The NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA) has confirmed plans to extend the 2019/20 voluntary scheme pays deadline for NHS Pension Scheme members with an annual allowance charge until 31 March 2022.

The group confirmed that it took the decision to extend the deadline as part of efforts to help support NHS Pension Scheme members, who are continuing to deal with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The extended voluntary scheme pays deadline also coincides with the deadline for clinicians applying to the 19/20 Pension Annual Allowance Charge Compensation Scheme.

The NHS BSA clarified, however, that it does not have the authority to extend the mandatory scheme pays election deadline for 2019/20 as this was confirmed in legislation, and as such the 2019/20 mandatory scheme pays deadline remains at 31 July 2021.

The scheme was previously extended amid the pandemic in August 2020, with NHS BSA stating at the time that it was "sympathetic to the situation" that NHS staff were in as frontline healthcare workers.

It was initially introduced in 2019 with the intention of relieving the pension crisis, which saw a number of doctors cutting back hours or retiring early in an effort to avoid high tax bills, with NHS providers warning of a potential "exodus of NHS leaders".

Share Story: