How do I change my name on my NHS Pension?#
It depends on where you are in the scheme. NHS Pensions' help article on changing your name, and its member and pensioner pages, give three routes.
- You still pay into the scheme. Tell your employer, and they contact NHS Pensions to update your record. NHS Pensions asks members to keep their personal details, their name among them, up to date with their employer, and its help centre says members still in the scheme must update any changes with their current NHS employer. Your HR or payroll team will say what they need to see: changing your name at work covers the usual process.
- You have left and no longer pay in. Contact NHS Pensions yourself to confirm your change of name. Its member contact page lists an online contact service, a phone line and a postal address.
- You draw the pension. Send evidence of your change of name by post to NHS Pensions, PO Box 683, Unit 5, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE5 9EE, and include your membership number or your National Insurance number. NHS Pensions says you must pay the postage if you use a handwritten envelope.
NHS Pensions says every member has an 8-digit membership number, shown at the top of any letter it has sent you; if you do not know yours, give your National Insurance number instead.
What does NHS Pensions ask to see?#
Its pensioner page sets out the document for each reason:
| Why your name changed | What NHS Pensions asks to see |
|---|---|
| A deed poll | The deed poll showing your new name |
| Marriage | Your marriage certificate |
| A civil partnership | Your civil partnership certificate, which must show your previous and your new name, or it may ask for more |
| Divorce | The decree absolute |
| The end of a civil partnership | The dissolution order |
| Going back to an earlier surname | Your original birth certificate |
The same page says all documents should be originals, and that it also accepts certified copies, but only ones "certified and stamped by a solicitor". NHS Pensions' help article on changing your name is looser: it lists "a copy of the deed poll document", and the original or a certified copy of the other documents. The two pages do not match, so the safe choice is the one that satisfies both: a copy certified and stamped by a solicitor. Who can certify a copy explains how certification works.
If your name changed for another reason, the pensioner page asks you to contact NHS Pensions for advice on what to send.
Why it matters once you draw the pension#
NHS Pensions asks pensioners to tell it straight away when their personal details, bank details or circumstances change, and warns that not doing so could lead to payments being suspended, to missing money you are owed, or to an overpayment you have to pay back.
If you also move your pension to a new bank account, NHS Pensions needs the sort code, account number and account name of both the old and the new account, and a building society roll number if there is one. My NHS Pension lets pensioners update their bank details online.
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland#
Wales. NHS Pensions says it administers the NHS Pension Scheme in England and Wales, so NHS staff and pensioners in Wales follow the routes above.
Scotland. The Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA) says it administers pensions for National Health Service employees in Scotland. Its page on keeping your details up to date says members in work change their name through their employer, who sends the update to SPPA, and that retired and deferred members contact SPPA. Its change of details form has a section for a new name and asks you to include "a copy of your marriage certificate or other relevant legal documentation"; it goes by post to SPPA, 7 Tweedside Park, Tweedbank, Galashiels, TD1 3TE, or through SPPA's webform.
Northern Ireland. The HSC Pension Service asks its pensioners to tell it about a change of name or marital status as far ahead of the next payment date as possible. It says it usually stops putting changes onto its payroll about two weeks before payday, and asks you to quote your pension reference number or National Insurance number. Its address is Orchard House, 40 Foyle Street, Derry/Londonderry, BT48 6AT. Its pages do not describe a route for members still working, so ask your HSC employer first.
Who else to tell#
Your NHS Pension record is separate from your medical records, which your GP surgery updates. If you get the State Pension, tell the Pension Service too, and any other workplace or personal pension you hold: pensions, savings and investments lists how each scheme works.
Questions people ask
Can I change my name on My NHS Pension?
Not according to NHS Pensions' pages. My NHS Pension shows the name held on your pension record, and lets you change your contact details and nominations and, once you draw the pension, your bank details. Its help centre tells members whose details are wrong to contact their employer, who updates NHS Pensions.
Is there an NHS Pension change of name form?
NHS Pensions' pages offer none. Members still working tell their employer, and pensioners post their evidence with their membership or National Insurance number, so a short covering letter does the job: what to put in a change of name letter. In Scotland, SPPA's change of details form has a section for a new name.
How long does NHS Pensions take to change a name?
It does not say. Its processing times page, last updated on 3 September 2026, gives targets for pension payments, estimates, transfers and other requests, but none for a change of name or personal details.
Will NHS Pensions send my deed poll back?
Its pages do not say. Its pensioner page asks for originals or copies certified and stamped by a solicitor, and its help article lists a copy of the deed poll, so a copy certified and stamped by a solicitor meets both and lets you keep the original deed at home.
Something else? Ask us, and a person replies by email, normally the same working day.
