Teachers pension - missing!

vettecarl

So I started teaching way back in 1999 and just being out of university, and pretty skint at that, I made the decision to opt out of the pension scheme so that I could get a few extra pennies in my wage slip. 

A year or two later I changed schools, and started to pay into the pension scheme once again. The problem was, I didn’t officially ‘opt in’ as I wasn’t aware I needed to at the time, and as my payslips showed me paying in every month then I didn’t think twice about it. 

Fast forward 10, maybe 12 years and I phone the teachers pension to ask why i never seemed to get a yearly statement like the others. 

I was told at this point that I was not in the scheme as I had opted out in 1999. 

So where had my money being going every month for the last 10/12 years?
Well it wasn’t going into my pension pot that’s for sure. 

The advice I was given was to prove how much I had paid in, and TP would refund me what I had paid in. 

Now being young, and a little carefree I did not keep hold of the vast majority of my payslips, so I had to attempt to contact all my previous schools to get evidence of what I had paid. 

I managed to find about 8 years worth of evidence, and TP did refund me that money but there is around 2 years worth of contributions that I cannot get any evidence of what I have paid. 

The school I worked at doesn’t exist anymore, and when I have contacted the council I get pushed from one person to the next and it would seem nobody knows how to get hold of records that are that old.  Perhaps they don’t keep them?
Does anyone have any advice? My pension is going to be pretty poor by the time I retire

xylophone

Have you obtained a state pension forecast?
https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension
If not, get one and report back with what exactly it says.
Are you currently working and contributing to a pension?

TP did refund me that money 

Do you mean transferred it to another pension scheme? 

JoeCrystal

Don't worry; you still got two more decades to improve your pension provision so you can make sure that your pension would not be pretty poor. So you need to figures out what more you need to pay into to catch up and take advantage of options within the TPS like extra pension and so on (If you are still a teacher with access to TPS or by other means if you are not).
Does your annual P60s show the pension deductions for the missing two years by any chance? 

vettecarl

The state pension forecast states £175.20 a week. 

And no, TP refunded me via cheque for the contributions I could prove I had made. 

As for P60’s, well they were never kept either unfortunately. 

inspectorperez

vettecarl said:

The state pension forecast states £175.20 a week. 

And no, TP refunded me via cheque for the contributions I could prove I had made. 

As for P60’s, well they were never kept either unfortunately. 

Your predicament I am sorry to say is a salutary lesson for all working people especially those working within public service. You must keep your payslips and P60s and do not rely on your employer or pension provider. I recall being totally shocked at the way Teachers Pensions (Capita) treated my wife when it came to retirement and the discovery that there was no formal reconcilitaion carried out each year between employer and pension administrator in terms of pension contributions.

The best suggestion that I can offer is to be persistent with your local education authority to search for your employment records. They will have them, perhaps not on site, but probably in a data storage warehouse. You should also register on the TPS website if you are able just to keep a track on things.

If you want some comfort that you are by no means the only one to suffer in such a predicament, you should have a read of some of the outcomes in disputes heard by the pensions adjudicator.

Brynsam

I'd be asking a different question, or more accurately taking issue with a different point. Given that had no reason to believe you needed to take any further action to 'opt in' - after all, you were having pension contributions deducted (and you've been able to demonstrate that, even if not for the whole period since you changed schools), I'd be arguing that you are entitled to a deferred pension because you were an active member for more than two years. Get in touch with TPAS for some free assistance: https://www.pensionsadvisoryservice.org.uk

Silvertabby

Were you full or part time in your second teaching post?  My understanding of TPS is that part timers had to opt in to the scheme, but that full timers were automatically admitted.

My best guess is that when your second school started to take pension contributions from you, they didn't send the appropriate paperwork to TPS.  Now, this is where it becomes strange... TPS must have received your contributions (and kept records of them) in order to refund your money.  I doubt they would have taken your payslips as proof  as they don't confirm that your employer passed these payments on to TPS.  So, the big question is why they didn't query this with your employer long before this?
There's a huge, HUGE difference between a refund of pension contributions (less tax) and 10 years or so of teacher's pension benefits.

As Brynsam says, this is one for TPSA - and possibly even the Pensions Ombudsman.

xylophone

The state pension forecast states £175.20 a week. 

Is this if you continue to contribute? Is a COPE shown?

And no, TP refunded me via cheque for the contributions I could prove I had made. 

I am very puzzled - if you were not teaching/a member of the scheme at that time, were you not made aware of  "deferred pension"?

Are you currently contributing to a TPS or any other pension?

vettecarl

I’ve worked full time since I started teaching. Just in different schools over the past 20 years. 

Thank you for all the advice and thoughts you have shared. I think looking into  TPAS Could be my best bet. 

What I forgot to mention in y original post is that all this happened approx 10 years ago when I first found out. 

It is only now, with a little more time on my hands due to the current situation, that it came back into me mind. 

Nope, I was not made aware of ‘deferred pension’ 
Fron what I recall I was asked to provide evidence of what contributions I had made, and that the TP would refund me. 

The evidence had to come from the school or LEA, and not from my payslips or P60. 

And that’s where I fell short, with about 2 years of evidence missing. 

At the end of the day, I have paid that money..... so someone has it. But of course the biggest blow is missing out on the employer contributions too. (I know that TP refunded the schools their contributions at the same time as refunding me)
I’m pretty sure I’ve been ‘had’ in one way or another, so will endeavour to pursue as far as I can. 

vettecarl

The £175.20 is for if I continue to co tribute. 

Currently I am up to £141.79. 

Yes, currently a ‘opted in’ member of the TP

JoeCrystal

Thinking about it, I think you should badger the TPS to give you rightful dues. After all, you have been paying the pension contributions, so it seems unfair for you not to get the benefits. You need to bear in mind that there are no pension pots and the employer's contributions are nominal.
Speaking of which, since you are now a member of TPS, you should have a look at building up extra pensions such as Faster Accrual, Buy-Out and Additional Pension.