‘My kids buy me food’: civil service pensioners offered emergency loans as nearly 90,000 face delays

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 4 min read 100% complete by Anna TimsJanuary 29, 2026 at 02:40 PM

AI Summary

long article 4 min

Thousands of newly retired civil servants are facing financial hardship due to significant delays in receiving their pension payments from the Civil Service Pension Scheme. Nearly 90,000 cases are backlogged, with some retirees waiting since January 2025 and many since December 2023. The government acknowledges the issue and is offering interest-free hardship loans up to £10,000 and potential compensation to those most affected. The delays are attributed to administrative issues during a transition from MyCSP to Capita, the new contractor managing the scheme's administration since December. Retirees report struggling to pay bills, buy food, and some fear losing their homes, forcing some to rely on family or apply for universal credit.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Equiniti 50% Public Accounts Committee 60% Department for Work and Pensions 60% MyCSP 60% Nick Thomas-Symonds 70% Cabinet Office ×280% Capita ×380% Civil Service Pension Scheme ×490%

Keywords

pension delays 100% civil service pensioners 90% civil service pension scheme 80% hardship loans 70% financial hardship 70% pension administration 60% retirement income 60% backlog 60% capita 50%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.70

Source Transparency

Source

The Guardian - World News

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.40)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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pension delays civil service pensioners civil service pension scheme hardship loans financial hardship pension administration retirement income backlog capita

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