Frequently asked questions

Your pension from the Scheme is increased each year in line by inflation. Recently this has gone up in line with the previous year’s September CPI figure. The method used by the government to adjust your pension for inflation can be subject to change. Once in payment pensions cannot go down, so in the rare case of deflation, your pension would remain unchanged.

The rate of pension increase is set each April (for April 2026 this is 3.8%). If you have been retired for less than 12 months, you will receive a proportional increase. We will contact you annually with details of your pension increase.

You and your partner will need to consider how to treat your benefits as part of any divorce/dissolution settlement. More information can be found here.

Life cover

As a member of the Scheme you have valuable life cover which for most members includes a lump sum paid on your death. If you have not completed an Expression of Wish form setting out your payment preferences, or if you would like to make any changes following a previous Expression of Wish, you can find a template form on our Resources page.

We can continue to pay your pension to a UK bank or building society account. We may be able to make payment via an International Payment Service for which you will have to pay a small monthly fee. This is available for most but not all countries and you need to be aware that the amount of pension you'll receive each month will depend on the exchange rate at the time of each payment.

If you would like to have your pension paid to an overseas bank account please contact us for a form.

You can update your address details quickly and securely using your My Pension account. Once logged in, click on Details and settings, then select Your personal details.

Alternatively, you can write to us at: Highland Pension Fund, The Highland Council Headquarters, Glenuquhart Road, Inverness, IV3 5NX.

If you change your bank or building society details, please let us know right away as banks do not share this information with us.

You can update your bank or building society details quickly and securely by logging into your My Pension account. Once logged in, click on Details and settings, then select Manage my bank details.

We are unable to accept bank detail changes over the phone or by email. If you are unable to access My Pension, please contact us on 01463 702441 to request a bank mandate form.

It is His Majesty's Revenue & Customs (HMRC) that works out how much income tax you should pay and provides us with the tax code to be applied to your pension. You will need to speak directly to HMRC. You can find a range of contact options for HMRC on their website.

You will need your National Insurance number (you can find this on your P60).

The death in retirement section has details about what further benefits might be payable from the Scheme in the event of your death. The Register a Death page also sets out how to ensure the pension scheme is informed of a member's death.

You may need to contact us if you are going back to work in Local Government, or an employer where you could become a member of the LGPS.

In most cases further employment will not affect your pension. But you must tell us if you take up further employment.