What is a Deferred Member?

In the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), a deferred member is someone who has built up pension benefits in the scheme but isn't currently paying into it because they’ve left their LGPS job or opted out of the scheme, and they haven’t started receiving their pension.

A deferred member is someone who has left the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) before taking their pension, but has chosen to keep their benefits in the scheme until they're ready to claim them.

Being a deferred member means:

  • You still have pension rights with the LGPS, even though you’re no longer contributing
  • The benefits you’ve built up are safe and protected by law
  • Each April, your deferred pension is increased in line with inflation, so it keeps its value in real terms
  • You can generally choose when to start taking it (anytime from age 55), although your Normal Pension Age (NPA) determines whether it’s paid in full or reduced for early payment
  • If you die before claiming it, there may be valuable benefits for your spouse, civil partner, eligible cohabiting partner and/or dependent children.

How do you become a deferred member?

 

You’ll become a deferred member if you leave an LGPS job, or opt out of the scheme, and have been a member for more than two years and don’t transfer your pension to another scheme.

 

Your deferred pension benefits are worked out at the date you leave the scheme and secured until you take them.

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