Combining your benefits

The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) (Miscellaneous) Regulations 2010 were laid before parliament on 25 August 2010 and have come into force from 30 September 2010. The most notable amendment within these Miscellaneous Regulations relate to the combining of previous LGPS membership with the membership currently building up within the Royal County of Berkshire Pension Fund.

This applies to members with more than 12 months of membership.

Combining LGPS benefits - new rules

Regulation 16 of the LGPS (Administration Regulations 2007 (as amended) has now been amended under the Miscellaneous regulations regarding combining periods of LGPS membership.

If a member leaves the LGPS they are entitled to leave their benefits in the Scheme (known as deferred benefits). If they later re-join the LGPS with another Local Government employer, they may add their previous deferred benefits to the benefits building up in their new employment. This is known as combining benefits.

Members are permitted to combine any period of former Local Government membership with their current membership provided that they elect to do so in the first 12 months of their new period of membership.

If you have been a member for more than 12 months your employer may extend the 12-month limit to investigate a transfer of previous pension rights. However, your employer has absolute discretion to do so. Therefore please contact your employer directly if you wish to investigate this option further.