Once the order is made, the money does not move straight away. Here is the sequence that follows, and the three dates people most often confuse. The three dates are the date the court makes the order, the date the divorce is finalised, after which the order can take effect, and the date the scheme puts the share into effect, which is when the final value is fixed.
Home › Resources › How a pension sharing order is put into effect: the timeline
General information, not advice on your own case.
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Longer than most people expect. The order doesn't take effect until the divorce is final and the appeal period has passed. After that, the scheme has up to four months to put it into effect, but that clock only starts once they have every document and the fees are paid, so missing paperwork is where the delays happen. And the exact amount isn't settled until near the end, when the scheme recalculates the value. So build in time, and get your paperwork in early.
Move through each stage to see what happens and what to watch for. If the interactive version does not load, the same timeline is shown as an image.
Getting a pension sharing order made is not the moment the money moves. Implementation runs on the scheme's timetable, not yours, and a few features of it catch people out:
It only starts once the divorce is final. The order does not take effect until the final order (decree absolute) is made and the order itself is in force. Until then, nothing can begin.
The scheme has a four-month window. Once the scheme has the order, all the documents it needs and its fee paid, it has a statutory period of up to four months to implement the share. That clock only starts when the scheme has everything, so missing paperwork is the usual cause of delay.
The amount is recalculated near the end. The order fixes a percentage, not a pound figure. The scheme works out the actual sum from the cash equivalent on the day it implements, which can be months after the value you negotiated around, so the amount that lands can differ from the figure you had in mind.
Charges are payable. Schemes charge to implement a share, and on the larger public-sector schemes those charges can run into thousands of pounds. The order should say who pays.
The practical lesson: get the paperwork in early and complete, expect the timetable to be the scheme's, and check the cash equivalent at implementation so there are no surprises about the final amount.