THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT PENSION SCHEME (LGPS) - YOUR CHOICE

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1 THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT PENSION SCHEME (LGPS) - YOUR CHOICE YOU MUST FILL IN AND RETURN THIS FORM, WHETHER OR NOT YOU WANT TO JOIN THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT PENSION SCHEME YOUR LAST NAME... YOUR FIRST NAMES...TITLE MR/MRS/MISS/MS/OTHER... PAYROLL No:.... NATIONAL INSURANCE No.... DATE OF BIRTH... PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT/ SERVICE AREA... ADDRESS..... POST CODE.. PARTNERSHIP STATUS: Married /Single/Divorce/Civil Partnership/Co-habiting (Please cross out the one that does not apply) If you are a married woman, please state your single or any former name(s) Payroll Numbers of any other LB Redbridge employments When you start to work for the London Borough of Redbridge as a full-time, part-time or temporary employee with a contract of 3 months or more, you will automatically become a member of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). Please bear in mind that although membership of the scheme is automatic you do not have to join. However, if you do not complete and return this form, pension contributions will automatically be taken from your pay. If you are a teacher, you will normally be given the option to join the Teachers Pension Scheme. If you would like to become a member of the Local Government Pension Scheme, tick box (A). Turn over and fill in all the other relevant sections, sign the bottom and then return it to the Payroll Group. Have you forwarded your birth certificate or Passport to Personnel already. If not please include either document with this form. Y/N Please note As well as being a member of the Local Government Pension Scheme, you may also pay towards a personal pension or a stakeholder pension (see ANY QUESTIONS for further details). If you do not want to become a member of the Local Government Pension Scheme, tick box (B). You will still need to fill in all the other relevant sections, sign the bottom of the form and then return it to the Payroll Group. If you would like more information on the Local Government Pension Scheme before you decide please telephone the Pensions Group on , 3447 or (A) YES - I would like to join the Local Government Pension Scheme (see note above) (B) NO - I do not want to join the Local Government Pension Scheme.

2 YOUR DETAILS Please give full details below of all your previous pensionable employments or Personal Pension Plans. It is important that you complete this form carefully because anything you miss out may affect either your Local Government pension or your rights to receive a redundancy payment. Please note any Local Government Service that you may have, even if you do not want it to be considered for transfer. If you have no previous pensionable employment or Personal Plan details, please write Not Applicable in the first line below. Name of former employer or Dates What pension Personal Pension Provider Your job title Scheme did From To you belong to? (Please continue on an extra sheet if you need to) If you wish to transfer in any previous pensions rights you have mentioned above you will need to give me your authorisation below. (This authorisation will allow your former Pension Provider(s) to forward details to the LB Redbridge) I hereby authorise the Pensions Manager, LB Redbridge, to contact my former employer(s)/personal Pension Provider(s) (as detailed below), to obtain a transfer value quotation Name of pension provider Name of pension provider Name of pension provider Address Address Address Post code Post code Post code Name Address Pay number Signature Date

3 1.If you have previously been a member of another Pension Scheme have you: (a) Ever received a refund of your pension contributions? (b) A deferred (frozen) pension with your previous employer or Personal Pension Plan? If you have answered YES to any of the above questions, please give details as appropriate below: If you are receiving a pension or any annual compensation from any of your previous employers or Pension Schemes, please give details below: Have you ever been made redundant and received a redundancy payment? If you have answered YES, please give the following details: Name of employer:... Dates of employment: From: to: Amount of redundancy payment you received: Name of employer:... Dates of employment: From:..... to:... Amount of redundancy payment you received: I confirm that the details I have given are correct to the best of my knowledge. Your signature Date PLEASE RETURN TO : PAY & CONTRACTS HUMAN RESOURCES SERVICE LYNTON HOUSE HIGH ROAD ILFORD ESSEX IG1 1NY

4 ANY QUESTIONS? How much will it cost me to be a member of the scheme? All employees joining the scheme on or after 1 April 2008 will pay different contribution rates dependent on the pay band they are subject to. The amount you pay is actually less than this because you will receive tax relief on your contributions. This means, for example, that if you are paying 20% tax, then for every 1 you pay in pension contributions, the actual cost will be 80p from the pay you take home. There is also an extra saving on National Insurance Contributions because, as a member of the pension scheme, you will be contracted out of the State 2 nd Tier Pension Scheme (S2P) and will pay a lower rate of contributions. What is pensionable pay? Pensionable pay normally includes your basic salary or wage plus, for example, shift pay, First-Aid allowance, Statutory Sick Pay, Statutory Maternity Pay and contractual overtime. (Please contact the Pensions Group for full details of what is included as pensionable pay ). If I join the scheme, do I have to stay in it? Once you have joined the scheme, you can stay a member until you leave your job or you decide to leave the scheme. If you want to opt out of the scheme, you must tell the Pensions Group in writing, giving the date you want to end your membership. If you do not give a date, your membership will stop from the last day of the current pay period. If you decide to Opt Out you must contact the pensions group within 3 months of your starting date if you wish to claim a refund of contributions, if you do not do so you will become entitled to a deferred benefit. What if I belonged to a different pension scheme in the past? If you paid into a company, occupational or Personal Pension scheme before you joined this Authority, you can ask for the pension benefits you had built up to be transferred into the LGPS. It is up to you to decide whether it is better for you to transfer your benefits because transfers from some schemes outside of Local Government will not always buy the same amount of membership or benefits in the LGPS. You must request a transfer of your benefits, in writing, within 12 months of joining this Authority s Pension Scheme. If you elect to transfer your pension rights, any AVCs may also be transferred and if transferred from a non-local government employer will secure a service credit in the LGPS. (Please contact the Pensions Group for further details). Why do you want to see my birth certificate or Passport? Simply to prove your date of birth. If you do not show your birth certificate or Passport when you first join the scheme, you will be asked to show them when you retire or leave the scheme. Why do you need details of any redundancy payments I may have been paid? It is important that details of all your previous jobs and any redundancy you may have received are recorded so that if any future redundancy payments become necessary they can be accurately worked out. What if I already contribute to a Personal Pension scheme? With effect from 6 th April 2006, it has been possible to contribute to an occupational scheme and also to a personal pension (also known as a stakeholder pension),- as well as being a member of the Local Government Pension Scheme. If in doubt consult your personal pension provider.

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