Archived Announcements

Technical Issues:

• Budget – The impact on high earners
• Minimum age for premature retirement
• Submission of a leaver notification (TR8) where sick pay is less than half pay
• Employers responsibility regarding re-employment
• Additional Pension

Q & A for Pensioners in respect of GMPs and the Overpayment of Pensions

We have recently written to a number of additional pensioners in the TPS to explain that their pension has been overpaid. These Questions and Answers explain the background and information for those who have been affected.

ISA Update

The Government plans that the barred list checking service through TP Online will continue until 31 January 2011;

Teachers Pensions will handle the renewal of subscriptions in the normal way until then;

• from 1st November 2010, all new entrants/movers into work in schools will have to ISA-register, so from 1st November, employers will not need to do a barred list check on new entrants/movers into school posts in order to find out that a person is not barred, because ISA registration will mean that the person is not barred;
• from 1st February 2011, the Government plans to recommend that employers start to phase in ISA-registration of staff who started before 1st November 2010 and who did not ISA-register before starting, and that the first group to ISA-register should be staff who have never had a CRB check.

Provided by Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act Implementation Team of DfE.

Paying–in Slip

For those employers who have not requested access to STU the paying-in-slip is now available to download. A paying-in slip should be completed each month with a breakdown of the contributions paid.

Track My Case

Please note that you may now monitor the progress of your application or request on line via the "Track My Case" facility. Simply log on to My pension online where you will find a number of options one being "Track My Case".

STU Announcement

For employers who have requested access to the Secure Transfer Utility (STU) login details are now being distributed to users. A user guide is available on the TP website under Employers - TP STU, which provides an easy step-by-step guide for the facilities on STU.  

The Teachers’ Pensions Administration Forum has produced a poster design that presents the key benefits of being a member of the TPS.  Employers are encouraged to promote the Scheme by displaying this poster in staff rooms.

TPS Key Benefits Poster - English (PDF, 132 KB) TPS Key Benefits Poster - Welsh (PDF, 143 KB)

The Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) commenced making barring decisions on new referrals under List 99, PoCA and PoVA barring lists concerning those working with children or vulnerable adults, from 20th January 2009. A barring decision by the ISA between 20th January 2009 and the planned October 2009 go-live of the new Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) will have exactly the same effect as a Secretary of State bar now on PoVA, PoCA or on List 99 for Unsuitability, therefore all ISA decisions regarding List 99 barring will be added to TP Online.

Therefore TP Online will still be the system you will use for your checks for the near future.

Further information and messages from the Government about the new Scheme ISA scheme (and TP Online) will be provided, in the run-up to the ISA ‘go live’. The ISA are also working with partner organisations to make sure all relevant organisations are prepared effectively. In 2009, further pre-launch messages will follow, to ensure you are fully briefed for the new VBS ‘go live and any new arrangements for performing List 99 checks.

Full guidance for the ISA’s planned October 2009 go-live of the new Vetting and Barring Scheme is available on their website: http://www.isa-gov.org.uk/

You can receive further news by checking the ISA website, where you can also sign up for email updates on the Scheme.

Contacts:

Queries on the ISA and the new Vetting and Barring Scheme:

- scheme.info@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
- tel 0300 123 1111

Teachers' Pensions Regulations 1997 : Consolidation

Please find below the latest letter regarding the consolidation of the Teachers' Pensions Regulations 1997, together with two more sets of draft regulations accompanied by a commentary. It would be helpful if you would provide comments on these draft regulations by 14 February 2009. You will, of course, be able to submit any further comments once you have sight of the full set of draft regulations which will be circulated in due course. Please send any comments on these two sets of regulations in writing to Robert Elliot.

Letter to Consultees regarding Consolidation of TP Regulations - 13.01.09 (PDF) Benefits for teachers - Draft Regulations and Commentary - 13.01.09 (PDF) Death Grants - Draft Regulations and Commentary - 13.01.09 (PDF)

Applications for 'enhanced' and 'primary' protection
Deadline: 5 April 2009

Relevant to high earners in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme

The last day for applications for HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) transitional protection from the Lifetime Allowance (LTA) charge is 5 April 2009, at which point it will no longer be possible for any member to obtain “enhanced” or “primary” protection. After the deadline, members who would otherwise be eligible for protection will no longer be able to mitigate against the effects of the LTA charge which carries an effective tax rate above the LTA of 55%.

The government has recently announced a freeze in the LTA at £1.8 million for a further 5 years which means that more members will be potentially affected by an LTA charge.

