If you are re-employed with an employer or council that participates in the LGPS, then whether or not you join the LGPS in this job, you must inform the Avon Pension Fund. They will check to see whether your pension is affected by your new job.

If you rejoin the LGPS you will build up a new period of membership and you will receive a further package of benefits on your retirement.

If you are re-employed outside of local government with an employer that does not participate in the LGPS, there will be no change to your pension. It will continue to be paid, as usual.

If you were awarded an ill health pension of the type that is stopped if you are in gainful employment, your pension may be affected if you get a job and you must inform the employer who awarded you that pension.   

Not unless you have been retired by reason of ill-health, efficiency, redundancy or your employer has agreed to the early release of your pension on leaving. In which case if you take up further employment with an employer which participates in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), your pension may be reduced or suspended if the combined annual income from your new employment and your pension exceeds your pay immediately before your retirement.

If you do become so employed, you are required by the LGPS Regulations to:

1. tell your employer that you have a pension from the LGPS, and
2. write to Avon Pension Fund giving full details of your further employment.

If you fail to carry out these requests your pension may be overpaid and you will have to pay the money back.

If you do take up further employment under which you could join the LGPS again, then any pension you receive which was awarded by the granting of added years if you were retired because of redundancy or efficiency my be adjusted on your eventual retirement, whether or not you rejoin the LGPS.

Avon Pension Fund will need to check to see how much of your Local Government Pension you can keep during your further period of employment. This may be:

• Your full pension: if your ‘pay’ plus your Local Government Pension is no more than your contractual pay when you retired.
• A reduced pension: if your ‘pay’ plus your Local Government Pension is more than your contractual pay when you retired.
• No pension: if your ‘pay’ is the same as or more than your contractual pay when you retired.

Example:
Monthly earnings at retirement £600 (A)
Monthly pay now £400 (B)
Pension you can keep (A - B) £200
So, in this example, if your Local Government Pension is £200 a month you can keep it all. If your Local Government Pension is £240 a month, you can only keep £200.

Notes:

‘Pay’ means any pay regarded as contractual and pensionable, even if you have not rejoined the LGPS.

If your Local Government Pension included cost of living increases, you pay at retirement will be increased by the same percentage before the check on home much Local Government Pension you can keep.

Pay awards and increments will not affect the amount of Local Government Pension you can keep.

Cost of living increases will be added to the pension you keep.

The amount of your Local Government Pension you can keep while you work may change if you have:

A pay rise backdated to when you started your post-retirement work.

A change in the conditions of your post-retirement work e.g. a pay increase due to promotion or a change in the number of contractual hours you work.