How are my deferred benefits worked out?

Your deferred benefits are based on your membership and your final pay on leaving, as shown on your deferred benefit statement.

Your membership is generally:

• how long you have been a member of the LGPS, worked out in years and days; plus
• any extra membership you have bought with extra contributions; plus
• membership bought by a transfer into the LGPS from another scheme; plus
• any extra membership awarded by your employer.

If you have worked part-time, your membership is based on the contractual hours you worked. For example, if you worked half time for 10 years, your benefits would be based on 5 years membership.

If you worked part-time on leaving the LGPS, or were part-time in your last year of membership, your final pay is based on the full-time equivalent rate.

Your final pay is generally the pay you paid LGPS contributions on during:

• your last 12 months of membership; or one of the previous years (if this is better)
• if you downgraded or moved to a job with less responsibility with your employer in your last 10 years, you have the option to have your benefits based on the average of any 3 consecutive years in the last 10 (ending on a 31 March)
• if your pay was reduced or restricted beyond your control before 1 April 2008 and you were issued with a certificate of protection by your employer and you leave the LGPS within 10 years of the reduction or restriction in your pay, then we will work out your final pay as the best year’s pay in the last 5 years prior to leaving, or the best consecutive 3 year average in the last 13 after allowing for inflation.