Sheffield Training and Enterprise Council - missing pension

Georgie1410

I will look at the SAR - this would be so helpful if it generates something - thank you so much!

xylophone

Are you currently under state pension age?

Marcon

Georgie1410 said:

I started with the TEC around 1992 - transferred to LSC's I think 2003/and left in 2006.
I've tried Robson and Salustro (who operate under RSM and said they have a vague record of dealing with TECs something - but nothing concrete.
My local MP
HMRC
Local GVT Pension Scheme
The Civil Service Pension Scheme
Pension Ombudsman (who said I must complain to the scheme (which seems not to exists)
I have a small Civil Service Pension Scheme from my time with LSC but nothing from before that date or showing that the TEC was transferred.
I suffered bereavement before I left the LSC so memory a little vague.

Goodness - you certainly have given it your best shot!

Given that TECs were locally established bodies, I wonder if an approach to one of Sheffield's local papers would be a useful thing to do? There are likely to be people still living in the area (and hopefully reading the local press) who might recall working for/being involved in setting it up.

That said, are you certain you actually joined the pension scheme? Auto enrolment didn't exist in those days, and (since 1988) employers had 'lost' the right to make membership of their pension scheme a condition of employment.

Another possibility is that you joined, but the scheme has been wound up and you were paid a winding up lump sum - far easier to overlook than you might imagine.

Georgie1410

Im 63. Yes there is the possibility that I wasnt in the pension - but Im sure I was. Ive sent for the SARs so hopefully I will retrieve something. I dont remember receiving a lump sum - and I was a lot younger with a mortgage so I would certainly  have remembered that. I'll get back to you if I hear anything with the SARS. Pension Ombudsman told me to write a complaint letter to Civil Service and RMS so I will do that aswell. 

Georgie1410

I dont think my local paper would be interested. It was discussed in parliament at the time so just old news really.

Training And Enterprise Councils: Staff Pensions - Hansard - UK Parliament

Ive found a colleague on linkedin - he said he will try and see if he can contact anyone. Again, thank you so much!

xylophone

You are aged 63 so potentially have well over forty years NI history.

1978 saw the inception of SERPS (to 2002) - if you were not in a contracted out scheme at that stage, then the likelihood is that you were accruing SERP.

From 2002, S2P accrual was a possibility whether contracted in or out.

The CS Scheme was definitely contracted out - you mention that you have a CS pension from your time with Learning and  Skills (three years?) and presumably in payment.

If this was your only contracted out pension, then it must indeed be modest so your COPE would be likewise modest.

Looking at your State Pension Forecast, what is the COPE shown?

https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension

What is shown as estimate to 5/4/23?

Georgie1410

My current state pension forecast is 10,636..

JoeCrystal

xylophone is asking if there are any COPE / Contracted Out Pension Equivalent on your pension forecast page. You should find the section at the bottom of the page.

Georgie1410

The COPE amount is 7.53 per week. This is probably the civil service pension from LSC. The HMRC told me this was a contracted out pension.

xylophone

The COPE amount is 7.53 per week

That is indeed modest so indicates very few contracted out years.

This indicates  that any other pension scheme of which you were a member was not contracted out.

My current state pension forecast is 10,636..

This is just a fraction higher than a full new state pension so indicates that your "starting amount" at 6/4/16 was a fraction higher than a full NSP.

At 6/4/ 16, two calculations were done to establish your "starting amount" for NSP. It was the higher of

Old Rules

NI qualifying years/30 x Full Basic (£119.30) + (SERPS/S2P - "Contracted Out Deduction")

New Rules.

{NIQY/35 x Full NSP (£155.65)} - COPE

This indicates that your "starting amount" at inception of NSP was  a few pounds higher than a full NSP so you had accrued a fair amount of SERPS/S2P while contracted in.

Assuming that your memory is accurate and that you were contributing to a TEC pension scheme 1992 - 2003, this still leaves the question of what happened to your pension.

According to the link in my first post

TEC staff transferred under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations, 1981 (TUPE) to the Learning and Skills Council and joined the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) unless they chose to opt out. The Department for Education and Skills is ensuring that every member of the various TEC pension schemes, whether money purchase or final salary, has been granted their full statutory rights in relation to transfer values from their scheme. It has also worked to ensure that those transferred have been treated fairly and consistently, securing a range of flexibilities within PCSPS which will benefit the pension arrangements of many transferees.

The transfer value of a pension is dependent upon the available assets within the scheme and funding decisions made by the employer and/or the individual. This has meant that many former TEC staff will be able to secure year-for-year transfer values in PCSPS, while some will secure more than year-for-year and others less.

It seems likely that the Sheffield TEC scheme was "money purchase"  and that employees were  "contracted in" to SERPS.

It may be that your transfer value from STEC was low and only secured a small entitlement within the CS Scheme?

How much per annum is your small CS pension?

Let's see what the SAR throws up.