Service & Support
Retirement Account
Service that's designed for advice
Whether it’s online or in person, we’re committed to providing you with great service and all the support you need.
It's easy to do business online with Scottish Widows
Our online services are easy to use and designed to keep your business moving, saving you time on administration and letting you focus on helping clients.
It’s quick to register and our straightforward guides give you an overview of each service and are easy to dip into when you need to.
Our signature-free online services
Managing your clients made simple and easy.
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New clients
Illustrate and apply online, without a client signature, for new retirement planning or drawdown clients.
- ‘Quick Quote’ option that can give you an upfront idea of costs, and progress to a full application when ready
- smooth and simple transition from illustration to application
- signature-free applications
- flexible adviser charging options.
Guide to set up new client Retirement Account (interactive PDF, 9MB)
Guide to set up new client Retirement Account (printable PDF, 5MB)
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Existing clients
Arrange single and regular top ups and transfers without the need for a client signature.
- Signature-free process
- increase existing regular contributions, start new regular contributions and make single payments
- recall increment illustrations and quickly progress into applications, saving you time
- transfer policies from other providers
- use our ‘Quick Top Up’ option to add an increment quickly.
How to do Top ups and Transfers Guide (interactive PDF, 5MB)
How to do Top ups and Transfers Guide (printable PDF, 6MB)
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New Clients: Illustrate and Apply online
Existing Clients: Illustrate only
Our automated phased drawdown option, allowing clients to draw regular amounts of tax-free cash or a mix or tax-free cash and taxable income.
- Help clients to manage their tax affairs efficiently
- potential for their retirement fund to grow
- opportunity for further tax-free cash to be accumulated in the future
- saves you time and money through automation and cost- efficient online support.
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Switch, Buy & Sell
Buy, sell and switch Scottish Widows Pension Funds and Fund Supermarket funds with no need for a client signature.
End State Switching
Easily restructure your clients’ funds – define your clients’ desired portfolio and our systems calculate the sells, switches and buys required to create this ‘end state’.
- Use money in the Control Account as part of the transaction/investment mix
- can be applied to any existing regular premiums
- available for Scottish Widows Pension Funds and Fund Supermarket funds.
Portfolio Management Service
Simple way to create and manage your own model portfolios for clients with similar investment aims and objectives, saving you time and effort.
- Available for illustrations and applications to save keying in multiple funds and splits
- link new and existing policies to your model portfolios
- automatic rebalancing – control the timing of a rebalance of client assets back to the target asset allocation
- use money in the Control Account as part of the model portfolio
- available for Scottish Widows Pension Funds and Fund Supermarket funds.
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Policy Values
Find and view client information so you can manage all your existing business efficiently.
View Contribution and Investment History
- Make policy enquiries and valuations
- view contribution, investment and transaction history
- full asset analysis
- customise reports - select a simple summary or a full report, and use our ‘asset analyser’ to provide portfolio insight
- integrated to key back office systems used by Advisers
Assyst IFAMs
Iress Intelliflo
Best Practice JCS
Capita Plum
Durrell True PotentialView Client Information and Use Online Reports Guide (interactive PDF, 3MB)
View Client Information and Use Online Reports Guide (printable PDF, 6MB)
Client Review Report
Save time preparing for client reviews by easily requesting the information you need. This report may also be useful to answer ad-hoc queries about a client's Retirement Account.
- Client report covering a fixed period of 12 months with key information
- Receive a client illustration by post that will show what your client’s plan could be worth at retirement
- Includes the tax-free cash and income taken since the plan started.
Find out more about the Client Review Report
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We have improved the key processes below to remove the need for a wet signature:
- Ad-hoc Adviser payment charge*
- Ad-hoc income payment
- Nomination of beneficiary (PDF, 510KB)**
- Reduction or stopping payments.
- Projections.
- Change of Retirement date.
- Change of address.
No client signature is required – please call or email us with your request.*E-mail confirmation from customer required.
** Please send completed form, along with E-mail confirmation from your client, to this mailbox.
Committed & personalised service
Within our dedicated servicing team you’ll find:
- one and done case ownership delivering service in shorter timescales
- direct numbers so it’s easier for you to reach us
- tax-free cash payments, designations, income payments, and conversions from capped to flexible drawdown processed without application forms
- 48 hour policy set up for new business
- Tax-free cash - Payments confirmed by 11am are paid to your client by close of business that day.
Support to build your business:
- our pension experts provide insight through thought leadership, seminars, and industry events
- our expanded regional teams including telephony and field based development managers, support you in identifying business development opportunities and sharing knowledge about our individual propositions
- technical support and guidance on legislative and budget changes from our industry respected TechTalk magazine and with Investment Perspectives we give topical investment news and insight from our investment experts.
- our new expert series includes topical webinars and vodcasts to help you navigate the changing market, both now and in the future.
- award winning service - in recognition of the service we provide we’re delighted to have been awarded:
- Defaqto, Gold Service rating for Pension Service – Retirement Account (2023)
- Have a look at all our awards
- For further support you can contact us via a dedicated helpline - 0800 096 4363 or by email -IntermediaryRelationships@scottishwidows.co.uk