Protections are in place if you are nearing retirement. This is to ensure that you will get a pension:
- at least equal to that which you would have received in the scheme had it not changed on 1 April 2014.
This protection is known as the 'underpin'. The underpin applies to you if you were:
- paying into the Scheme on 31 March 2012 and,
- you were within 10 years of your Normal Pension Age on 1 April 2012,
- you haven’t had a disqualifying break in service of more than 5 years,
- you've not drawn any benefits in the LGPS before Normal Pension Age and
- you leave with an immediate entitlement to benefits.
The references in this underpin section to Normal Pension Age are to your protected Normal Pension Age under the 2008 scheme – normally age 65.
If you are covered by the underpin a calculation will be performed at the date you cease to contribute to the Scheme, or at your Normal Pension Age if earlier, to check that the pension you have built up (or, if you have been in the 50/50 section at any time, the pension you would have built up had you always been in the main section of the scheme) is at least equal to that which you would have received had the scheme not changed on 1 April 2014.
If it isn’t, the difference will be added to your pension. If you are covered by the underpin, we will carry out the underpin check when you leave the Scheme.
