Local Government Pension Scheme

If you are a deferred member and you re-join the LGPS after 1 October 2023, your two periods of membership will generally be joined together, unless you choose to keep them separate. There is a lot to think about when you are deciding whether to join your benefits together. It is important that you carefully read the information your pension fund gives you to make sure that you make the right decision for you.

The precise details will depend on your age and your dates of LGPS membership. The ‘golden rules’ if your deferred benefits are protected by the underpin are:

• If you keep separate benefits, your deferred benefits will keep underpin protection but your new pension account will not be protected
• If you have a disqualifying gap and combine your benefits, you will lose underpin protection
• If you do not have a disqualifying gap and combine your benefits, you will keep underpin protection.