Pensions
Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
The LGPS is a valuable part of the pay and reward package for employees working in local government or working for other employers participating in the scheme. The LGPS is administered for HCC by the Local Pensions Partnership (LPP).
The LPP can be contacted on AskPensions@localpensionspartnership.org.uk or by calling the Pension team helpline on 0300 323 0260.
Visit the LGPS website:
The Local Government Pension Scheme
or find the dedicated Local Pensions Partnership LGPS pages at:
Teachers' Pensions
The Teachers' Pensions website has links to support, tools to help you manage and plan your pension and all the latest news. This is administrated directly by Teachers’ Pensions.
Visit the Teachers' Pensions website:
Boosting your pension through pension flexibilities
Teachers' Pensions have a dedicated webpage with all of their flexibilities information in one place. It shows how members can increase their pension savings by taking up faster accrual or additional pension. It also includes a flexibilities calculator to help you plan.
Teachers' Pensions: Flexibilities calculator
To make the most of these options, you need to be aware that:
- faster accrual elections are taken annually
- additional pension can be taken up at any time during the year
- all flexibilities can be elected through ’My Pension Online’
My Pension Online
My Pension Online is a member self-service website which makes managing your pension much easier and ensures Teachers’ Pensions can contact you directly with updates, important information and changes.
Once registered, you can check your pension at any time and it is now the only place where you can view your annual benefit statement.
Once you’re registered you can:
- Update your details anytime online
- View your annual benefit statement
- Nominate beneficiaries
- Complete important forms and documents
- Use online calculators to explore your benefits
- Find out more about the other benefits available to you
All you need to register is:
a) Your Teachers’ Pensions reference number (also known as your DfE number)
b) Your National Insurance number
c) Your email address - we recommend a personal email address
Register for My Pension Online
Pensionable service
Please be aware that under the regulations of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme a member is in pensionable service when they are actively contributing to the scheme. Members on sick leave are in pensionable service as long as they are still receiving at least half pay. Members on less than half pay are not in pensionable service but are in eligible employment until their contract ends. Leaving pensionable service can impact on your entitlement to some of the “in service” benefits provided by the teachers’ pension scheme, most notably in relation to the timing of applications for ill-health retirement, commutation of whole pension (serious ill-health) and in respect of the in-service death grant. Further information is available on the Teachers’ Pensions website:
Teachers’ Pensions: Ill health retirement
Teachers’ Pensions: Death in service
Teachers’ Pensions: Family benefits
Pension – auto enrolment
Under the auto enrolment regulations, all employers are expected to place eligible employees into a relevant pension scheme, even if that employee has previously decided not to join the pension scheme.
HCC's initial automatic enrolment staging date was 1 January 2013.
Every 3 years employers have to put certain employees back into a pension scheme, this is called automatic re-enrolment. HCC's next re-enrolment date is 1 January 2022. On this date the following employees will be automatically re-enrolled:
- Employees who are not in a pension scheme and earn above the £10,000 p.a. threshold and are between the age of 22 and state pension age.
Certain criteria continue to be monitored and employees who earn less than £10,000 a year (£833 per month), will be automatically enrolled in the month their salary exceeds £10,000 a year (£833 per month).
For further information on auto enrolment, visit:
The Pensions Regulator website
or email: HRPensionProjects@hertfordshire.gov.uk
State pension
You can find out more about your state pension and how much you will receive on the Gov.UK website:
Gov.UK: Your new state pension explained
You can also check how much you will receive in your state pension on the Gov.UK website:
Gov.UK: Check your state pension forecast
Topping up your state pension
More information can be found in:
Midlife MOT website
People aged 40 or over can take a 'mid-life MOT' to assess their finances, wellbeing and career:
Get to know your pension: The mid-life MOT - take control of your future now
The website allows workers to check their state pension entitlement and provides links to financial advice services and guidance produced by the Pensions Advisory Service, MAS and Pensions Wise.