Important changes to the administration services

Signpost

Welcome to the change hub, providing you with information about the move of the benefits administration and pensioner payroll services to Buck Consulting, a specialist third-party administrator. Click or tap on the topics that you want to explore below. If you need to get in touch, please use the Contacts form.

The Trustee will continue to be custodians of the Fund, responsible for the management and the investments as we are today.

It’s important to know that this change will not affect your benefits, entitlements or any choices you’ve made regarding your pension.

Buck Consulting now provide administration services to the Fund. This includes holding and maintaining your pension records, calculating member benefits and paying pensions. They will be your point of contact for questions about your benefits, they will write to you regarding your pension benefits and retirement options.

    Thinking of retiring?

    If you haven't already, please contact the NPF team at Buck as soon as you're ready to discuss your options. The best way to contact them is by using our new online Contacts form.

    The Member Portal

    We’re always looking for ways to improve the member experience. That’s why we’ve launched a new and improved Nationwide Pension Fund Member Portal. It gives you quick access to more of your pension information, helping you to keep on top of your retirement and manage your benefits — you can log in to your new Member Portal at any time on a desktop computer, smartphone or tablet.

    Questions and answers

    We know some of you will have questions and we’ve added the most common ones below, which we will keep updated.

    Questions about Buck

    1. Who is Buck Consulting?
      Buck is a market leading third party pensions administration business, looking after some of the UK’s largest pension schemes. They pride themselves on their technical innovation and forward-thinking approach. They’re committed to making sure you’ll be given ‘best-in-class’ service and your data is kept secure. For more information about Buck and what they do, you can visit their website at www.buck.com

    2. What are the contact details for the new team?
      You can contact the Buck administration team by:

      • Email: NPF@buck.com
      • Phone: 0330 123 9677
      • Postal address: Nationwide Pension Fund, Buck (Bristol), PO Box 319, Mitcheldean, GL14 9BF

      Until then, please continue to contact the Nationwide Employee Pensions team if you have any queries about your benefits. The best way to contact them is using the new online Contacts form.

    3. What are Buck doing about helping the Environment?
      Buck views their corporate social responsibility through a lens of shared success. They strive to invest their resources for the betterment of their colleagues, communities, and environment, enriching the lives of those they touch, and ensuring their continued long-term economic sustainability. This approach to CSR is delivered through three core pillars:

      • Corporate citizenship;
      • Human rights; and
      • Environmental responsibility.

    Questions about the changes

    1. Why have we changed provider?
      The main reasons for this change include:

      • The systems used were getting old and needed updating. Pension administration systems are extremely expensive to buy and to maintain. As a pensions administration specialist, Buck’s systems are modern and frequently updated, so by using the services of Buck, the Fund mitigates the cost, both now and in the future;
      • We want to continue to embrace the benefits of digital communications, we know many of our members are enjoying, by providing an even better online Member Portal solution with more functionality. Buck can provide this to members in a seamless way;
      • And most importantly, we want to make sure you continue to get the very best service. The previous in-house pension team has delivered an excellent level of service to members for a long time, but over recent years, it’s been increasingly difficult to attract and retain pensions professionals of the standard we look for into a small in-house team. By moving to Buck, who provide services to a large number of pension schemes similar to ours, we’ll have access to a larger team of pensions professionals. It also allows us to benefit from the investments in their teams and training they receive. After all, pension administration is what they do!
    2. When did the changes happen?
      From 21 February 2022.

    3. What changes are happening?
      Buck are responsible for all administration services to the Fund. This includes maintaining records, calculating member benefits and paying pensions.

    4. How will this change affect my pension?
      This change won’t affect your benefits or entitlements, or any choices you’ve made regarding your pension. You’ll simply have a new team to contact as and when you need to.

    5. How do I contact the NPF team at Buck?
      You can contact the NPF team at Buck by:

      • Email: NPF@buck.com
      • Phone: 0330 123 9677
      • Postal address: Nationwide Pension Fund, Buck (Bristol), PO Box 319, Mitcheldean, GL14 9BF
    6. Do I need to do anything?
      No. We’ve got everything under control and have made sure all of your pension information has been transferred seamlessly.

      If you’re thinking about retiring soon, please contact the NPF team at Buck as soon as you’re ready to discuss your options.

