Q: What do I did if I have lost or not received my Personal Identification Code (PIC)?
A: We have now written out to all members with their PIC and included instructions how to register. If you have lost or not received your PIC code, please Contact Us.
Q: I need a cash equivalent transfer value, can I calculate this on the Pensions Portal?
A: You can't calculate a cash equivalent transfer value on the Pensions Portal but the Fund can calculate one transfer value in any 12 month period for you. To request a transfer value, please send us a secure message using the 'My Messages' feature of the Pensions Portal. Transfer values vary depending on whether they are for pension transfer or for divorce valuation purposes, so please let us know which type of value you need in the secure message.
Q: I’m a deferred member – when will I be able to use the Pension portal to ‘retire online’?
The Fund is currently working on the Deferred Retirement online process and will notify deferred members when it is available.
The retire online feature is only available to deferred members and allows you to select a calculation date, view instant figures including the maximum lump sum option and also provides the forms needed to claim your pension benefits with us and the option to submit relevant documents.
If you are a deferred member and age 55 or over currently, and you would like to access your deferred pension within this current financial year, please contact us to request for a formal retirement quotation.
Q: I am a Pensioner member, when will I be able to change my banking details on my Pension portal account?
This feature is currently in development and will be made available soon. In the meantime, if you would like to change your banking details you can write to the fund at our address: West Midlands Pension Fund, PO Box 3948, Wolverhampton, WV1 1XP.
If you have a payslip at home from the Fund you can also use the reverse to confirm your new banking details. To speed the process up you can submit this via a “Secure Message” on the Pension Portal.
Q: The QR code does not work on the registration letter I have received?
We’re sorry that your unable to access the portal via the QR code, please visit the Pension Portal. The step by step guidance remains the same and should you need it you can select the relevant user guide.
Q: What is Two- Factor Authentication?
Two-Factor Authentication is integrated in our Pension Portal to provide an additional layer of security for your account, it means you will need more than just your login name and password to access your details online as your security is important to us.
Two-Factor Authentication is part of the registration process and you will be prompted on when to set it up.
When setting up Two Tactor Authentication you can pick which method you prefer. This could be by receiving a text message after you have entered your login and password with a time sensitive security code for you to enter or by downloading an authenticator app from the Appstore e.g. google authenticator.
- If you decide to use text messages, you’ll need to enter your phone number and confirm it.
- If choosing an authenticator app, once you have downloaded the app on your phone, click on the ‘enable Two-Factor Authentication’ button on the website, choose ‘Yes’ to enable, click on the ‘authenticator App’ button and then use the app you have downloaded to scan the QR code shown on the your letter. Your app will then tell you it has added an account, and show a code which will change every several seconds. Entering the code on the website completes setup.
The next time you log into the website with your username and password, you will be prompted for the latest code to continue; that code will either be sent in a message to your phone, or can be found in your authenticator app, dependant on the option you have selected.
Q: Do I still have the facility to send the Fund a secure message through my Pension Portal account?
Yes, you can contact us through secure message function on our Portal. We aim to process this as quickly as possible however during busy periods this can take up to 10 working days (this may take a little longer during busy periods).
Q: I have tried to register but my Personal Identification Code does not work, what do I do?
If the Personal Identification Code (PIC) sent to you via post does not work then you will need to be issued with a new code, please contact us.
Alternatively, you can call our Customer Services contact centre who will then be able to start the process of issuing you a new PIC code to your email address usually with 6 working days.
The new PIC code will be emailed to you once it has been reset.
Q: I share an email with someone else and it won’t let me register for portal.
Unfortunately, once an email address has been used to register for one account it cannot be used again for security reasons. Therefore, if you share an email address with someone else, only one of you will be able to use it.
If you would still like to register, you could create a new personal email account to enable you to login to the Pension Portal or alternatively if this is not possible, you can request all documentation to be sent to you in paper via the post. Please send this request in writing to West Midlands Pension Fund, Po Box 3948, Wolverhampton, WV1 1XP.
Q: I am partway through the registration process but the verification codes for the 2 factor authentication aren’t coming through via text?
We are aware that in some cases there may be a delay in receiving the codes. If yours has not come through, please wait 24 hours and begin the registration process again. If the problem persists, please contact us and will we be happy to assist.
Q: What should I do if my account is disabled?
There may be a few reasons why this has happened, but don’t worry our team can resolve this for you.
Please contact us via email here and provide a screenshot of the error message you are receiving and confirm the time and date the issue occurred we will then review your account and provide the next steps in reinstating your access as soon as possible.
In the mean-time if there is any specific information you need whilst your account is with our team please contact our Customer Services contact centre who will be happy to assist.
Q: I don’t want to register for Pensions Portal and would prefer to receive paper communication.
The Fund want to ensure that all member’s receive their pension information in the format that suits them best - If you would like to receive all communication from us via post then please contact us.