Capita - October 2025
Watchdog has heard from some former teachers who say that they’re finding it difficult to get out some of the money that they've paid in. Their pensions are provided through the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, which is administered by Capita on behalf of the government. We heard from Sarah from Northampton who found out that she was entitled to additional pension money. This is because she is one of thousands of public sector workers who have been affected by a change to the way pensions are calculated. Seven months on and Sarah hasn’t been paid any of this additional income and the Teachers’ Pension Scheme can’t tell her when she’ll receive it. We’ve heard from many more former teachers, like Susan and Patrick who say they’ve faced months of delays to their payments.
When we wrote to Capita, it said that it acknowledges that some members have experienced delays in receiving payments, which it sincerely apologises for. It explained that the delays are often due to the complexity of the situation, and dependencies on external bodies such as the Department for Education, which are outside of Capita’s control as scheme administrator.
It said it has now agreed with the Department for Education the deployment of the additional resources needed to manage the increase in transactions along with the day to day running of the Scheme, and to ensure members receive their payments as soon as possible.
As for the Department for Education, a spokesperson said that Teachers are at the heart of this government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity, and a guaranteed income in retirement is one of the rewards teachers deserve for their hard work.
It said it understands that this has caused frustration, and it’s continuing to work closely with Capita to ensure the Teachers’ Pension Scheme is delivered to the highest possible standard. It told us it’s already delivering on its pledge to recruit and retain 6,500 more talented teachers with 2,300 more secondary and special schoolteachers in classrooms this year, as well as 1,300 fewer teachers leaving the profession – one of the best retention rates in over a decade.
You can watch the film here, for 28 days - /iplayer/episode/m002kvcd/the-one-show-15102025?seriesId=unsliced