The LTA for the following tax years is set out below:

Action
Ensure that any scheme member wishing to protect their pension scheme benefits from possible LTA charges speaks to their IFA and completes the HMRC forms for this protection and this is submitted prior to April 2009.  Incorrectly completed forms will be returned by HMRC.  Members with accrued benefits in excess of £1.5 million as at 5 April 2006 (the day before the new tax regime came into effect) can apply for “primary” protection and/or enhanced protection.  In the TPS, £1.5 million equates to an accrued pension payable at age 60 of £65,217.39 as at 5 April 2006.

Members will need to obtain valuations of benefits as at 5 April 2006 and this may be time consuming, particularly if the member has a number of different pension providers.  Once all the information has been collated, members should complete Form APSS200 which can be downloaded from the HMRC website at www.hmrc.gov.uk/pensionschemes/apss200.pdf .

New Web Forms now available

The following Web Forms are now available which allow information to be securely submitted online to TP. This is in addition to the currently available Web Forms which allow members to update their Personal Details, submit a Death Grant Nomination and submit an Opt Out form online.

• Submit changes to Bank details (UK banks only)
• Nomination of a Financially Dependant Relative
• Customer Satisfaction Surveys:-
  • Elections
  • Awards
  • Re-employment

The forms are available to registered users of the My Pension Online website. If you have successfully registered, you can login and then access the forms by clicking on 'On-line Forms' from the menu.

Over the next twelve months we intend to increase the functionality of the secure area to provide additional services to members.

Employers' Web TV - Update - Modules 2 - 5 now available

Teachers' Pensions are producing a number of video-based modules to support and assist employers in the delivery of their roles and responsibilities under the Teachers' Pension Scheme. The first 5 modules are now available to view.

Goodbye to Form 188!

In line with our commitment to streamline and update the service we offer Employers engaged in the administration of the Teachers' Pension Scheme we have formed the Employer Engagement Team.

The members of the team are Chris Golding, Cassandra Ballenger, David Moyes and Lisa Hetherington and they are responsible for the collection and recording of missing service.  The team will be requesting service details by email rather than continuing to issue Form 188.  Therefore, unless you instruct us otherwise we will be making contact using the details we have been provided for the annual returns. If you wish to use a different point of contact for the collection of service details we would appreciate you forwarding the name and email address of the nominated person to our secure email address tparc@capita.co.uk

Information must be sent in the same format as the annual returns, e.g. start and end dates for each period, full time annual salary and any actual part time salary paid.

The Concurrent Service Calculator Spreadsheet from our website should still be used when the missing service is concurrent. However the results should be submitted by email.

We expect that by introducing this service we will eliminate the issuing of repeat requests for missing service and that it will assist employers in providing prompt responses.

Please note this email address is for employer use only and is solely for missing service collection and enquiries.

Employers may continue to call our Employer Helpline on 0845 3003756 for other service and general queries and individual teacher cases can be discussed with the Teacher Contact Centre on 0845 6066166.

Employers' Web TV

Teachers' Pensions are producing a number of video-based modules to support and assist employers in the delivery of their roles and responsibilities under the Teachers' Pension Scheme. The first module is available to view now and more will follow shortly.

Chartered London Teacher Status

In the Spring 2008 Edition of TP News, employers were informed that the £1,000 payment paid to those teachers who are awarded the Chartered London Teacher (CLT) Status is pensionable. The Department for Education can confirm that this statement is incorrect. The CLT guidance issued in 2004 and the CLT website confirm the correct position that the payment is in fact non-pensionable. The Department would like to apologise for any confusion and issues resulting from the message it gave to employers through TP News.

Financial Note
Financial Note for Employers - May 2008.

Annual Returns / Mechanised Returns

Due to the recent high profile incidents relating to the transportation of sensitive personal data sent on CDs, this year the Annual Return Excel Spreadsheet has been encrypted using an application called WINZIP 11. The password required to decrypt it has been issued separately by email or letter.

To extract the data file from the encrypted file, you may need to install additional software, as Windows does not support this advanced method of encryption as standard. One such application is WINZIP 11, a 30 day evaluation of this product can be downloaded from www.winzip.com.

Changes to the TP Regulations from 01/04/2008

Details of the changes that came into force on 1 April 2008.

A research project has been undertaken to assess the "Behavioural Impact of Change in the Teachers' Pension Scheme". The report has now been published and is available to view on the Department's website by following the link below:

The Behavioural Impact of Change in the Teachers' Pension Scheme (PDF)

Teachers' Pensions Regulations 1997 : Consolidation

Please find below five letters about the consolidation of the Teachers' Pensions Regulations 1997, including sets of draft regulations accompanied by a commentary.

