Capita pension wait 'worst experience of my life'
BBCPublic sector workers have described delays to their pension payments as "offensive" and "the worst experience", amid a public spending watchdog review.
Since operator Capita Public Services took over the Civil Service Pension Scheme last year, many people wanting to retire or cut back their hours have not been able to receive payments.
The National Audit Office said it would look at how the government managed the transition from the previous company, MyCSP, and the way the service has been administered since December 2025.
Capita said it was "sorry for the impact" the situation has had, while the Cabinet Office said the "immediate priority" was to stabilise service levels.
Peter Woodman from Horley, Surrey, who has worked as a detention officer at the Metropolitan Police for 25 years and is taking partial retirement because of health problems, said he had been waiting for a pension quotation since about February.
He told BBC Radio Surrey that he felt "let down" and that, because he is losing 20% of his salary due to the reduction in his hours, he has had to get a loan to help with the fall in his income.
"You can spend up to two hours on the phone with them, easily. You can get through to them eventually, then get cut off, then you have to go through the same process again," he said.
"It's the worst experience of my life."
Woodman said he also regularly checks the Capita website and is worried he will "end up back in hospital" because of the stress.
"I can't even listen to the music they play [on the phone]," he added.
"It makes me feel quite ill."
Wendy Cottee from Bookham, Surrey, who is a prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service said she had "heard nothing from Capita at all" for several months and that her funds had "reduced massively," with no pension to back them up.
She added there was "no way of contacting" the company and that on trying to email them, she had got "a standard form response", which apologised for the delays and said the application was "being processed".
Cottee said she felt that the situation was "appalling".
"It's very frustrating. I find it offensive actually," she said.
She added that her case was "not half as serious as lots of people out there who have had a year with no money".
Chris Coghlan, MP for Dorking and Horley, said people had been contacting him "probably at least once a week, at breaking point, because they literally can't get their pension, so they're struggling to survive financially".
A Capita spokesperson said: "We are sorry for the impact the service issues have had on members and recognise there is more to do to restore the service members should expect.
"Our focus remains on resolving outstanding cases. We are continuing to work closely with the Cabinet Office as we deliver the wider recovery."
A Cabinet Office spokesperson said service levels since Capita took over had been "completely unacceptable".
"Our immediate priority is to stabilise the service to give current and former civil servants the service they deserve," they added.
"While robust commercial levers will continue to be applied in the short term, including withholding nearly £10m in payments, the government intends to move forward the biggest wave of insourcing in a generation and is actively shaping a long-term strategy to bring this pension scheme back in-house."
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