Welcome to the 
AC Nielsen (UK) Pension Plan

Ready to retire

The earliest you may take benefits is currently age 55. Please note this is due to increase to age 57 from 2028. If you take your defined benefit pension before age 65, your pension will be reduced to reflect that it will be paid for longer. There may be restrictions on taking benefits early so please contact the Plan administrator for more information.

Once you’ve decided on the date you’d like to retire, it is recommended you get a written pension quote within 12 months of this date. This quote will provide details of your benefits and can be requested by contacting the administration team.

Getting advice

As you approach retirement, you may want to consider taking professional advice:

Government advice

The government has set up a Pension Wise service where you can meet either in person, on the telephone or using their web site. They can provide general guidance but will not recommend a specific product or option. We suggest that if you meet them, so as to make full use of the time available, you prepare all of your documents beforehand as they will only be able to hold a short 45 minutes meeting.

Independent advice

For personal advice, you should seek help from a financial adviser, as neither the Trustee nor its Plan advisers can provide this to you. We can only supply factual data and entitlement information. You can find a local adviser on the Unbiased website. If you have money purchase benefits in the Plan, Capita will provide an illustration of potential benefits as you approach retirement, as well as annual statements, and will also be able to arrange the purchase of an annuity on retirement, as appropriate.

Protecting your loved ones

If you die before you start taking your pension, a lump sum death benefit may be payable depending on your circumstances. A pension may also be payable to your spouse, partner or dependent child.

By completing an Expression of Wish you can let the Trustee know how you would like any benefits due from the Scheme to be paid in the event of your death. While this is not binding, it will be considered by the Trustee when deciding who to pay benefits to and you are strongly recommended to complete it and keep it up to date.

• Go to the Expression of Wish form (click to view PDF)

Please return your completed form to the following address:

AC Nielsen (UK) Pension Plan
Capita
PO Box 555
Darlington DL1 9YT

Transfers

Thinking about transferring your benefits? Remember, if you transfer defined benefits and the value of your pension is more than £30,000, you’ll need to take independent financial advice from an authorised person and provide evidence of this.

Transferring out

You can transfer your benefits to another approved pension arrangement providing that you have not started to draw your benefits and are not within a year of retirement.

Transferring in

The Trustee no longer accepts transfer of benefits from other arrangements into the Plan.

The level of benefits provided by the Plan is set by NielsenIQ. If you have any concerns, please contact your HR representative. If you are unhappy with the service you have received, please contact the administrator in the first instance.

If you don’t receive a satisfactory response from HR or the administrator, you can contact the Trustee by getting in touch with the Plan Secretary Sue Kettle:

The Trustee has a formal Internal Disputes Procedure (IDR) wh­ich can be provided on request from the administrator or the secretary.

If you remain dissatisfied, you can contact the Pensions Advisory Service and then the Pensions Ombudsman. The Ombudsman will usually expect you to have been through the formal IDR process before considering your case.