Pensioners' newsletter99

Advertising goes ahead

In last year's For Your Benefit we asked for your views on the possibility of advertising. We had an extremely good response, thank you.

You told us that you think advertising is a good idea. In fact, your comments were so much in favour we are even looking at including adverts with your monthly Pension Advice. We hope to start doing this very shortly.

As we said last year, the Pensioners' Forum will review all the adverts to ensure that they are entirely suitable.

We would also like to reassure you that:

your name and address will not be supplied to any advertiser by the WYPF
products or services advertised can not be seen as being recommended by the WYPF

Look out for the new look

From April, there'll be a new look to your monthly Pension Advice. And there'll be a new look to your P60 this year too. As usual, your Pension Advice will drop through your letterbox around the 16th of every month and we'll send your P60 to you in May.

There's a form on your new look Pension Advice to let us know if you move address or if you change the bank account we pay your pension into. The form will be on your Pension Advice every month so it will always be there when you need it. You can phone a change of address in too. Don't forget, if you move address, you must to let the tax office know. Their address is on your new look Pension Advice.

Stock market worries?

From time to time, there's news of trouble in one or other of the stock markets around the world. And the experts always predict bad effects on pensions.

But the good news is that, whatever happens to the stock markets, your pension won't be affected.

Your benefits are guaranteed by law and can't be affected by stock market fluctuations.

Working again?

If your pension was awarded on your own retirement it may need to be adjusted if you get another job with either a local authority or another employer who uses the Local Government Pension Scheme.

The adjustments normally last for the period of time you have the new job. But if you were awarded compensation for early retirement the first time you retired the adjustments may be permanent.

The rules are very complicated, so the best advice we can give you is to contact us if you get another job.

Pension increase by 3.2%

One of the good things about this time of year is that April is when pensions are increased.

This year, the increase is 3.2% and as usual the increase is based on the rise in the cost of living in the year up to last September.

Your pension will be increased if you are over age 55 or you retired on the grounds of ill health. You'll get the increase too if your pension is a spouse's or a children's pension. The increase is paid from 12 April this year.