If you were previously a member of the J O Grant & Taylor (London) Limited Staff Pension Scheme, please refer to About to retire instead of the information on this page.
One year before your retirement date
Consider whether you want to retire at your Normal Retirement Age or whether you would like to continue working. Track down any previous pension benefits and work out how much money you are likely to have in retirement.
Six months before your retirement date
Consider how you might want to take your pension benefits, there is a summary of your options below. Contact the Scheme Administrator to get a retirement quote for your preferred option.
Three months before your retirement date
Confirm your chosen option to the Scheme Administrator and begin preparing for your retirement.
Your options
When you reach your Normal Retirement Age, there are currently three options available to you.
A full pension
Have a guaranteed income for life with a full pension. This will be paid into your bank account on a monthly basis. When you take your pension, you can choose between:
- A pension that will receive annual increases in line with the Scheme rules
- A higher initial pension that will not increase each year (known as Pension Increase Exchange or PIE)
Log into your VGPS account to explore these options further. When you log in, you’ll find:
- A video explaining the PIE option
- Information on what you should consider when deciding if PIE is for you
A cash lump sum and reduced pension
Take a smaller monthly pension in exchange for a tax-free cash lump sum. You can take up to 25% of your pension as a lump sum. You may take a smaller lump sum, with your annual pension amount adjusted accordingly.
Transfer your benefits out of the Scheme
You could transfer your pension to another arrangement to take advantage of other options available. Please be aware that if your transfer value is over £30,000 you will need to take financial advice before you can transfer out.
Explore your options
Log into your VGPS account and go to the My Retirement page to explore your retirement options.
On the My Retirement page, you’ll find:
- A step-by-step guide to making your decision
- A short video giving an overview of the retirement options available to you
- A generic side-by-side comparison of the options
Deciding how to take your pension benefits is an important decision, so although this guidance should help you to make a decision, you may also want to consider taking independent financial advice.
Log into your VGPS accountAdditional savings with Vodafone
If you paid AVCs or had Defined Contribution savings before 2020, you may have some additional savings with Vodafone that can be combined with your defined benefit entitlement to give you a higher annual pension. This applies if you:
- were a VGPS member and paid Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs) before 2020, or
- were a CWW member with Defined Contribution savings and/or AVCs paid before 2020, or
- had money invested with Utmost or Prudential.
In these circumstances you may be able to use these additional savings to ‘buy back’ additional pension from the defined benefit schemes. In practice this means swapping the lump sum value of these additional savings for an increased annual pension. For more information about buy back read the buy back information leaflet.
Other savings and your State Pension
Your Vodafone pension may not be the only savings you have for your retirement.
You may have saved into a pension scheme with another employer, and you may also be entitled to a State Pension. The amount of State Pension you will receive depends upon your National Insurance record. For more information visit the Government’s Your Pension website.
Independent financial advice
The Trustee has appointed WPS Advisory, a firm of financial advisers, to help you decide which option at retirement is right for you. To find out more, log into your VGPS account.
If you do not wish to use WPS Advisory’s services, you can use your own financial adviser. You can find information on how to choose a financial adviser via the MoneyHelper website.
Your alternatives
Be scam smart
Scammers will try and find ways to take your hard earnt cash. You are especially vulnerable as you approach retirement.
Take the time to read our dedicated ScamSmart page, providing you information on the warning signs of a scam and how you can protect yourself.