LGPS scheme question

Muscle750

My wife who 12 months ago left her job in a school which she was in the LGPS and had been for a number of years previous. In this time she was also in from what i can see the FS scheme also for a period of time.
Moving on she has now started work in another school and is back in the same LGPS. Now this is the main question they have written to her asking her wether she wants to combine the new LGPS with her previous one or keep them seperate. The wording is as follows
If your previous benefits are combined with your new employment the pre !st April 2014 element of benefits will continue to be FS benefits. They will be calculated using your whole time equivalent final pay in the new employment when you cease membership of the LGPS in that employment based on the definition of Final pay in the FS scheme.
You will need to consider this point carefully if your whole time pay in the new employment is less than thee whole time pay on which your deffered benefit was awarded.

The job she is in now is less pay than she was getting in her previous job

So the main question is does she combine the two pensions or leave them separate she is 55 next week and has no intention of accessing any of her pension in the immediate future. It also states that the Rule of 85 the date of which may move closer to her normal pension age because of the break in service.
I do not have any idea what the rule of 85 is relating to.

Any pointers in plain English greatfully recieved

Silvertabby

Has she actually taken a drop in pay, or has her pay reduced because she is working fewer hours. The reason I ask is that her final pay for the final salary link purposes is what she would have earned had she been full time.

If she is full time, then what are the chances of her being promoted to a higher pay grade, making her current job salary higher than her old? Don't forget to factor in that the preserved pension, based on her old salary, will increase in line with inflation.

As far as the rule of 85 is concerned, did your wife join the LGPS before October 2006? If she joined after, then forget about R85 - she doesn't qualify.

If she joined before 2006, then she may have some R85 protections that could be diluted by combining her pension records but - in view of her age - only in respect of her pre 2008 service (whoever said pensions were easy !).

Paul_Herring

Muscle750 wrote: »

I do not have any idea what the rule of 85 is relating to.

It'll be relating to this: https://www.lgpsmember.org/more/eightyfive.php

If you were a member of the LGPS at anytime between 1 April 1998 and 30 September 2006, some or all of your benefits could be protected from an early payment reduction under what is called the 85 year rule.

[...]

To have protection under the 85 year rule you must satisfy the following condition at the date you draw your pension benefits:

Your age (in whole years) plus your scheme membership (in whole years) must add up to 85.