Welcome!

As a deferred member, you have a statutory right to transfer your pension account out of the Fund at any time up until one year before your normal retirement age (age 65). If you want to transfer your benefits, please contact Fidelity International. 

However, pension scams are on the rise, so before you proceed with a transfer, please make sure that you’re not going to lose your retirement savings to a scammer.

To help protect pension savers, the Pensions Regulator has introduced a new step in the transfer process, whereby Fidelity International must offer to book a scams guidance appointment for you with Pension Wise, a Government service run by MoneyHelper. These appointments can take place over the phone or in person. If you don’t want to take the free guidance, you just need to let Fidelity International know that you wish to ‘opt out’ of your Pension Wise appointment.

You should also consider taking independent financial advice before transferring your benefits out of the Fund. An adviser will be able to help you understand whether the decision to transfer is in your best interests. For example, depending on when you joined the Fund, you might have some special features (such as the option to retire at age 50) that you would lose if you transferred your benefits out of the Fund.

You can find an adviser in your area by searching MoneyHelper’s online directory. 

If you retire early due to ill health, you can take the money in your pension account at any time from age 55 (unless you have a protected retirement age of 50). 

Subject to the Trustee’s discretion, you may be able to take the money in your pension account earlier than the minimum retirement age. In this case, if you still work for Roche in the UK, you should raise a ticket in the People Portal and you will be guided through the process. All other members should contact Fidelity on 0800 3 68 68 73.

*Please note, the minimum retirement age of 55 is rising to 57 from 6 April 2028; this is set by the Government as the earliest age most pension savers can take their retirement benefits. Some members may have a protected early retirement age of 50.

The Fund provides a lump sum payment as well as pensions for your loved ones if you die in service (i.e., while working for Roche).

If you’re a deferred member who still works for Roche, your beneficiaries will receive a death-in-service lump sum worth 2x your basic contribution salary (please note, this would increase to 4x if you re-joined the Fund as an active member). 

The Trustee will use the money in your pension account to provide a pension for your spouse or civil partner and/or any dependent children. If there’s not enough in your account to provide the minimum pension specified in the Fund’s Rules, then the Company will top it up.

Trustee discretion

The Trustee has discretion to decide who will receive any cash sums and pensions payable from the Fund (your ‘beneficiaries’). The Trustee is not bound by your wishes but will take them into account, which is why it’s so important that you complete an Expression of wish form when you first join the Fund – and keep it up to date as your personal circumstances change. You can easily update your wishes/beneficiaries on PlanViewer.

If you don’t have a spouse or civil partner, then you can nominate a dependant or dependants to receive your benefits by completing a Nomination form.

You can find out more about the benefits payable on death in the DC Section member booklet.

Restrictions on tax-free death benefits 

The Lump Sum and Death Benefit Allowance (LSDBA) restricts the amount of lump sum death benefits that can be paid tax free from all registered pension schemes to £1,073,100 (unless you have LTA protection, in which case a higher limit may apply).

Fidelity International hosts regular webinars, open to all Roche Pension Fund members, that are designed to help you plan for the future and become more financially resilient. 

The webinars cover a range of topics, tailored to different age groups and levels of financial understanding. 

Whether you’re on the road to retirement, or just starting to save, they’re a great way to learn more about how your pension works.

Here’s what’s coming up in early 2025. Simply click on the links to book your place. (Please note, you will be directed to an external website.)

The full list of 2025’s webinars, and recordings of previous sessions, are available on Fidelity’s website.