Following the introduction of the Career Average Revalued Earnings (CARE) Scheme for the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) from 1 April 2014, a number of protections are in place for those individuals in the Scheme on 31 March 2014.
What happens to my LGPS benefits built up to 31 March 2014?
The benefits built up in the LGPS to 31 March 2014 are safe. So, you won't lose out on any of the previous benefits you have earned. Only the benefits you build up in the LGPS from 1 April 2014 onwards are based on the rules of the new Scheme.
What final pay will my pre-1 April benefits be calculated on?
The benefits built up in the LGPS to 31 March 2014 will be calculated using your final pay (as defined in the LGPS as at 31 March 2014) when you eventually leave the Scheme or retire. As a result, you’ll receive the benefits of all future pay increases and promotions when assessing the final pay to be used in calculating your pre-1 April 2014 LGPS benefits.
What happens to my pre-1 April 2014 LGPS benefits if I leave the Scheme and come back again in the future?
If you leave the Scheme before your normal retirement age, your benefits will be become deferred and will increase each year in line with the cost of living.
If you subsequently re-join the Scheme at a later date and combine your periods of Scheme membership (provided you don’t have a break in membership of more than five years from any public service pension scheme (e.g. the Teachers, NHS, Civil Service schemes), any pre-1 April 2014 LGPS benefits will be calculated on your final pay when you eventually leave the Scheme or retire.
If any break in membership from public service pension schemes is more than five years, and you decided to combine periods of LGPS membership, any pre-1 April 2014 benefits wouldn’t be covered by the final pay protection but would instead be converted to a CARE benefit in the new Scheme.
Do I still have the same normal retirement age for the benefits I have built up to 31 March in the LGPS? (Protected normal retirement age)
Your normal retirement age of 65 is protected for any benefits you have built up in the LGPS to 31 March 2014. The benefits you build up in the Scheme from 1 April 2014 will of course have a normal retirement age linked to the State Pension Age, which over time will be later than age 65.
What happens to the Rule of 85?
The Rule of 85 protection is changing. If you have any questions on your specific benefits, please visit the Contact details page.
Are there protections for people who are close to retirement? (The statutory underpin)
The Government announced specific protections for any individual who retires from the LGPS at age 65 with immediate entitlement to benefits and was within 10 years of that age on 1 April 2012. This protection is known as the statutory underpin. The statutory underpin calculation will ensure that you will receive a pension no less than had you continued in the old Scheme.
There are also other conditions. You must:
- Have been paying in the Scheme on 31 March 2012;
- Not have had a break in service of more than five years;
- Not have drawn any LGPS benefits; and
- Not have opted-out of the Scheme.
If the statutory underpin applies to you, at the point you retire, a comparison will be made between the benefit you could have received had the Scheme not changed from 1 April 2014. The benefits you would be expected to receive as a result of the new Scheme (if you are in the 50/50 section) is the pension you would have earned in the full Scheme that is used in the calculation. If the benefit you would have expected to get had the old Scheme remained is greater, the difference will be added to your pension.
What happens to added years or additional regular contributions (ARC) contracts?
If you are purchasing additional membership through added years or ARCs, these contracts will continue under the same terms.
Similarly, if you’re paying additional voluntary contributions these will also continue on the same terms as before.