    7. Will there be anyone left at Nationwide who can help me with my pension?
      All questions about your benefits in the NPF should go to Buck.

      If you’re still employed by Nationwide, you have a Nationwide Group Personal Pension (GPP) and your question relates to the GPP, you can raise a Service Request on PeopleCloud and select Pensions in the category search.

    Questions if you're a Deferred member

    1. How does it affect me as a Deferred member?
      Buck are now responsible for all administration services to the Fund. This includes maintaining records, calculating member benefits and paying pensions.

    2. Who would I contact when I do come to apply for my pension at retirement?
      Please contact the NPF team at Buck if you have any queries about your benefits. The best way to contact them is using the new Contacts form - or by:

      • Email: NPF@buck.com
      • Phone: 0330 123 9677
      • Postal address: Nationwide Pension Fund, Buck (Bristol), PO Box 319, Mitcheldean, GL14 9BF
    3. Will my benefits be affected by this?
      This change won’t affect your benefits or entitlements, or any choices you’ve made regarding your pension.

      If you have any other questions about being a Deferred member you can visit the general Q&A page on the Fund website

    Questions if you're a Pensioner member

    1. How does it affect me as a Pensioner member?

      • Buck are now responsible for paying your monthly pension;
      • Buck will appear on your HMRC personal tax account from the first pension payment on 21 March 2022;
      • Your pension records will be held by Buck; and
      • Going forward, Buck will be your point of contact and will write to you regarding your pension benefits.
    2. Will this change affect my tax code?
      HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have been notified that Buck is now paying you your pension from the Fund. This is important to make sure your payments are recorded using the correct Pay As You Earn (PAYE) reference.

      In some instances, when an individual is moved from one PAYE reference to another, this results in HMRC issuing a P161 (Age Related Personal Allowance) form. If you receive this form, we’d encourage you to check it carefully, paying specific attention to the tax code. HMRC systems are now highly automated and there have been instances when an individual has transferred to a new PAYE reference, that HMRC have issued an incorrect tax code.

      If you believe your tax code may be incorrect, contact them at:

      Pay As You Earn,
      HM Revenue and Customs,
      BX9 1AS
      United Kingdom

      Alternatively, you can call the tax office on 0300 200 3300 (if you’re outside the UK please call +44 135 535 9022). If you need to use a textphone the number, you should call is 0300 200 3319.

      In all communications with HMRC you should include our PAYE reference number (shown on a recent payslip) and your National Insurance number.

      Unfortunately, HMRC will only deal directly with you, they will not take instructions from us on your behalf.

    3. Will I receive paper payslips?
      Buck will process your pension on the 21st of each month. A payslip for your first payment made by Buck will be posted to you and following that, if your pension changes by more than £1 a month, you’ll receive a postal payslip.

      From March 2022, only payslips produced by Buck will be available on the Member Portal.

    4. Will my PAYE reference number change?
      From 21 March 2022 your PAYE number will change, and this can be found on the payslip you’ll have received from Buck.

    5. Will my pension be paid on time?
      The date you receive your monthly pension will remain unchanged. Your pension will be paid on the 21st of each month, unless that falls on a weekend, in which case it will be the Friday before.

    6. Who will send me my P60?
      You’ll receive a P60 in the post from Buck around May 2022, confirming the total pension you’ve received from the Fund in the 2021/22 tax year, along with the total amount of tax paid.

      If you have any other questions about being a Pensioner member, you can visit the general Q&A page on the Fund website.

    Questions about the Member Portal

    1. Will my login details be the same?
      Yes, the login details will remain the same, although the first time you access the new Member Portal, you’ll be prompted to change your username and password.

    2. How do I use the new Member Portal?
      There’s a link to access the current Member Portal on the Fund website home page. That same link will take you to the new Member Portal from 21 February 2022.

    3. I’ve not registered on the Member Portal before, how do I find my unique code?
      In October, we sent everybody who hasn’t registered on the Member Portal a paper copy of the Annual Review. We included a covering postcard with your unique code on it. Don’t worry if you no longer have that, as you can contact the NPF team at Buck and they can reset it for you.

      If you have any other questions about the Member Portal, you can visit the general Q&A page on the Fund website.