Councillor members

Councillor members of the LGPS could only pay in to the scheme up to 2016, at which point the scheme closed to active members. If you have a deferred benefit you can read more about it below.

For information about the pension you receive, including what day you'll be paid on, please visit the 'receiving a pension' section of the LGPS members area here.

You’re a deferred member if you left the scheme or office before the age you could have taken your pension. Your deferred pension is safe with us until it’s time to take it or transfer it to another pension scheme. Find out below how your deferred pension goes up over time, when you can take it and how to claim it.

Pensions increase (PI)

In 2024 deferred pensions and pensions in payment were increased by 6.7%.

Your deferred benefits will increase each April in line with the rise in the Consumer Prices Index for the previous September. When you start getting your pension, it will go up each year in this way too.

When can I claim my deferred benefits?

You can claim your deferred pension benefits at any time between age 55 and 75 but we'll automatically offer you your benefits at your normal pension age, which is usually 65.

When we offer them to you we'll send you a retirement pack which will include a form that you need to fill in and return so we can them to you. If you want to claim them earlier you should contact us to let us know.

Are deferred benefits inflation proofed?

Deferred benefits keep their value while they’re with us because we adjust them every year in line with the Consumer Prices Index.

You’ll be able to see how your deferred benefits are changing on your statement each year. Your statement will show you

the value of your benefits at the time you left the scheme, and
the current value of your benefits, including cost-of-living increases that we add each April.

Ill health

If you become permanently too ill to work at any age we may be able to pay your benefits on health grounds. You need to apply in writing to your former council.

How a deferred pension is worked out

The membership you have built up from the date you joined the scheme to the date you left the pension scheme is used to work out your pension benefits. It’s all treated as full-time membership.

Career-average pay

We use career-average pay to work your pension benefits out, and is the pay for each year of your membership (or part year) in the scheme up to the date you left the scheme, which is increased to take into account cost of living increases (except for your final year or part year). The total of all the revalued pay is then divided by your total membership to give your average pensionable pay over the time you were a member of the scheme.

Example calculation

Let’s say you were in the pension scheme for three years starting on 1 April 2013. This is how we would work out your career-average pay.

Step 1

We increase each year’s pensionable allowances by the cost of living increases and add them together.

Step 2

We work out how long you were a member. In this example it's 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2016, or 3 years 0 days.

Step 3

We divide the total adjusted allowances by the time you were in the scheme.

That’s £39,487.00 ÷ 3 = £13,162.33

Your career-average pay in this example would be £13,162.33.

If your allowances vary over the years because you hold different positions, we take this into account in your career-average pay calculation.

How we calculate your pension

We work out your annual pension using the following calculation.

Pension = membership × career-average pay ÷ by 80

You get an automatic lump sum (a one-off tax-free payment) too, which is simply three times your pension.

Can I transfer my pension rights to another pension scheme?

Yes. A transfer can be paid to either:

• a UK HM Revenue & Customs registered pension scheme, or
• a Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme (QROPS)

You can ask your new pension scheme/provider to request transfer details from us or you can contact us directly. Your deferred benefits are a valuable retirement saving and you should think carefully before deciding to transfer them. Please read about transfers and how to recognise pension scams here.

Death grants

For deferred members, the death grant payable whilst still a deferred member is the deferred lump sum, including cost of living increases from the date of leaving the scheme to the date date of death. You can read more about death grants and survivor pensions in the 'death benefits' section here.