A pension valuation is a key piece of evidence in divorce cases. Family law courts need it to decide whether pensions should be shared between separating spouses. It’s also vital documentation of a person’s assets going into divorce, which can help to determine the eventual financial settlement.
It’s known as a Cash Equivalent Transfer Valuation or CETV. For teachers, it’s calculated by Teacher’s Pensions, the organisation which manages pensions on behalf of then Department for Education.
But according to recently revealed data, thousands of teachers across the UK are facing long delays in receiving their CETVs. A Freedom of Information Request submitted by a CETV support group showed that as of December 2024, there were just under 2,000 teachers stuck waiting for a CETV.
However, the Department for Education has said that this figure had fallen to less than 1,344 in the first week of the new year. While this is a sign of progress, there are always new cases being added to valuator workloads.
The “hugely stressful” impact of CETV delays on divorce cases
These delays in receiving pension valuations isn’t just frustrating for teachers, but it’s preventing many of them from getting divorced. Without this important document, many divorce cases are simply unable to proceed.
One Bristol-based teacher, Amy Goldsmith, recently spoke to BBC News about her experience. She is waiting for a valuation of her pension from Teacher’s Pensions, and has been on the waiting list since July 2024.
She explained what’s happened so far, and the impact it’s having on her personal life:
"I was initially told [the Teachers' Pension Scheme] would be in touch within 10 working days," she said.
"But then the person I spoke to said they had no timescale for the calculations to be completed. So holding my breath was not recommended."
"I can't have closure and get on with my life,"
"You don't wake up one morning and say, 'Oh, we'll get divorced'. I've been through the wringer. It's been hugely stressful."
So what’s causing the delays?
According to Steve Webb, an independent pensions consultant who worked as a Government’s pensions minister from 2010 to 2015, calculating pension values can be enormously complicated. And it’s even more complex if you’re a public sector worker.
He told BBC News:
“When a pension scheme works out what your pension is worth, it has to do some complicated calculations.
"But a court judgement means all these public sector schemes have to do some extra complicated calculations. They all need to agree so the teachers and the nurses and the civil service schemes all do it the same way.
"So that's taken time to agree and then they need expert staff to actually do all of these calculations. All of that is just taking time."
If you need help with divorce-related financial matters, get in touch with trusted Liverpool divorce lawyer Tracey Miller Family Law for a free initial consultation. Give us a call on 0151 515 3036 or 07795 060 211, or email info@traceymillerfamilylaw.com and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.