Section 4 - The 50/50 section for members

• Regardless of which section a member is in, they get full life assurance cover, ill-health benefits and survivors’ benefits;
• Any member can elect to pay into the 50/50 section at any time and there is no limit to the number of times they can move between each section of the Scheme;
• If an employee has more than one employment, they can elect for the 50/50 option in one, some or all of their employments;
• Employees must always be put into the main section of the Scheme on joining, on electing to join or on the automatic enrolment anniversary date, unless they opted-out within 12 months of the automatic enrolment anniversary date, in which case you can exercise your discretion in this regard;
• Employees who are automatically enrolled or automatically re-enrolled into the main section, can then elect to join the 50/50 section. If they do so before the first payroll is closed they can, in effect, be brought into the 50/50 section from the first day of joining the Scheme;
• Members MUST automatically be put back into the main section if they go onto no pay through sickness or injury. This is to ensure they receive full benefits for this period of no pay. Once they return to work they will be able to opt for the 50/50 section scheme again if they so wish.

Note - if they are paying additional pension contributions into the LGPS they may not be able to continue to do so in the 50/50 section. Please contact Southwark Pension Services for more information.

The 50/50 section is not designed to replace long-term membership of the main section but has been introduced as a short-term option for when times are tough financially.

You are required to re-enrol members back into the main section of the Scheme every three years. This will be carried out in line with your automatic re-enrolment date and members should be informed of this when they elect for the 50/50 section of the Scheme.

Members will also automatically revert to the main section if they go onto no pay through sickness/injury to ensure they receive full benefits for this period of no pay.

If members wish to continue in the 50/50 section at the point of re-enrolment, they would need to complete another option form to go back into that section.

Any member in the 50/50 section always has a right to elect to re-join the main section from the beginning of the next available pay period following their election. They will remain in that section unless/until they make a subsequent election to move back to the 50/50 section.

• The dates a member joined and ceased membership of each section must be held separately per job/role;
• Separate cumulative amounts for Pensionable Pay and employee contributions should be maintained for each section per job/role; and
• Monthly HK221 submissions must be completed to confirm the amount of Pensionable Pay and contributions split for each section per job/role.

• The member can download the 50/50 election form;
• Once completed, they must return it to you/your payroll provider to action from the next available pay period; reducing the member’s LGPS contribution rate accordingly BUT the employer contribution does not reduce; and
• Once processed, you/your payroll provider must complete the bottom section of the form and send it to Southwark Pension Services via post.

The same process can be followed for members who wish to switch from the 50/50 section back to the main section. Members should download an election to re-join the main section form.

• Once completed, they must return it to you/your payroll provider to action from the next available pay period; increasing the member’s LGPS contribution rate accordingly; and
• Once processed, you/your payroll provider must complete the bottom section of the form and send it to Southwark Pension Services via post.