What your employer needs to do
Automatic enrolment
Under the Pensions Act 2008, every employer in the UK must put certain staff into a workplace pension and pay into it. This is called ‘automatic enrolment’. Most new employees in the LGPS are automatically contractually enrolled into the scheme by their employer. Your employer will also:
- decide which contribution rate to put you on
- tell their payroll team /provider to start taking the contributions from your pay
- let us know once they’ve enrolled you on to the LGPS.
You won’t be able to sign up for your online pension account until your employer has given us your ‘new starter’ details.
If you decide to opt out of the LGPS:
- before 3 months of membership, your employer will need to refund your contributions and let us know
- with 3 – 24 months membership, your employer will need to let us know and we’ll refund your contributions. This is if you haven’t already got a deferred LGPS pension or an LGPS pension in payment.
Your employer will need to re-enrol you back into the LGPS approximately every 3 years.
Every month your employer will need to send us your monthly membership and contribution data.
Communications
Your employer should give you a copy of the brief guide to the LGPS with your employment contract. This guide covers the:
- benefits of the scheme
- what you pay
- how your pension’s worked out
- swapping part of your pension for a lump sum
- retirement
- protection for your family
- help with pension problems.
You can find a copy of the guide on the forms and resources page of our website.
They should also give you:
- our contact details
- the link to our website
- a Membership information form to fill in
- a death grant expression of wish form to fill in
You can find both forms on our forms and resources page. You need to send us these as soon as possible.
Contribution rates
It’s your employer’s responsibility to take the right amount of contributions from your pay. This is still the case if they outsource their payroll to a third party.
Employee contribution rates for 2024/2025
| Actual pay | Main section contribution rate | 50/50 section contribution rate | |
| Up to £17,600 | 5.50% | 2.25% | |
| £17,601 to £27,600 | 5.80% | 2.90% | |
| £27,601 to £44,900 | 6.50% | 3.25% | |
| £44,901 to £56,800 | 6.80% | 3.40% | |
| £56,801 to £79,700 | 8.50% | 4.25% | |
| £79,701 to £112,900 | 9.90% | 4.95% | |
| £112,901 to £133,100 | 10.50% | 5.25% | |
| £133,101 to £199,700 | 11.40% | 5.70% | |
| £199,701 or more | 12.50% | 6.25% | |
