Universities Superannuation Scheme

Eligibility: Academic and Professional Support colleagues Grades 6 and above (from January 2026).

Being a USS member gives you a guaranteed income for life in retirement, plus a tax-free (up to a limit) cash lump sum, with the Retirement Income Builder – the defined benefit (DB) part of USS.

You could also build up a savings pot to access through a range of flexible options with the Investment Builder – the defined contribution (DC) part. You’ll pay in to this if you earn above the salary threshold, transfer in a pension from elsewhere or choose to pay additional contributions, and you’ll be able to make decisions about how your savings are invested.

There are two parts to your pension that work together to give you a hybrid pension – there’s the Retirement Income Builder, which gives you a guaranteed income and a one-off cash lump sum when you retire. You’ll join this part automatically. And there’s the Investment Builder, which gives you a flexible savings pot for your future. You’ll join this part automatically too if you earn over the salary threshold.

My USS is also where you can make investment choices for any Investment Builder savings. You can choose whether you want us to manage your investments for you or if you’d like to do it yourself.

You can also choose to invest ethically. And, if you wish to save a bit more, you can make additional contributions to the Investment Builder in My USS.

You accrue 1/75th of pensionable earnings per year (up to the salary threshold), and anything above the salary threshold, the employee contributions are 6.1% and employer contributions are 14.5%.

Managing your USS Pension

Log in to your USS account to get access to your personal pension status and:

View your current valuation
Manage your contributions
Manage your investments
Update any changes in your personal details (e.g. home address). All correspondence will be made via this address, so it is very important that you keep this updated
Amend your target retirement date
Use tools and calculators to make pension estimations
Nominate your beneficiary in the event of your death

Contact USS if you would prefer to phone or write or need support in accessing the online pension portal.