There may be occasions when you are away from work, in some cases this can affect your pension.
This depends on the type of leave, please select from the options below:
If you have a period of unpaid leave and subsequently do not pay pension contributions, it is possible that you may have a break in your Cornwall Pension Fund membership.
Sick leave
Will my pension be affected by sickness absence?
If you are off work due to sickness or injury and your contractual pay is reduced, or you don't receive any pay, then a notional pay figure is used to work out your pension to make sure your pension is not affected. This notional pay is called your Assumed Pensionable Pay (APP).
You will continue to pay your basic Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) contributions on any pay that you receive while you are off sick. If you are on unpaid sick leave, you will not pay any contributions.
50/50 Section
If you are in the 50/50 section of the scheme and your pay is reduced to zero due to unpaid sick leave, you will be moved into the main section of the scheme from the beginning of the next pay period (if you are still not receiving any pay). This means from that point forward you will build up full pension benefits in the LGPS even though you are not paying pension contributions.
Authorised unpaid leave
Authorised unpaid leave is an absence from work with the employer's permission, for any reason other than relevant child related leave, sickness, or reserve forces leave. It does not include strike breaks.
The following absences are also considered an authorised unpaid absence:
Unpaid jury service
Unpaid additional paternity leave
Unpaid neonatal care leave
Will my pension be affected by unpaid leave?
Whether the authorised unpaid leave will affect your pension is determined by the length of the absence.
Authorised unpaid leave can effectively reduce your pension. This is because the amount that goes into your pension account at the end of each scheme year is based on the actual pay you receive.
If you want to buy back the pension 'lost' while on authorised unpaid leave, the options will depend on when the period of leave began.
If you are in the 50/50 scheme immediately before the period of absence, then this will be considered when calculating the cost of buying back the 'lost' pension.
Authorised unpaid leave for a period that began on or after 01 April 2026
Less than 15 calendar days
If your employer allows you to take authorised unpaid leave lasting less than 15 calendar days:
Your pension will continue to build up as though you were at work receiving your normal pay.
Contributions are compulsory.
You no longer need to apply any 'lost' pension during a short period of authorised unpaid leave.
15 calendar days or more
If your employer allows you to take authorised unpaid leave lasting 15 calendar days or more:
The period will not automatically count towards your pension benefits.
To make up for the pension ‘lost’ during the unpaid leave period, you can choose to pay additional contributions through a Qualifying Additional Pension Arrangement (QAPA).
The cost of a QAPA is based on the pension contributions that would have been paid if you had been at work receiving your normal pay.
The cost is shared between you and your employer, providing you elect to pay the QAPA within 12 months of returning to work (or within a longer period if your employer allows).
If you take authorised unpaid absence of more that 3 years, then your employer only contributes towards the cost for the first three. You can choose to buy back the remaining lost pension, but you would have to pay the total cost.
In most cases you can choose to pay the contributions as a lump sum or through regular deductions from your pay.
Your employer should share information on the cost to you to buy back the pension through a QAPA. If your employer does not provide this when you return to work, please contact them in the first instance.
After 12 months, the only option available will be to buy back ‘lost’ pension through Additional Pension Contributions (APCs) at the full cost to the member.
Authorised unpaid leave for a period that began before 01 April 2026
The period of authorised unpaid absence does not count for pension purposes unless you elect to pay an Additional Pension Contribution (APC) to buy back the ‘lost’ pension.
The cost of an APC is calculated under guidance issued by the Government Actuary’s Department (GAD).
Further information on APCs, including an online calculator are available on the LGPS member website.
Your employer will contribute towards the cost, providing you elect to pay APCs within 30 days of returning to work. The cost will be split 1/3rd employee, 2/3rds employer. This is called a Shared Cost Additional Pension Contribution (SCAPC).
After 30 days, you can still buy back the ‘lost’ pension through an APC but it will be at full cost to the you.
Unauthorised leave of absence
Any absence which is 'unauthorised' by your employer does not count as membership.
You have no right to buy back the pension 'lost' as a result of that unauthorised period of leave.
Maternity and adoption leave
Pension contributions during ordinary maternity or adoption leave
Although ordinary maternity leave (OML) or ordinary adoption leave (OAL) is up to 26 weeks:
statutory maternity pay (SMP) or statutory adoption pay (SAP) is now payable for 39 weeks.
So, you will continue to pay pension contributions:
for the first 39 weeks of your maternity leave, or
for as long as you are receiving pay (even if this pay is less than you would receive had you not been on leave)
You will continue to pay pension contributions at your usual contribution rate. This is based on whatever pay you receive.
