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Your occupational pension
An occupational pension scheme, or company pension scheme, is one run by your employer. Usually, contributions will have been paid into an occupational pension by both you and your employer. If you were a member of an occupational pension scheme, you were probably contracted-out of the additional pension part of the state scheme. If this is the case, the additional pension part of your State Retirement Pension will be reduced. No other part of your State Retirement Pension will be affected if you have an occupational pension.

Your personal pension
You may have chosen to build up your own personal pension over the years. This might affect the amount of additional pension you receive if you have been credited with contributions towards your personal pension instead of paying toward the additional pension part of the State Retirement Pension. However, you will still receive any additional pension you built up before you opted to pay towards your personal pension. No other part of your State Retirement Pension will be affected.

At present you are allowed to claim your personal pension from the age of 50. This will rise to 55 from 2010.

In 2012 there will be some changes to the rules around contracting out. Depending on the type of personal or occupational pension individuals won’t be able to contract out of the State Second Pension. Employers will have to enrol all workers into an occupational pension; this is known as auto-enrolment. Employers will have to pay at least three per cent towards the pension. Workers can opt out of the scheme if they want to. To find out more about this contact The Pension Service on 0845 60 60 265.

Information about your pension scheme
You have a legal right to information about your occupational or personal pension scheme. If you need any information, you should ask:

• for occupational pensions: the manager of your pension scheme; or
• for personal pensions: the insurance or pension company which set up your personal pension; but if your pension is made up of several different policies, you will need to contact the agent who made the arrangement for you originally.

You may, however, have lost track of an occupational or personal pension that you built up years ago; perhaps the company you worked for has since gone out of business or important documents have been lost. If you are in this situation, The Pension Service may be able to help; it runs a free pension-tracing service, tracking down pension schemes for people who can’t locate them. Contact the Pension Tracing Service, The Pension Service, Tyneview Park, Whitley Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE98 1BA or call 0845 600 2537.

Problems with occupational and personal pensions
If you have a problem relating to your occupational or personal pension scheme, try to sort it out with your employer or the pension provider. If the problem can’t be solved at this level, contact the Pensions Advisory Service. This independent organisation offers free help and advice on pensions. It can be contacted at 11 Belgrave Road, London SW1V 1RB or by calling 0845 601 2923 or visiting www.pensionsadvisoryservice.org.uk

If you have lost out on your pension because the scheme has gone bankrupt or otherwise failed, you may be able to get some help from the Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS). You could be eligible to claim if you were a member of an under-funded pension scheme that started to wind up between 1 January 1997 and 5 April 2005 and either:

• the scheme did not have enough money to pay out to its members, or;

• the employer is insolvent or no longer exists.

You may also be eligible if your spouse or civil partner has died but would have been eligible themselves.

If you had to stop working because of ill health, you should be able to get early help from the FAS.