The first priority for most people when considering retirement is to understand your financial situation when you leave the workforce. It is only by establishing your income and ongoing level of expenditure that you will be able to determine your lifestyle after retirement. Once the financial arrangements have been understood then you can think about the other issues in front of you.
To help with this the company will arrange for an independent specialist to review your individual needs and to offer advice on how best to deal with your finances, including any entitlements you may have from the many Government schemes in place.
In addition to the advice from the independent specialist there is also a great deal of information available to you from the following organisations:
- The Department of Work and Pensions
- The Pension Service
- Age Concern
- Transport Scotland
- Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs
These organisations provide details of many benefits and entitlements which you have earned throughout your working life. It is not possible to list these on a single page because they are often based on individual needs. Some of these are one off payments while others are regular weekly or monthly sums. Below is a list of links covering the major payments made available by the Government.
Department for Work and Pensions - Benefits and Services
Department for Work and Pensions - Pensions and Retirement
The Pension Service - Winter Fuel Allowance
The Pension Service - Forward Planning
The Pension Service - Pension Forecast Tool
Age Concern - Benefits Checker
Age Concern - Retirement Financial factsheet
Age Concern - Leisure and Travel
Age Concern - Leisure and Learning Factsheet
Transport Scotland - Applying for Bus and Rail Passes
Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs - National Insurance
