Answer:

If you:

- are affected by Transitional Protection,

- have already retired (either fully or partially), and

- have been identified as having excess service for an employer that has a relationship with the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)

Then you'll only be affected by this change if:

1. you choose final salary benefits for the remedy period (1 April 2015 - 31 March 2022), after receiving your remediable service statement, or


2. the default option is applied as you haven't responded within the election period, and final salary benefits would be more beneficial.

Service won't be rolled back unless either of these apply. If they don't apply, your excess service will remain in the career average scheme.

Answer:

Final salary pension benefits are calculated based on your final average salary, multiplied by your service, multiplied by the appropriate accrual rate. The accrual rate is dependent on the section of the final salary scheme:

Normal Pension Age = 60: Accrual rate is 1/80th

Normal Pension Age = 65: Accrual rate is 1/60th

Career average benefits are calculated by using an accrual rate of 1/57th * applied to your pensionable earnings in the scheme year. At the end of each scheme year the accrued earned pension is then revalued. The pension accrued in the following scheme year is then added to this and at the end of that year the total amount is then revalued.

* or 1/55th, 1/50th or 1/45th if you have taken out a Faster Accrual election in a particular year.

Adjustments for early or late retirement, pension sharing, earmarking, scheme pays or lifetime allowance charges are then applied to the pension.

Please see our "Planning retirement" section for more information

Answer:

Your Normal Pension Age is the age at which you can take your benefits, without any adjustments made to your annual pension. Please see our "When can you retire?" section online for more information.

The Scheme has three different Normal Pension Ages based on the scheme your benefits are in.

• If your benefits are in the 80th scheme your NPA for those benefits is 60


• If your benefits are in the 60th scheme your NPA for those benefits is 65


• If your benefits are in the career average scheme your NPA for those benefits is 65 or your State Pension Age (which ever is the later date).

If you've service in more than one of these schemes you'll have mixed service.
For more information on the different schemes and how this impacts your retirement please check our "Working life" section.

Answer:

If your employer has included excluded days in their record of your service and salary, this will be reflected on your Benefit Statement/ Benefit Statement - RSS. Days excluded (i.e. (not worked and not counting towards reckonable service in the final salary scheme) are used when deciding the actual reckonable service and salary rate for the period that counts towards your final salary benefits, or for career average benefits to decide the actual pensionable earnings in the time period. But if you're part-time we ask your employer to provide your actual part-time pensionable earnings and, although we will still derive the number of days excluded in the period, it's the actual reported pensionable earnings that will be used to determine your pension benefits.

Answer:

No, as you go through your career your Benefits Statement - RSS will continue to update reflecting any new teaching service/change in circumstances. You don't need to make a decision about the two choices until you submit your retirement application.

Answer:

On 1 April 2022 the Scheme changed, meaning any returning members of the Scheme would automatically enter the career average scheme for new benefits accrual, even if your previous benefits had been in final salary.

Your previous benefits will remain safe in the scheme you built them up in.

If your previous benefits were in final alary and you were out of service for less than five years you'll retain a Salary Link protection in the in the Scheme.

If you were out of service for more than five years the time you spent in the other public service scheme can reduce the break in service regardless of whether you transfer your benefits into the Teachers' Pension Scheme.

For example if you still had protection in your other public service scheme you may qualify for the Salary Link protection in the Teachers' Pension Scheme, regardless of whether you transfer your benefits into the Scheme. You must tell us about this service and protections by completing this form.

Answer:

Whilst the Remedial Service Statement (RSS) that you receive will look the same as the main retirement RSS, the difference you'll need to consider if you took Premature retirement is that the options displayed in your RSS won't consider any mandatory or discretionary compensation that you currently have in payment from your previous employer. This is because this compensation is out of scope of the remedy.

The figures displayed in your RSS will be the actuarially adjusted benefits that would've been used had you taken a standard early retirement. You'll be presented with an immediate choice to either take your remedy period benefits under final salary or career average and the choice you make regarding these benefits will be irrevocable.

We'd encourage you to read the covering letter and notes for your RSS as these provide additional information specific to Premature retirements that should help you.

Answer:

Whilst the Remediable Service Statement (RSS) you receive will have a similar look and have many of the same elements as the main retirement RSSs, there are some additional sections specific to Phased retirement.

You'll be presented with an immediate choice based on your first phased retirement taken during the remedy period (regardless of the total number of phased retirements you've subsequently taken).

As part of your RSS, we'll provide you with:

• information relating to the benefits you already receive,


• the alternative benefits available to you under the alternative scheme rules, and


• how your choice could affect any future benefit entitlement as the choice you make will apply to all subsequent retirements.

Your options will be displayed based on the proportion(s) of your benefits you specified in your previous application(s). When calculating secondary retirements, this will be based on the total service accrued to that retirement date, multiplied by the proportion you have specified, less any benefits taken as an earlier retirement. You'll be presented with an immediate choice to either take your remedy period benefits under final salary or career average and the choice you make regarding these benefits will be irrevocable.

We'd encourage you to read the covering letter and notes for your RSS as these provide additional information specific to Phased retirements that should help you.

Answer:

The in-service death grant is the payment made in the event you die while still in-service, i.e. an active member paying contributions to the Scheme. Remember, if you enter a period of non-pensionable sick leave (because you receive less than half your usual pay) you're no longer in active pensionable service. An in-service death grant may still be payable if you die within 12 months of leaving pensionable service as a result of being incapacitated.

If you've left service and attained normal pension age, but haven't claimed retirement benefits before you die, the benefits you would have been entitled to will be paid instead of a death grant. The benefits will be payable to your estate.

How much is the in-service death grant?

The in-service death grant is three times your annual rate of pensionable earnings when you die or leave service (if applicable). If you're employed on a part-time or irregular basis this is assessed as if you were full-time. If you die while in Additional Service After Retirement (ASAR) any previous lump sum benefit payment will be deducted from the grant.

The in-service death grant is payable during periods of family leave covered by part-salary and / or statutory benefits, or a period of non-pensionable family leave that follows immediately on from a period of pensionable service. It's also payable during: periods of absence due to illness as long as you're receiving at least half pay; you were an active member called up for duty in Her Majesty's armed forces and made an election to treat the period as pensionable service; or you die within 12 months of leaving all pensionable employment due to incapacity; (and a retirement pension other than a Phased Retirement pension hasn't become payable in relation to that service prior to your death).

If you don't qualify for an in-service death grant an out-of-service death grant may be payable, which is based on three x your pension in the final salary scheme and 2.25 times the value of your annual pension in the career average scheme, had you been eligible to receive it.

If you or your estate have not received five years of your pension, we'll pay a supplementary death grant. The supplementary death grant is five times the annual rate of retirement pension payable at the date of death less any pension already paid.

Please ensure you review your nomination regularly to ensure it reflects your wishes.

To be extra confident and reassured you might like to make a new death grant nomination via My Pension Online.