can also be added to online statements.
Our reply file generator instructions will help you to convert files into Microsoft Excel and our mail merge instructions will help you merge the State Pension data into the statements.
You can also download a sample of a Combined Pension Forecast – [PDF file size 27kb]