Who can join?
You can join if you:
- are under age 75, and
- work for an employer that allows you to join the Scheme.
Most employees who are allowed, will join the scheme automatically. If you have a contract of employment that is for less than 3 months you need to elect to join the scheme as your membership is not automatic.
How do I join?
If you are not already a member and you want to join you should speak to your employer.
If you are not already a member and you subsequently meet the automatic-enrolment criteria then you will automatically join the LGPS from the pay period in which this occurs.
Alternatively, if you have opted-out of the LGPS in the past you may be re-enrolled back into the Scheme again in the future.
How do I know if I have already joined?
Check your payslip to see if you are paying in and if not, contact your employer to see if you can join.
What if I am already a member of another pension scheme?
You can also be a member of the Scheme if you are already contributing to a personal pension or stakeholder arrangement.
Refunds
You must have less than three months' Scheme membership to qualify for a refund of your contributions and have not transferred in benefits from another pension scheme. You will then be treated as having never joined the Scheme. Otherwise you will have to claim your refund from the pension fund.
Only your own contributions are refundable, those paid by your employer are not. There will be deductions to account for tax and National Insurance.