Pensions for dentists are more transparent

This is the advice of David Paul, a NASDAL member and an authority on dentists’ pensions in England and Wales. His remarks coincide with the issuing of the Annual Reconciliation Report (ARR), the paperwork relied upon by NHS Dental Services (NHSDS) at Eastbourne for the allocation of dentists’ pensions.

The first key change is that in future, all practice-owners must check with their associates that they have allocated the correct pension entitlement to them. The second is that the ARR for 2012/13 can be submitted electronically via the NHS portal. The electronic system requires the validation of the performer before the ARR can be submitted.

These changes have been designed to address the confusion that resulted from the 2006 Contract when the responsibility for pensionable earnings was transferred to the provider at practice level. Since no clear definition of what constituted pensionable earnings existed many performers, at least 3000, did not get their correct entitlement in the first six years of the contract.