One teacher, Katherine Laird, said she believed she was among "huge numbers" of people who were unable to finalise a divorce while she waited for a valuation from Teachers' Pensions, with the wait "causing huge distress and also costing money".
Another, retired teacher Richard Blewitt, 72, said he has had to move into rented accommodation because of the delays, adding: "I am in despair as my debts mount."
At the heart of the problems is the valuation of people's pension pots, and changes to the way these are calculated.
When someone is getting divorced, they will typically need to get information on the value of their pension in order to allow the courts to consider whether or not it should be shared with their ex-partner and, if so, how much they should get.
Current and former teachers who are getting divorced have to contact Teachers' Pensions - which administers the Teachers' Pension Scheme on behalf of the Department for Education - to request a cash equivalent transfer value (CETV). This shows how much they have built up in the scheme.
Without a transfer value, it is difficult or impossible to reach a financial settlement in a divorce.
The government's MoneyHelper website says that if you qualify for a CETV, it must be provided within three months of you asking, but some teachers said they have been waiting a year or more, and a few said they had been hanging on for more than 18 months.
Delays seem to have started after changes to the "discount rate" used to work out contribution rates into public sector schemes, according to the former pensions minister Steve Webb, now a partner at the pension consultants LCP.
Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin October 19, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin October 19, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Money hacks How to get your finances ready for a new baby
Raising a child from birth to the age of 18 costs, on average, £166,000 for a couple, and £220,000 for a lone parent in 2023, according to Child Poverty Action Group's annual cost of a child report. Affordability is regularly cited by people who would like to have children as a key reason for holding off doing so.
Teachers' pensions 'I'm in despair as my debts mount'
Delays to pension pot valuations are 'causing huge distress' and costing money for divorcing couples. Rupert Jones reports
Property Homeowners face huge bills when leases expire
Those unaware of how the system works can be left stumping up thousands despite paying off a mortgage. Diane Taylor reports
Price shock Are you feeling better off now? Why US voters should, but may not, say yes
Are you feeling better off now? Why US Voters should, but may not, say yes
Retail sales growth slowed in September despite boost from technology spending
Sales growth in shops in Great Britain slowed last month as an increase in purchases of technology was tempered by the largest monthly fall in spending at supermarkets this year.
UK care home chain sold to US investment company
One of Britain's largest care home chains, Care UK, has been sold to a US property investment company, the Guardian can reveal, in a deal that comes as private providers lobby government for a greater role in the NHS.
Flatten or refashion Can new purpose be found for empty shopping centres?
In Bolton's town centre, the gap-toothed brutalist facade of Crompton Place shopping centre faces off against its majestic Victorian town hall.
Ex-spy for India charged with masterminding US murder plot
US authorities have charged a former Indian intelligence officer with allegedly masterminding a murder-for-hire plot against a prominent Sikh separatist in New York City last year.
Tomb finds at Petra are thrilling - but what do they really reveal?
For one of the most famous ancient sites on the planet, there is a surprising amount about the city of Petra - and the Nabataean people who built it - that we don't know for sure.
Enough already The Tokyo company that resigns for you
Mari was just two months into her new job when she decided she had had enough. The position at an online bank in Tokyo, found through a staffing agency, had looked like a perfect fit for the 25-year-old, a member of Japan's legions of temporary workers. But she quickly became despondent.
