Please note this newsletter is provided to payroll admins/finance managers responsible for administering the pension scheme rules to the practice staff within directional body and OOH employments.
It is intended to advise and remind employers of procedures for this process and should not be given to the staff themselves.
The HSC Pension Service will distribute a relevant member newsletter that should be given to staff.
This newsletter contains information about :
- Access to Member Self Service (MSS)
- Annual Benefit Statements for Members (ABS24)
- Keeping HSC Pension Service Updated
- Pensionable Pay & Contributions
- Contacting Us
- Focus On Employer Charter
- Member Details
- Contact Us
This newsletter is available in a printable/downloadable format here.
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Access to Member Self Service
Access to Member Self Service (MSS) has been rolled out in stages to groups outside of the HSC secure network.
The next phase is to roll MSS out to members employed by Directional Bodies. Members no longer need to access Member Self Service from a trust based computer, and can do so from their own home or mobile devices.
An important part of the sign up and login process of Member Self Service is the email address associated with your pension record. The email address we hold is the last one supplied from their most recent employer, for some members they may not know what email address this would be. Follow the relevant process below for advice on what to do if this is the case.Members who signed up before.
Members with previous access with another employer should follow the “login” link below and enter their username and password. If they cannot remember their credentials, they can follow the forgotten links for each to receive reminders/reset instructions.
If you do not receive an email, it is likely it has gone to an old address that you can no longer access. If this is the case please email MSSqueries@hscni.net with your DOB, postcode, last 4 characters of your National Insurance number & email address you wish to use for Member Self Service, asking for your email address to be updated.
Members who have not signed up before
New members can follow the “sign up” link below. If successful, they will receive an confirmation email with a link to finish the sign up process, here they will choose a username and password to login.
If you receive a message stating your will receive an “activation key” within 10 days, you will receive an email asking to confirm your details and email address, as some of the information you entered during setup will not have matched what we hold—this normally links to an incorrect email address. You do not need to request help at this stage as a member of the HSC Pension Service will contact you by email.
Register for Member Self Service
Instructional videos are available on our website at the link below:
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Annual Benefit Statements for Officers (ABS24)
Where the GP55A 23/24 has been received and verified as correct, the information has now been uploaded to individual staff records and Annual Benefit Statements (ABS), for each active scheme member has been produced. The Annual Benefit Statement 2024 (ABS24) is available on Member Self Service (MSS) and all staff should now have registered for this service.
Please note any member who contacts HSC Pension Service asking for a posted ABS24 due to not having access, will be directed back to their employer to assist them in gaining access. If members are having difficulties signing up to Member Self Service, they should email MSSqueries@hscni.net with details of the issues, including a screenshot of any error messages received.
Officers included on GP55As where the GP55A has been received after the regulatory deadline of the 17th May 2024, or where an outstanding query on an earlier submission has been raised but remains unanswered, are not guaranteed to have an Annual Benefit Statement produced as part of our ABS24 process for active scheme members. HSC Pension Service administrators will refer any queries from these members back to the practice manager. Subsequent production of the ABS24 is therefore likely to be delayed.Note: An “Officer” is any member of the HSC Pension Scheme that is NOT a medical or dental practitioner. Medical and dental practitioners have the annual statements created separately and are advised when ready.
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Keeping HSC Pension Service Updated
Please ensure HSC Pension Service are being informed of any changes to the employers primary contacts for pension queries, including change of contact email or contact number so we can keep our records up to date. If a previous contact has left the employment we will be unable to update the employer with important communications.
If you are new to HSC Pension Scheme administration and submit returns on behalf of an employer, please complete the authorised signature form available at GP Practice Forms and return to hscpensions@hscni.net.
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Pensionable Pay & Contributions
Can you please ensure persons responsible for the practice payroll are fully aware of rules governing pensionable pay and contributions. Extensive information can be found at:
Section 5: Pensionable Pay and Contributions – HSC Pension Service (hscni.net).Note that the most up to date contribution tiers are currently only available on the employer technical update newsletters. The tiers will be updated on the specific sections of the website in the future.
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Contacting Us
Whilst our phone lines are open daily our preferred method of communication is by email. Email queries can be logged to individual pension records and any work progressed through the team workflow. This ensures that the work is completed by the appropriate team member and responded to within an acceptable time scale.
A simple general query may be answered quicker than a more complex query, so we respectfully request that you allow us time to reply to your queries before contacting us again.
Please include the NI number or employer identifier code in any communication so that we can access the correct record.
Any queries from your members should be directed to hscpensions@hscni.net and not directly to a specific member of staff
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Focus On - Employer Responsibilities
Both the HSC Pension Service and employers have responsibilities on administering the scheme for all members.
The Employer Charter outlines the specific responsibilities for the employer and their nominated representative, as well as the HSC Pension Service responsibilities to the employer and timeframes associated with requests.
All employers and their representatives should read the Employer Charter and familiarise themselves with it.
The employer representatives are the person or persons responsible locally for the administration of the pension scheme, as nominated by the employer. This is normally confirmed on the authorised signature form. It can be the pension manager, payroll administrator, practice manager etc.It should be pointed out that the Employers Charter is always changing to meet the needs of the regulations. Employers should therefore check for updates on this document in addition to checking the Employer Technical Updates (ETU).
Please read the employer charter below and if you have any questions regarding it, please let us know.
It should be noted that the Employer Charter is created for all employers, and some terms may not be familiar as different employers may process and report information separately.
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Member Details
Employers need to ensure they are updating the HSC Pension Service of any changes to members personal details on a regular basis.
We use the GP55a year end information to ensure that all information is up to date and accurate on our system.
The GP55a is submitted in March—May of each year, but is not loaded to record until July to allow for checks, queries and post processing. If the member changes details after the Gp55a submission, but before the upload, the upload will change the members details back to the data held on the GP55a.
It is therefore very important that the information entered into your GP55a and any other forms is accurate, up to date and relating to the member stated.
Please ensure that before you submit any information that it is double checked so that no errors occur.
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Contact Us
By writing to us at:-
HSC Pension Service
Waterside House
75 Duke Street
Londonderry
BT47 6FPVia e- mail at:- hscpensions@hscni.net
By Telephone: 028 7131 9111 Option 3
10.00 am to 12.00pm / 2.00 pm to 4.00pm – Monday to Thursday 10.00 am to 12.00pm – FridayFind us on X – @HSCPensions
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