Widows left in pension limbo after husbands' deaths
Widows are facing significant delays in accessing their deceased husbands' civil service pensions due to issues with the outsourcing firm Capita. Many families are caught in bureaucratic challenges, unable to receive lump-sum payments or ongoing pension income. Capita has acknowledged the problems and is working to resolve the situation, but many clients are still experiencing frustration and uncertainty.
- ▪Fiona McGinness has been unable to access her late husband's pension since his death in January due to delays caused by Capita.
- ▪Capita took over the Civil Service Pension Scheme in December 2022, but has faced ongoing system issues and a backlog of applications.
- ▪Many widows, like Pamela Moultrie, are struggling with the financial implications of the delays on top of their grief.
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| Original publisher | BBC News — UK |
| Canonical URL | https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce3pw153dvpo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss |
| Publication time | Mon, 18 May 2026 21:45:09 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-18T21:49:56.949Z |
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Widows left in pension limbo after husbands' deathsJust nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleMartin GrahamBBC ScotlandMcGinness familyFiona McGinness says she has been caught in a bureaucratic nightmare since Paul's death Paul McGinness died from cancer at just 43 but with a civil servant's pension he at least knew his family would have some security.However, since his death in January, his wife Fiona has been caught up in a bureaucratic nightmare.Like thousands of other civil servants, Paul's pension has been delayed as a result of outsourcing firm Capita taking over administration of the entire pension scheme.Thousands of people have been unable to access their lump-sum payments or ongoing pension income due to problems with Capita's systems.Fiona told BBC Scotland News: "I sent the…
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