If you receive less than your usual pay during this period:
your pension still builds up as usual because it will be based on your Assumed Pensionable Pay (APP).
If you do not receive any pay during your ordinary maternity leave or ordinary adoption leave:
you will not be required to pay pension contributions, and your pension will still be based on your assumed pensionable pay.
This might happen if you do not qualify for statutory pay.
So during your OML or OAL your pension will not be affected.
Pension contributions during additional maternity or adoption leave
Additional maternity leave (AML) and additional adoption leave (AAL) is leave over 26 weeks. As SMP and SAP is payable for the first 39 weeks, this means that during your additional leave period you will usually pay pension contributions for the first 13 weeks.
The employers contributions during AML and AAL are based on the pay which you would have received had you been at work. Your contributions are based on the actual pay you receive.
If you have a period of unpaid leave during your AML or AAL, you have the option of paying an Additional Pension Contribution (APC) to recover the "lost" pension. You must request to pay back the contributions within 30 days of returning to work (or within 30 days of resigning or being dismissed after your AML or AAL).
Find out more about additional pension contributions during ordinary and additional maternity or adoption leave.
Keeping in Touch (KIT) days
If you work on a KIT day during your ordinary maternity or adoption leave, you will pay pension contributions based on the pay you receive for that day. The amount which is added to your pension account for that day will then be based on: whichever is higher between the actual pay you received for the KIT day, and your Assumed Pensionable Pay (APP). The same applies if you work a KIT day during paid additional maternity or adoption leave.
If you work on a KIT day during your unpaid additional maternity or adoption leave, you will pay pension contributions based on your pay for that day. The amount added to your pension account will simply be based on your pay for the KIT day.
Paternity leave
Will my pension be affected by paternity leave?
During statutory paternity leave the amount added to your pension account will be based on your Assumed Pensionable Pay (APP).
You will pay pension contributions on your paternity pay - so your pension will not be affected.
Parental leave
How does parental leave affect my pension?
Unpaid parental leave will:
effectively reduce your pension.
This is because the amount which goes into your pension account at the end of each scheme year is based on the actual pay you receive.
If you would like to buy back the "lost" pension resulting from taking unpaid parental leave:
you have to pay an Additional Pension Contribution (APC) which will be calculated under guidance from the Government Actuary’s Department (GAD).
Further information on APCs, including an online calculator are available on the LGPS member website.
In all cases of authorised unpaid leave except going on strike, the employer will contribute towards the cost, providing you elect to pay APCs within 30 days of returning to work. The cost will be split 1/3rd employee, 2/3rds employer. This is called a shared cost additional pension contribution (SCAPC).
Jury service
If you are called for jury service, this is treated as a period of authorised leave of absence for pension purposes.
If you are paid, you will pay pension contributions on the pay you receive and build up your pension normally.
If you are unpaid, you can buy Additional Pension Contributions (APCs) for the lost pension. The cost of buying the APC for the lost pension is in accordance with the guidance issued by the Government Actuary’s Department (GAD).
When you return from jury service, your employer will write to you to ask if you wish to elect to buy your lost pension via an APC.
If you elect to buy an APC within 30 days of returning to work, the cost of the APC is shared between you and your employer. In this case, you pay one third and your employer pays two thirds of the cost.
You can however, elect to buy the lost pension back via an APC after 30 days of returning to work but this will be at full cost to you.
APC Calculator: You can use this online APC calculator for an idea of how much it would cost you to buy an APC for lost pension.
Reserve forces leave
If you enter into a period of reserve forces leave, you will:
continue to accrue pension membership and you will continue to pay contributions on your reserve forces pay, as long as it equals or exceeds your normal pay.
If your reserve service pay is less than your normal pay, you will not have to pay any contributions and your benefits will not be affected.
Industrial dispute
How is my pension affected by strike action?
If you are away from work for a day or more due to:
a trade dispute or strike action
that period of absence will not count as membership in the Cornwall Pension Fund.
Absence from work due to a trade dispute or strike action will effectively reduce your pension. This is because the amount which goes into your pension account at the end of each scheme year is based on the actual pay you receive.
If you would like to buy back the "lost" pension resulting from taking absence from work due to strike action:
you have to pay an Additional Pension Contribution (APC)
which will be calculated in accordance with guidance from the Government Actuary’s Department (GAD). Please note as the absence is due to strike action, your employer cannot contribute or pay a percentage towards the cost of the APC. This is because the absence is classed as unauthorised.
Further information on APCs, including an online calculator are available on the LGPS member website.