The Scheme
The information on these pages is about the Consumers’ Association Pension and Employee Benefit Scheme - the Scheme.
The Scheme is a Defined Benefit arrangement, we also call it a Hybrid arrangement.
If you started working for Which? (or for one of its associated companies including Consumers’ Association Ltd, RICA, Which? Financial Services) before April 2004, you had the opportunity to become a member of the Scheme.
If you were such a member and you haven't yet taken your Scheme benefits, then you have a deferred pension in the Scheme.
If you also later switched to the Defined Contribution (DC) Section then all those DC Section benefits have been transferred to the Consumers’ Association Retirement Savings Plan (CARSP), a section of the Aviva Master Trust, which is administered by Aviva.
Whether or not you switched to the DC Section, if you made additional voluntary contributions (AVCs) to any Fund Manager other than Prudential, then the money in those arrangements has also been transferred to CARSP.
This includes all the AVCs made to Clerical Medical, Utmost Life (Equitable Life as was) and Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM).
If you started working for Which? between April 2004 and December 2023 and joined the Scheme, then you became a member of just the Defined Contribution Section. If so then all your benefits have been transferred to CARSP and you are no longer a member of this Scheme.
If you joined the pension arrangement at Which? on or after 1st January 2024, you are not and never have been a member of this Scheme. You may have joined CARSP.
You may find out more about your benefits in the Scheme by using the links on the left side of this page.
If you have any questions about the Scheme - including whether you are a Scheme Member – please contact us.
Consumers' Association Retirement Savings Plan (CARSP)
From 1st January 2024 while you are an active member of the Which? pension arrangement, your monthly contributions are paid by Which? into the Consumers’ Association Retirement Savings Plan (CARSP), a section of the Aviva Master Trust, which is administered by Aviva.
In addition the Trustees of the Consumers’ Association Pension and Employee Benefit Scheme (CAPEBS) transferred your entire DC Section Pension Account to CARSP. This Pension Account was built up with contributions and AVCs into the DC Section between 1st April 2004 and 31st December 2023.
If you are a member of CAPEBS and you also have money invested in CARSP, you do have the opportunity to transfer back to this Scheme some or possibly all of the money that is invested in the CARSP Funds when you retire.
Please note that the information on these pages is about the Consumers’ Association Pension and Employee Benefit Scheme.
The information on these pages does not provide you with any details about CARSP. For information about the Aviva Master Trust see the CARSP website.
If you are a current employee you can also find information about the Aviva Master Trust and CARSP under the Pensions section of the Intranet Hub.
In Summary
Providing that you haven't yet used any of your benefits, see the following table for whether you have Scheme benefits, Aviva Master Trust benefits or both.
