Returning officers
All local authorities need a returning officer who’s in charge at elections. The role is usually done by a senior officer (Chief Solicitor, Chief Executive for example). Regulations state that you must treat the role as a separate employment. This means the role has a separate pension record and builds up separate benefits to their main role.
Not all returning officer posts are pensionable.
Pensionable posts
The returning officer post for the following types of election are pensionable:
- parliamentary
- county
- district
- local
- town and parish.
You should report these to us separately from any other job the member has.
Only the fees paid to a returning officer or acting returning officer are pensionable. Returning officers can choose to opt out of paying contributions in their role.
Not pensionable
The following aren’t pensionable, all:
- other payments made to the returning officer post for the election types above
- returning officer posts for the police and crime commissioner elections
- fees to counting officers and regional counting officers.
We need membership data for all returning officer posts, regardless of whether any contributions have been taken. You should include this with your monthly data submission.
