Transferring in former pension rights

An expression of interest to transfer former pension rights into the LGPS must be made in writing within 12 months of joining the LGPS or such longer period as your new employer may allow.

If you would like to consider transferring any former pension rights that you may have into the LGPS you will need to complete and return the Transferring previous pension rights form.

Please return the completed Transferring previous pension rights form directly to the pensions team within 12 months of your new employment within the Berkshire Pension Fund.

At this stage, you are only expressing an interest in transferring your benefits. Once you have been made aware of what the transfer will purchase in the LGPS you will need to sign a declaration confirming whether or not you want the transfer to go ahead.

Please note that no one connected with the Royal County of Berkshire Pension Fund is authorised to give financial advice but we do aim to provide you with sufficient information to enable you to make an informed decision regarding the transfer of your benefits.

Some points to consider: 

• 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 that a Court awards you under a Pension Sharing Order following a divorce or dissolution of a civil partnership.

Previous LGPS pension rights

IMPORTANT information if you have previous LGPS pension rights in England and Wales.

5 year final salary link for previous public service pension schemes

• When you re-join the LGPS, provided you do not have a break in membership of more than 5 years from any public service pension scheme, your final salary benefits may be linked to your new pension account and calculated on your final salary in your new employment when you leave.
   
• You can elect to keep your benefits separate but you would need to notify us of this within 12 months of re-joining the scheme.
   
• If you have a break in membership from public service pension schemes for more than 5 years, then any final salary benefits in the LGPS may be transferred across to the career average scheme unless you choose to retain them as separate final salary benefits.
   
• In the event of you recommencing employment within the LGPS it is important that you complete the Declaration of Previous Pension Rights form in order to retain the final salary link attached to any public service pension you have built up before 31 March 2014.
   

Please note: if you opted out after 11 April 2015 with a deferred benefit - you will not be allowed to join this with your active pension account if you re-join the LGPS. You will have two separate pension accounts in the LGPS.