Another LGPS pension transfer question - historic

leosayer

Resurrecting my old thread.

LPP are seemingly no nearer to to identifying why my wife's LGPS joining date is 1997. They are having trouble getting information from the source (of the transfer) pension administrator which tells me that the LPP don't have sufficient records themselves.

Their communication has been pretty bad - my wife only discovered this after spending 30 mins on hold after waiting for weeks for a reply.

This saga has been running since March. Should she complain?

What outcome can she reasonably expect from LPP given that as far as anyone can tell, the start date is wrong?

xylophone

See this thread

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/78377177/#Comment_78377177

What makes really interesting reading is the Scheme Membership section at the back of the pack. There's a complete history of all the pension schemes to which I've belonged/contributed - including their reference numbers. Anyone trying to track down one of the many rebate-only Appropriate Personal Pensions***  available from 1988 on would do well to apply for their NI breakdown covering the years when they think they might have taken out such a policy and look for what I hope will prove to be the magic words: 

Your wife could go the SAR route and see what information comes up?

Lemon_dr1zzle

Could it be that the service credit accrued through the transfer has essentially made a notional start date of May 1997. 

leosayer

Lemon_dr1zzle said:

Could it be that the service credit accrued through the transfer has essentially made a notional start date of May 1997. 

I think that's the most likely cause but LPP haven't suggested this and we have no information about the Housing Corp's pension to compare the terms to the receiving (LGPS) pension.

hyubh

leosayer said:

Lemon_dr1zzle said:

Could it be that the service credit accrued through the transfer has essentially made a notional start date of May 1997. 

I think that's the most likely cause but LPP haven't suggested this and we have no information about the Housing Corp's pension to compare the terms to the receiving (LGPS) pension.

Well it appears LGPS to LGPS, so...

leosayer said:

They are having trouble getting information from the source (of the transfer) pension administrator

Not surprising alas, Westminster LGPS has gone through two or three admin provider changes since your wife's record became no liability in 2003 (Hants got it only two years ago).

Their communication has been pretty bad - my wife only discovered this after spending 30 mins on hold after waiting for weeks for a reply.

Given she should have received annual benefit statements almost since (re)joining, what did they show - or has this 1997 date always been there...? 

This saga has been running since March. Should she complain?

Personally I'd say 'most certainly', however hassle getting the right date set vs. refusing to correct the date would be rather different things to complain about - so I'd potentially wait for that to settle first. Others may have a different view however.

xylophone

I think it's pretty clear that the transfer (from Housing Corp to LGPS)

Looking at below, it would appear that the HC Pension Scheme was part of LGPS.

https://www.building.co.uk/housing-corporation-pension-deficit-now-more-than-38m/3039798.article

Three years ago the corporation’s pension fund, which is part of the local government pension scheme, 

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2008/2989/pdfs/uksiem_20082989_en.pdf

xylophone

Annoyingly she has retained payslips prior to 1996 but none after that and no pension paperwork at all. I'm surprised because she normally retains most paperwork.

And none of them show pension contributions?

It seems significant that up to 1996 no pension contributions are shown but the LA record shows membership from 1997.

Is it possible that she opted out of joining in 1990 but opted in in 1997?

See

https://democracy.npt.gov.uk/Data/Personnel Committee/20031002/Agenda/$PERS-021003-REP-HS-U.doc.pdf

1. From April 1990

   •   The one year qualifying period for manual workers was removed

   •   All eligible employees automatically brought into scheme but part timers still

     had to elect to join

   •   Anyone could opt-out 

Silvertabby

xylophone said:

Annoyingly she has retained payslips prior to 1996 but none after that and no pension paperwork at all. I'm surprised because she normally retains most paperwork.

And none of them show pension contributions?

It seems significant that up to 1996 no pension contributions are shown but the LA record shows membership from 1997.

Is it possible that she opted out of joining in 1990 but opted in in 1997?

See

https://democracy.npt.gov.uk/Data/Personnel Committee/20031002/Agenda/$PERS-021003-REP-HS-U.doc.pdf

1. From April 1990

   •   The one year qualifying period for manual workers was removed

   •   All eligible employees automatically brought into scheme but part timers still

     had to elect to join

   •   Anyone could opt-out 

Or was part time, and didn't opt in?

xylophone

Or was part time, and didn't opt in?

OP says

Definitely not part time at any point.

I suppose the other possibility is that the OP's wife was not automatically enrolled in the scheme (clerical error) and just didn't pick up the mistake?

Perhaps the error was corrected in 1997?

Silvertabby

xylophone said:

Or was part time, and didn't opt in?

OP says

Definitely not part time at any point.

I suppose the other possibility is that the OP's wife was not automatically enrolled in the scheme (clerical error) and just didn't pick up the mistake?

Perhaps the error was corrected in 1997?

If it was an error, then she would/should have been given the chance to make good her own missing contributions.