Transfer into the LGPS pension scheme

How to transfer your previous pension rights into the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).

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What you may be able to transfer in

You may be able to transfer pension rights into the LGPS from one of the following:

  • A previous LGPS Fund
  • A previous employer's pension scheme
  • A self-employed pension plan
  • A ‘buy-out’ policy
  • A personal pension plan
  • A stakeholder pension scheme
  • An Additional Voluntary Contribution (AVC) arrangement including, in some cases, from an overseas pension scheme.

If you would like to consider a transfer, please complete the Previous Pension Form which will be sent to you shortly after you join, and return it to Pension Services.

You have 12 months from joining the LGPS to choose to transfer your previous pension rights unless your employer allows you longer. This will usually only be permitted in special circumstances - please ask your employer what their policy is.

You can find out more about transferring your pension benefits 

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What you cannot transfer in

You cannot transfer a pension credit into the LGPS.

A pension credit is a share of an ex-spouse's or ex-civil partner's pension benefits following:

  • a divorce 
  • a dissolution of a civil partnership. 

A pension credit is awarded by:

  • a Court under a Pension Sharing Order
  • a qualifying agreement in Scotland.

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Previous LGPS pension rights in England or Wales

If you previously opted out of the LGPS, you may be able to join (or “aggregate”) benefits from this deferred LGPS pension to your active LGPS pension. For example, you may have left an LGPS employment with deferred benefits, and now have a new job with an active LGPS pension. 

You can join the benefits if:

  • you made the election to opt-out before 11 April 2015.

You cannot join the benefits if:

  • you made the election to opt-out, on or after 11 April 2015.

In this case, you will have two separate sets of pension benefits in the scheme.

There is more information on opting out and then re-joining at https://www.lgpsmember.org/more/aggregation.php

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