Once you’re logged in, you’ll see a summary table for the ‘funds’ in your pot with The People’s Pension on the welcome page of your account. If you’re eligible to access your pension, you’ll see a blue ‘Take your money’ button within this table.

Click the ‘Taking your money’ button and answer all the questions to submit your request to take your money.

You’ll also need to confirm you’ve read and understood the important information we’ve shared with you (such as the ‘Your options at retirement’ booklet) and if you’ve taken guidance and advice.

How do I get to the welcome page?

You automatically land on the welcome page when you log into your account. To get back to the welcome page:

• if you’re using a desktop computer, click on ‘Home’ or on the People’s Partnership logo in the top left-hand corner
• if you’re using our app, select the ‘Home’ button to get back to the welcome page.

I can’t see the ‘Take your money’ button on the welcome page

You can only access your pension once you reached your normal minimum pension age. So, if you’re younger than this, you won’t be able to see the ‘Take your money’ button in your account.

However, if you’re suffering from ill health you may be able to access your pot earlier than your normal minimum pension age – find out more.

I’m having problems logging into my account

If you need help setting up or resetting your visit our webpage about accessing your account for more information.

We will never contact you out of the blue to ask for any of your personal or account information, such as your password or sign-in details.

Get started

When you’re ready, find out more about taking your savings through your account on our how to take your pension money webpage.

Some of the details you’ll need to know include:

• How much your other pension pots are worth
• Details of other pensions you’ve taken money from
• Whether or not you’ve registered for lifetime allowance protection
• Your bank account details

How much your other pension pots are worth

If you’re not sure how much your other pensions are worth, you’ll need to find out from your other pension providers.

If you’re not sure what other pensions you have, you can use the government website to find pension providers you might have had an account with in the past.

Trace your lost pension pots

Details of other pensions you’ve taken money from

If you’ve taken money from other pensions, you may be able to get the details you need from correspondence at the time.

If not, you’ll need to contact your other pension provider to find out.

Whether or not you’ve registered for lifetime allowance protection

Between 2006 and 2024, the lifetime allowance (LTA) limited the amount you could save into your pension scheme(s) and receive full tax benefits.

Prior to the 2023/24 tax year, any amount over the LTA was subject to a tax charge. Between 2012 and 2015, the LTA was cut several times. When it was introduced in 2006 and every time it’s been reduced, the government has allowed savers to ‘protect’ their pension at the level of the previous higher allowance if their pension savings were more than the new lower allowance. You may see this referred to as ‘LTA protection’ in general, or ‘enhanced protection’, ‘fixed protection’, or ‘primary protection’ in relation to specific LTA changes.

From 6 April 2023, the tax charge was removed, and from 6 April 2024 the LTA was abolished and new allowances came into effect. However, individuals can still keep entitlements to a higher allowance if they’ve previously obtained LTA protection. A financial adviser could help you understand your options with this, and you can find out more on the HMRC website.

Your bank account details

You’ll also need to provide details for the account you’d like your pension money paid into.

If you’d like your money paid into a bank account, you’ll need to provide:

• the account holder name (your name as it appears on your bank card)
• the account number
• the account sort code.

If you’d like your money paid into a building society account, you’ll need to provide:

• the building society roll number (as seen on your statement)
• account number
• account sort code.

You should be able to get these details from your statement, account card, online account or from correspondence with your building society or bank.

Get started

Once you’ve gathered these details, find out more about taking your savings online on our how to take your pension money webpage.

If you don’t have access to a smartphone, tablet or computer, or you just don’t feel confident accessing your pension money online or on your own – get in touch and we’ll help guide you through the process.

If you have a vulnerability or disability which stops you from being able to request to take your pension money online, you can contact us to ask about the best way to access your money. If needed, we can send out paper forms for you to fill out, but this may mean it’ll take longer for you to receive your pension money from us.

Find out more about how to take your pension money

To get the most from your pension when you retire – now more than ever – it pays to think ahead.

Find out how to plan for your retirement

You can also find lots of helpful information on our website including our webpages about:

• retirement planning
• your options at retirement
• your options for getting guidance and advice

You’ll find more information on our pension tax webpage.

If you’re currently aged under 55, what can you do with your pension pot now?

• Leave your fund invested with us until your normal minimum pension age. Compare your options at retirement on our website.
• Make your own payments into your pension pot by Direct Debit.
• If you have pension pots with other pension providers, you might also want to consider transferring them into your current pot with The People’s Pension.
• Transfer your pension pot to another pension provider.

Have you had to stop work?

You may be able to access your pension savings earlier than age 55 if you’ve become physically or mentally incapable of continuing your job, and so you’ve stopped working. As well as meeting HMRC’s rules, we’ll need a report confirming that you are medically incapable of continuing your job as result of injury, sickness, disease or disability – so please get in touch with us if you’d like to take your money.

Are you suffering from serious ill health?

If you’re suffering from serious ill health – with a life expectancy of less than 12 months – you may be able to get your whole pension pot as tax-free cash. Let us know if you’d like to take your money.

Find out more about when you can take your pension money

If you don’t want to take an income or lump sum from your pension pot – for example, if you’re still working or you have income from elsewhere – you can keep your retirement savings invested with us and make your choices later.

If you carry on working, you can still contribute to your pension, allowing your pension pot to potentially carry on growing. Depending on whether investments go up or down, this means there could be more money available when you decide to take it.

Please note that if you’re in the glidepath phase, and you decide to delay accessing your money, your pension savings will be moved further back on the glidepath. So more of your money will be put back into higher risk funds, as you’ve longer to go until you need to access your pension pot.

To move your retirement date back with The People’s Pension, log into your account, our mobile app or contact us.

You can also defer taking your State Pension and then be eligible to claim more in the future. For example, if you’re eligible to get the full State Pension of £11,502.40 a year, but you put off claiming it for a year, this figure will be increased by an extra 5.8% a year when you start to claim. For more information see www.gov.uk/deferring-state-pension

If you carry on working, you can still contribute to your pension, allowing your pension pot to potentially carry on growing. Depending on whether investments go up or down, this means there could be more money available when you decide to take it.

To move your retirement date back with The People’s Pension, log into your account online, via our mobile app or contact us.

You can also defer taking your State Pension and then be eligible to claim more in the future. For example, if you’re eligible to get the full State Pension of £11,502.40 a year, but you put off claiming it for a year, this figure will be increased by an extra 5.8% a year when you start to claim. For more information see: www.gov.uk/deferring-state-pension.