Harry,
I hope you retired as close to April (well, after it!) as possible and I'm not sure of your age, but don't forget (?), pension legislation changes next April. Then, you'll have to be over 55 in order to draw retirement benefits. If you aren't yet 55 but are over 50, then it is is possible for you to continue making private pension contributions, get a further 20 or 40% uplift on all your contributions (depending on your marginal rate - normal or higher rate tax payer) and if you like, then take up to 25% tax free cash next April and draw income from the rest or keep it invested. As long as you're earning what you're chucking in and can afford it, and if it suits you, then its a (potentially) good tax efficient use of military pension payments by recycling additional taxed income/cash.
AI R,
Thanks for this - I'm nowhere near 50 or even 55. I thought I was reasonably up on these matters but, after reading the above and your link in the previous post, I'm not so sure any more. I retired beyond mid-financial year so will also, it seems, get a smaller incremented total than a colleague who left after the beginning of April.
Are you saying that I may be at risk should the legislation change, even though I am now retired from service and drawing the pension?
I would normally have PM'd this sort of question but feel, in this instance, many others may be in a similar position and might benefit from some additional advice - my IFA certainly mentioned nothing of these issues.
HH