Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many NHS pensioners flagged for manual reconciliation due to their lifetime allowance are experiencing delays in receiving their annual inflation increases; what is the average wait time for those cases to be resolved; and what is the longest recorded wait time for an affected individual to receive their statutory increase.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), which administers the NHS Pension Scheme on behalf of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has confirmed that as of 22 June 2026, there are 1,715 open inflation-related pension increase cases waiting for manual calculation and payment. These are known as ‘second bite’ payments and the average wait time for a case is 155 days, with the shortest wait time being one day and the longest wait time being 1,338 days.

The vast majority of second bites are paid automatically soon after the April pensions increase effective date by the NHSBSA, with 83,074 pensioners receiving their second bite payments over the last four years, April 2023 to April 2026. Manual intervention is necessary for the small number of pensioners at risk of exceeding the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) lump sum allowance due to their second bite payment. Members are requested to complete a declaration form, to enable the NHSBSA to determine if there is tax to be deducted and paid to HMRC when the second bite is paid so that the member receives the amount due net of tax. Delays by members in returning this form to the NHSBSA extend the time that a case remains open.

The NHSBSA, which administers the NHS Pension Scheme for almost four million members, recognises the importance of timely second bite payments and that delays are frustrating for members. The NHSBSA is taking a range of steps to process and pay second bite payments as quickly as possible after the declaration form is returned and to regularly monitor and remind members whose form remains outstanding.

The Department is working with the NHSBSA to oversee their development of a recovery plan that expediates the processing and payment of the delayed second bite payments.