Identification needed to take your benefits

We must confirm your identity when you take your pension benefits - we can’t process your instruction without doing this. That’s why we ask you to send certain documents. You can either send us originals or certified copies.

Click the appropriate option below to see what you need to send us.

All customers (except the categories below)

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What you need to do next...

Please choose option 1 or option 2 below to confirm your identity.
Each copy document you send us must be certified by a person from the list below that it's a true copy of the original.

Option 1

Send us:

A postal bank statement less than 12 months old for a personal account in your name, or where you are a joint account holder. The postal statement must be for the account that we’re paying the benefits to, and have been sent to, and show your home address. You can also send a bank statement obtained from your branch (showing your home address and that it was printed or stamped in branch).

We also need one of the following documents:

Acceptable documents
Current passport
Current photo card driving licence (full or provisional)
National identity card
Identity card issued by the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland

Option 2

Send us:

A postal bank statement less than 12 months old for a personal account in your name, or where you are a joint account holder. The postal statement must be for the account that we’re paying the benefits to, and have been sent to, and show your home address. You can also send a bank statement obtained from your branch (showing your home address and that it was printed or stamped in branch).
We also need one document from list A and one from list B

List A
Current (old pre-photocard style) full UK driving licence
Birth certificate - include evidence (eg marriage certificate) if your name has changed since birth
Proof of benefit entitlement in the last 12 months
Inland revenue tax notification quoting National Insurance number sent to your home address

List B
Current council tax demand letter or statement received in the last 12 months
Credit card statement received in the last 12 months
Mortgage statement received in the last 12 months
Local authority rent card or tenancy agreement

Who can certify a document and how do they do it?

Copies of documents can be certified by one of the following people:

We accept
Solicitors
Doctors / dentists
Ministers of religion
Teachers
Social workers
Credit union employees
Post Office official (through the post office’s certification service)

We accept
Accountants
Bank / building society employees
Barristers / solicitors / paralegals
Councillors
Financial advisers
Justice of the peace
Member of Parliament
Serving police officer

The person certifying your document should write the following on the copy document:

Please provide
Their name in block capitals
The name of the company they work for and their occupation
The statement ‘I certify this to be a true likeness of the original’, and
Their signature and date

Power of Attorney

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If you deal with assets under a Power of Attorney, we regard you, as well as the policyholder as a customer. This means we must confirm that the Power of Attorney is valid and verify both your identities. To do this we need:

Power of Attorney document

Please send a certified copy of the Power of Attorney issued by the Office of Public Guardian. It must:

state on each photocopied page that it’s a true and complete copy of the original;
be signed by either the donor (if the donor still has mental capacity), or
a solicitor, a notary or notary public, or a stockbroker. No-one else may certify a copy of a Power of Attorney.

Payments to a Power of Attorney can only be made to a designated Power of Attorney bank account set up on behalf of the policyholder, and not directly to the Power of Attorney.

Identity verification

We need two sets of identity documents for both you and the policyholder.

Please choose option 1 or option 2 below to confirm your, and the policyholders identities.
Each copy document you send us must be certified by a person from the list below that it's a true copy of the original.

Option 1

Send us:

A postal bank statement less than 12 months old for a personal account in your name, or where you are a joint account holder. The postal statement must have been sent to, and show your home address. You can also send a bank statement obtained from your branch (showing your home address and that it was printed or stamped in branch).
We also need one of the following documents:

Acceptable documents
Current passport
Current photo card driving licence (full or provisional)
National identity card
Identity card issued by the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland

Option 2

Send us:

A postal bank statement less than 12 months old for a personal account in your name, or where you are a joint account holder. The postal statement must have been sent to, and show your home address. You can also send a bank statement obtained from your branch (showing your home address and that it was printed or stamped in branch).
We also need one document from list A and one from list B

List A
Current (old pre-photocard style) full UK driving licence
Birth certificate
Proof of benefit entitlement in the last 12 months
Inland revenue tax notification quoting National Insurance number sent to your home address

List B
Current council tax demand letter or statement received in the last 12 months
Credit card statement received in the last 12 months
Mortgage statement received in the last 12 months
Local authority rent card or tenancy agreement

Who can certify a document and how do they do it?

Copies of documents can be certified by one of the following people:

We accept
Solicitors
Doctors / dentists
Ministers of religion
Teachers
Social workers
Credit union employees
Post Office official (through the post office’s certification service)

We accept
Accountants
Bank / building society employees
Barristers / solicitors / paralegals
Councillors
Financial advisers
Justice of the peace
Member of Parliament
Serving police officer

The person certifying your document should write the following on the copy document:

Please provide
Their name in block capitals
The name of the company they work for and their occupation
The statement ‘I certify this to be a true likeness of the original’, and
Their signature and date

People residing in nursing homes

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If no identity documents exist

Send us:

A letter from the matron or manager of the nursing home, or
A letter or statement from a person in a position of responsibility, verifying the identity of the individual in the nursing home. Persons of responsibility include:

Suitable options
Solicitors
Doctors
Ministers of religion
Teachers
Social workers

If you have identity documents

Please choose option 1 or option 2 below to confirm your identity.
Each copy document you send us must be certified by a person from the list below that it's a true copy of the original.

Option 1

Send us:

A postal bank statement less than 12 months old for a personal account in your name, or where you are a joint account holder. The postal statement must have been sent to, and show your home address. You can also send a bank statement obtained from your branch (showing your home address and that it was printed or stamped in branch).
We also need one of the following documents:

Option 2

Send us:

A postal bank statement less than 12 months old for a personal account in your name, or where you are a joint account holder. The postal statement must have been sent to, and show your home address. You can also send a bank statement obtained from your branch (showing your home address and that it was printed or stamped in branch).
We also need one document from list A and one from list B

List A
Current (old pre-photocard style) full UK driving licence
Birth certificate
Proof of benefit entitlement in the last 12 months
Inland revenue tax notification quoting National Insurance number sent to your home address

List B
Current council tax demand letter or statement received in the last 12 months
Credit card statement received in the last 12 months
Mortgage statement received in the last 12 months
Local authority rent card or tenancy agreement

Who can certify a document and how do they do it?

Copies of documents can be certified by one of the following people:

We accept
Solicitors
Doctors / dentists
Ministers of religion
Teachers
Social workers
Credit union employees
Post Office official (through the post office’s certification service)

We accept
Accountants
Bank / building society employees
Barristers / solicitors / paralegals
Councillors
Financial advisers
Justice of the peace
Member of Parliament
Serving police officer

The person certifying your document should write the following on the copy document:

Please provide
Their name in block capitals
The name of the company they work for and their occupation
The statement ‘I certify this to be a true likeness of the original’, and
Their signature and date

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Identification needed to take your benefits

All customers (except the categories below)

Power of Attorney

People residing in nursing homes

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