Letter to Consultees regarding Consolidation of TP Regulations - Batch 5 - 10.06.08 (PDF) Commentary - Additional Pension - 10.06.08 (PDF) Commentary - Core Definitions - 10.06.08 (PDF)
Letter to Consultees regarding Consolidation of TP Regulations - Batch 4 - 09.06.08 (PDF) Commentary - Contributions - 09.06.08 (PDF)
Letter to Consultees regarding Consolidation of TP Regulations - Batch 3 - 07.03.08 (PDF) Commentary - Pensionable Employment 07.03.08 (PDF) Annex A - Table of derivations 07.03.08 (PDF) Annex B 07.03.08 (PDF) List of Consultees - March 2008 (PDF)
Letter to Consultees regarding Consolidation of TP Regulations - Batch 2 - 01.02.08 (PDF) Letter to Consultees regarding Consolidation of TP Regulations - Batch 1 - 19.12.07 (PDF)

Consultation on Amending Regulations (Updated 25/01/2008)

Consultation on The Teachers' Pensions (Amendment) Regulations 2008 and The Teachers' Superannuation (Additional Voluntary Contributions) (Amendment) Regulations 2008. Please note, the consultation period ended on 4 February 2008.

Update: Letter to Consultees regarding amending regulations 25.01.08 (PDF) Update: Letter to Consultees regarding amending regulations 18.12.07 (PDF) Letter to Consultees regarding amending regulations 07.12.07 (PDF) List of consultees to whom these letters were sent (PDF)

Teachers’ Pensions have revised the training seminars on offer to employers commencing in 2008. Please click on the link to see further details.
Letter to Employers regarding 2008 training seminars (PDF)

Retirement lump sums for members with service on or after 01.01.07 Calculation of the maximum retirement lump sum allowed if you have service in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme on or after 1 January 2007.

New Actuarial Reduction Factors for Early Retirements from 1 October 2007

New actuarial reduction factors are being introduced in respect of all actuarially reduced and premature retirement benefits payable on or after 1 October 2007. Currently for a member with a normal pension age (NPA) of 60, retiring early, separate (age-related) actuarial reduction factors are applied to the pension and lump sum. Click here to view the pre 1 October 2007 factors. The updated online ARB Calculator is now available.

The new NPA 60 factors provide a single (age-related) reduction factor that applies to both the pension and lump sum. This is consistent with the single factor approach in respect of members retiring early with an NPA of 65. Click here to view the new factors.

Click here to see example calculations showing the difference the new factors make when applying them to retirement benefits.

A new Phased Retirement fact sheet is now available. (PDF format)

Reminder - new scheme provisions
Reminder - pre-January 2007 provisions such as Current Added Years (CAY) and Past Added Years (PAY) are now obsolete.

Annual Allowance and Pension Input Periods
Following changes to tax legislation on 6 April 2006, each member has a limit on “input” that can be made to pension schemes before an additional tax becomes payable. This note explains the "Annual Allowance" and "Pension Input Period".

HE Institutions and PRC Regulations
The purpose of this note is to provide clarification about the impact of the withdrawal of HE institutions (HEI) from the PRC Regulations with effect from 1 January 2007.

Election to join the Teachers’ Pension Scheme
If you have indicated on the election form that the effective date of the election is retrospective to a date prior to 1 January 2007 then Teachers’ Pensions will require documentary evidence in the form of payslips or a payroll extract showing contributions have been deducted and paid to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.

Updates to Teachernet
Now available on Teachernet (DfE website): the video 'What do you want to do when you leave school — A Guide to the TPS'; the latest regulations, The Teachers' Pensions etc. (Reform Amendments) Regulations 2006 and the latest TPS Actuarial Valuation Report.

Breaks in Pensionable Employment and Future Service
The effect of a break in pensionable employment for members in service before 1 January 2007.

Part-Time Elections Made in December 2006
Important announcement for part time elections reaching Teachers' Pensions by 29 December 2006.

TPS Changes from 01/01/2007
Your Teachers' Pension Scheme is changing from 1 January 2007 - Latest News/Info.

Automatic Part Time Membership
Aid for Employers regarding service post 1 January 2007.

Part-Time Workers (Preston)
Retrospective Access to Occupational Penson Schemes by Part-time workers ('Preston').

Recycling Rules
Important Change In Legislation: The New “RECYCLING” Rules affecting the use of a retirement lump sum to increase pension benefits.

Lifetime Allowance (LTA) Protection
The new "Lifetime Allowance" and Protection from the Lifetime Allowance Charge.