The HSC Retirement Calculator is designed to help illustrate the projected benefits members will receive at different retirement ages from both the legacy and reformed HSC Pension Schemes in Northen Ireland.
This calculator is for guidance purposes only and the outputs provided are an estimate only. It is not intended to provide you with financial advice. If you require financial advice, you should contact an independent financial adviser.
This calculator has been provided for use by Officers. Officers are HSC employees who are employed by HSC Trusts or general practice and direction body staff or staff working for other approved employers connected to the HSC. This calculator has not been prepared for use by Practitioners. Practitioners are HSC medical, dental, and ophthalmic practitioners, including assistants and some locum practitioners.
Legacy Schemes
Officers who started their HSC service before 1 April 2008 will have joined the HSC Pension Scheme 1995 (1995 Section) unless they opted not to do so. This scheme will include those members with Special Class status and Mental Health Officers (MHOs). The HSC Pension Scheme 2008 (2008 Section) came into effect for new entrants from 1 April 2008.
This calculator uses the following Scheme names for those members in the 1995 Section:
The 1995 and 2008 Sections are ‘final salary’ schemes, which means that pensions are calculated as a proportion of final pensionable pay. This is generally pay in the last year of service as a member of the scheme. The pension also depends on reckonable service, which for most Officers will be the length of service in the HSC over which they have paid pension contributions, with appropriate adjustments for part-time service. Pensionable service in this tool refers to the length of service in the HSC, not adjusted for part-time service.
The 1995 and 2008 Sections are referred to as the “legacy” schemes throughout this calculator. Further details about the legacy schemes can be found in the scheme guides.
*** Practitioner members are currently unable to use this version of the calculator. Future versions are planned to include Practitioner Scheme members. ***
Reformed Scheme
The HSC Pension Scheme 2015 (2015 Scheme) came into effect for new entrants on 1 April 2015. Some members of the legacy schemes had ‘transitional protection’ that meant they stayed in their legacy scheme, while others moved to the 2015 Scheme on or after 1 April 2015. However, it was announced in February 2021 that most members of the legacy schemes will receive a ‘deferred choice’ of whether to receive legacy or 2015 Scheme benefits for the period 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2022. See the FAQ section for information on who is eligible and why they have this choice.
From 1 April 2022 all Officers who continue in service will do so as members of the 2015 Scheme, regardless of age. The 2015 Scheme is a Career Average Revalued Earnings (CARE) pension scheme. This means that for each year as an active member Officers will earn a fraction (1/54) of the salary for that year as earned pension and this will be revalued for each subsequent year until retirement. Further details about the 2015 Scheme can be found in the 2015 Scheme guide.
Illustrations provided in this calculator
The illustrations in this calculator draw out estimates of the pension and lump sum that may be available at various scheme milestones where relevant.
You are also able to see an estimate of your projected deferred benefits if you leave the scheme prior to being eligible for retirement.
At retirement, some members will be able to choose between receiving legacy or reformed benefits for their pensionable service between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2022. This model is designed to help illustrate the differences in benefits members may receive depending on the choice they make.
The following information will be provided in the relevant results sections:
If you require help with understanding the illustrations in this calculator then please refer to the FAQ section or the scheme guides. If you have any further questions, please contact HSC Pensions.
The estimated pension and lump sum amounts at retirement have been estimated using a given set of assumptions. Using different assumptions could produce materially different results. The key assumptions used are future inflation and salary increases.
How to use this calculator
Please click “Start” at the bottom of this page to fill in the “About You” section.
Information including the date you first joined the scheme and pensionable earnings is required for this section. You should ensure that accurate information is entered.
If you require help with filling in the "About You” section, please refer to your most recent annual benefit statement.
By using this calculator, you agree you have read and understood the Terms & Conditions as set out in the 'T&Cs' tab. The illustrations do not allow for taxation , including the Annual Allowance or Lifetime Allowance.
Getting further help
If you have any issues with the calculator not working as expected, please refer to the FAQ section.
The following link provides access to member guides which detail the range of benefits to which you may be entitled to as a member of the HSC pension schemes: https://hscpensions.hscni.net/quick-links/scheme-guides/
This calculator is designed and configured to be used on a desktop computer and so use via a mobile phone or other device may not provide an optimal user experience.