Lgps active member with deferred pension age 56 made redundant pension offerred reduc

hyubh

Teaandscones wrote: »

Note that for those starting LGPS membership after 1st April 2014, the default on combining has been reversed. If you started new service from April, you now have to explicitly request separate benefits within 12 months otherwise your pensions will be automatically combined.

Not if the DB involves purely FS benefits, like in the OP's case.

Also, and on a less principled note, if different funds are involved you have to tell the new one about the old one for them to know about it.

Teaandscones

hyubh wrote: »

Not if the DB involves purely FS benefits, like in the OP's case.

Also, and on a less principled note, if different funds are involved you have to tell the new one about the old one for them to know about it.

Agree re the OP's case as the OP joined before April 2014. However, even if the DB involves purely FS benefits, it seems that if someone rejoins the LGPS after April 2014, then they will be automatically combined if the gap between public service pensions is less than 5 years unless they actively opt for separate benefits.

see the link below, though it seems that the final details about how this works are still being worked up when the new scheme has been operational for 4 months already.

https://www.local.gov.uk/documents/10180/5895241/116+June+2014.pdf/5dfeb515-6709-4ece-a043-95e4650a5534

hyubh

Teaandscones wrote: »

However, even if the DB involves purely FS benefits, it seems that if someone rejoins the LGPS after April 2014, then they will be automatically combined if the gap between public service pensions is less than 5 years unless they actively opt for separate benefits.

That's not what the LGE paper you cite says -

Category 2 - these are active members of the LGPS in England or Wales who: a) have a deferred benefit from a period of membership of the LGPS in England or Wales which ended prior to 1 April 2014, and b) rejoin the LGPS in England or Wales on or after 1 April 2014, and c) since becoming entitled to the deferred benefit, have not had a continuous break in active membership of a public service pension scheme of more than 5 years.

Such a member can make an election to the appropriate administering authority within 12 months of rejoining the Scheme to be treated as if he / she had been an active member on 31 March 2014 and 1 April 2014. [See regulation 5(5) of the Local Government Pension Scheme (Transitional Provisions, Savings and Amendment) Regulations 2014]

Where the member: a) does not make an election to be treated as if he / she had been an active member on 31 March 2014 and 1 April 2014, and b) does not elect for the transfer value in respect of the pre 1 April 2014 membership to be used to purchase an amount of earned pension in the member’s active pension account [See regulation 10(6) of the Local Government Pension Scheme (Transitional Provisions, Savings and Amendment) Regulations 2014 ] the pre 1 April 2014 final salary membership will remain as a deferred benefit.