My kids buy me food': civil service pensioners offered emergency loans as nearly 90,000 face delays

"Newly retired civil servants say they are struggling to pay bills and buy food because delays at their pension scheme have left them without an income for months. Pensioners have reported being forced to borrow money from family to pay for food and heating, with some saying they feared losing their homes because they could not afford their rent or mortgage."

"The pension scheme has admitted to a backlog of nearly 90,000 cases comprising claims, valuations and other requests that it warned could take months to resolve. Some members have been waiting since January 2025 for their pension claim to be processed. About 3,000 civil servants retire every month, and the government has accepted that many of those who have retired since 1 December last year will not have received their first pension payment."

"One former civil servant, who did not want to be named, said she was forced to apply for universal credit because she had been left without income since retiring from the Department for Work and Pensions in August. I used up all my savings over the first four months and have no family to help me, she said. The stress has forced me to take antidepressants."

Delays at the Civil Service Pension Scheme have left thousands of newly retired civil servants without pensions for months, forcing some to borrow, apply for universal credit, and cut heating and food. The scheme has a backlog of nearly 90,000 cases including claims, valuations and other requests, with some members waiting since January 2025. About 3,000 civil servants retire each month; many who retired since 1 December last year may not have received their first payment. The government acknowledged the problem and announced interest-free hardship loans up to 10,000 and possible compensation for the worst affected. Administration was outsourced to MyCSP (Equiniti).

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