When you take parental leave, your pension contributions may change depending on whether the leave is paid or unpaid
While you’re on paid leave:
You’ll keep paying pension contributions – but only on the pay you actually receive during your leave.
During unpaid leave:
You won’t be paying into your pension for this period, which means you’ll build up slightly less pension. You can choose to buy back this “lost” pension through an Additional Pension Contribution (APC).
Buying back lost pension
Within 30 days of returning to work: Your employer will pay two-thirds of the cost and you’ll pay one-third
After 30 days: You’ll pay the full cost, unless your employer agrees to help.
You can check the cost of buying back pension using the LGPS APC modeller.