The AFPS Pension Calculator
By Dave Scholey, Regional Manager East
The new AFPS Pension Calculator is up and running and is available via the internet at: Armed Forces Pension Calculator (AFPC) (mod-pc.co.uk). Linked from the front page is a user guide. The guide can only be accessed through DEFNET. You will notice the front page guides you to getting some pieces of information together first, before starting to use the calculator. I recommend you log in to your JPA account and under the Self Service Employee section, look at My Information/My Information Views/Salary where you will find a full record of your basic salary and rank changes. Take the information from 1 April 2015 and 2016 plus and records of promotions since then, plus the latest salary record. Have this information to hand when you start the calculation. Important to note, some groups are unable to use the calculator, DBS are working on reducing the number of groups unable to use. The current list is contained in the terms and conditions, accessible via the link on the front page of the calculator, We have inserted the latest list as an image below the front page image below.
When you are ready to use the calculator, start inputting the information. Firstly, with your current rank and service, date of birth, entry and planned termination dates.
In this example we will focus on a Chief Petty Officer leaving at the age of 40 after a straightforward twenty year career. With none of the potential differences such as Re Joining, divorce, added pension, breaks in service and leaving on ill health. If you need help with any of those more in depth calculations, give us a call. You’ll see the following screens along the way and for most people the answer is ‘No’ and you just click on ‘Continue’
This facility does not yet work for those who have previously had a Pension Share Order. This is because at the time of the order, the Pension Remedy was not yet in place. So you must await the arrival of your first Remediable Service Statement which will contain all the necessary information to use this facility.
If you do have any breaks in service, such as taking Additional Maternity Leave over and above the OML and first 13 weeks of AML, time in Colchester etc, you’d answer yes and then input the dates you were outside.
You can see from this basic example that the Chief was a Petty Officer on the two required dates, so we have input the details we collated from JPA earlier.
If you have taken any flexible service, enter full details here.
If you have transferred any other public sector pensions into your AFPS, enter the agreed amounts here.
We are not yet confident that the Ill Health section is working fully. Do not make any financial commitments based on its current findings, DBS are aware of the issues and are striving to rectify. If you are being medically discharged, please give us a call to assist with this aspect.
If you anticipate being promoted before your TX date, you can enter your expected rank on this page. If it is above the rank you have at present, it will ask what date you expect to be promoted to your anticipated rank. After you have completed this field and clicked ‘Continue’ it will bring up the output of the calculation. If you are eligible for the 2015 Pension Remedy (formerly known as McCloud) it will show both options under the remedy. If you are not eligible for the remedy, it will only show one output.
When you get to this page, you may wish to click on the ‘expand’ options to show for example what the lump sum is made up of etc. This makes it easier to understand the commutation options available to you and the effects of taking or leaving them.
You may choose to have a pdf copy emailed to you directly by the calculator, download a copy to your device or print (paper or pdf). If you wish to gain a better understanding of the output from the calculator please feel free to give us a call.