This guidance is addressed to Cabinet Office as scheme manager of the Civil Servants and Others Pension Scheme (CSOPS or alpha scheme).
The purpose is to provide Cabinet Office with guidance on how to determine the additional dependant benefits when a member chooses to allocate part of their annual pension in the alpha scheme to a dependant.
This guidance only relates to benefits in the alpha scheme. Benefits in the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme - i.e. classic, classic plus, premium and nuvos - should be treated separately, in accordance with the relevant guidance for that scheme.
We do not envisage any special cases not covered by this guidance. However, if any do occur they should be referred to the Government Actuary's Department (GAD).
The following changes have been made when reviewing this guidance:
- Important information around the expected audience for the guidance, use of the guidance, review of factors, compliance and limitations applies across all sets of guidance. Rather than being repeated in each set of guidance, this can now be found on the scheme home page. It is important to read this information alongside the guidance.
- Calculation methodology: No changes have been made to the calculation methodology.
- Examples: There are no examples in this guidance. Worked examples, using the calculation methodology, can be found in prior versions of the guidance (though please note that these use historic factors).
- Factor tables: The "Factor Tables" tab contains the names of the tables that are referenced in the calculation methodology. The tables of factors themselves can be found in the most recently published "Consolidated Factors Workbook" which is available by clicking the "Download current Consolidated Factors Workbook" button on the scheme's home page.
- Assumptions: The key assumptions underlying the factors in each note are contained in the Consolidated Factors Workbook.
- Regulations: The regulations that require the production of the actuarial factors and/or guidance that is the subject of this note are summarised in the "Regulations" tab.
