From 1 April 2009 your contribution depends on your full time equivalent pay as shown in the table below.
Pay tranche Contribution rate paid on that tranche
Up to and including £18,000 5.50%
Above £18,000 and up to £22,000 7.25%
Above £22,000 and up to £30,000 8.50%
Above £30,000 and up to £40,000 9.50%
Above £40,000 12.00%
To find out your estimated contribution rate, click here to go to our new LGPS contribution calculator.
Your employer pays the rest of the cost of providing your benefits. This amount varies but it’s always enough to make sure your pension can be paid. In 2010/2011 your employer will pay at least 18.2% of your pay.
You also get tax relief on your contributions - the tax you pay on your salary is calculated after your pension contributions are deducted. You’ll also pay lower national insurance contributions on your earnings.
Extra contributions
If you want to get more out when you retire, you can put more into your pension while you’re working. You may be able to buy extra years of membership to the scheme or make additional voluntary contributions. See the section on purchasing additional benefits for more information.
You can also choose to pay into a personal pension plan or stakeholder pension scheme as well as the LGPS.
Transfers from other pension schemes
Within 12 months of joining you can transfer in funds from other public sector pensions into the LGPS.
Sickness and maternity, paternity, and adoption.
If you’re on paid sick leave you’ll continue to pay contributions. If you’re on unpaid sick leave, you won’t pay any contributions - but this time will still count towards your total membership.
During paid or unpaid maternity (up to 26 weeks), paternity or adoption leave, you will continue to pay contributions on any pay you receive. This time will continue to count towards your total membership.
If you take more than 26 weeks’ maternity leave, the extra time won’t count towards your total membership. You can top up your total membership when you return to work. The amount you’ll need to pay is calculated using the rate of maternity pay you were earning right before you started unpaid maternity leave.
More information
For more information about being a member of the LGPS, you can download A Guide to the LGPS, with full details of all the features and how to take advantage of them, to print out and read when you want. If you would rather receive a copy by post, contact us.
If you’ve got further questions, visit the employee member frequently asked questions page of this site.