Your active pension update is now available by logging into SPFOnline.
If you are not registered for SPFOnline, you can Sign Up here
Active members who prefer hard copies will be mailed with their pension update to the home address we hold on our records by the end of August.
If you are an active member who has not received any communication from us, it could be that we do not hold a current address for you, or that we have an out of date address for you.
Please get in touch via benstat@glasgow.gov.uk
We always recommend that members who move advise us of their new address.
Fund News 2022, our annual newsletter for acive members, is available from our website here.
You can update your address by logging into your online pension account at SPFOnline.org.uk
If you are not signed up to SPFOnline, you should send an email to benstat@glasgow.gov.uk with the following information:
This cannot be updated online.
Please complete this form and email to benstat@glasgow.gov.uk
Only members who joined the scheme prior to 01/04/2009 receive an automatic lump sum.
Details of your state pension can be found here
From state pension age (You can check your SPA here) you can retire and receive your benefits with no reductions.
You can take your benefits from age 55.
Your benefits for membership after 31 March 2015 have a normal pension age of your State Pension age.
If you take your benefits before normal pension age, some or all of your benefits will be reduced.
If you meet the Rule of 85 and are over 60 when you retire, reductions will not apply to benefits that have Rule of 85 protection. You can check The Rule of 85
If you are interested in flexible retirement, you will need to obtain your employer's permission.
From 1 April 2015 you build up a pension of 1/49th of your pay in your Pension Account each year.
Your Pension Account is revalued each year by the Consumer Prices Index up to your date of retirement.
The total pension in your Pension Account is adjusted at your date of retirement if you do not retire at your state pension age (min 65).
Up to 31 March 2015 the LGPS was a final salary pension scheme. This means the payment you get for service up to that date is based on your final year's pensionable pay and your total length of membership.
Up to 31 March 2009 the annual pension payment is worked out by dividing your final pay by 80 and multiplying this by your total membership.
To work out your lump sum for service up to 31 March 2009 divide your final salary by 80, multiply this by your total membership, and then multiply the final figure by 3.
For any service after 31 March 2009 to 31 March 2015, your annual pension will be worked out by dividing your final pay by 60, and you will have the option to take part of this as a lump sum.
If you take your benefits before normal pension age, some or all of your benefits will be reduced.
The table showing reductions to pension and lump sum are here
Reductions may not apply if you have Rule of 85 protection and are 60 or over.
You should contact your employer 3 months prior to your intended retirement date.
This will allow them to provide us with sufficient notice to progress paying your retirement benefits on time.
If you are aged 55 (50 if you were a member as at 6 April 2006) or over and have at least two years' total membership, you will receive your pension and lump sum immediately with no reduction for early payment.
Note: any gap in LGPS membership after 5 April 2006 means you need to be 55 to have a redundancy retirement.
Any enquiries regarding this type of retirement should be directed to your employer.
Flexible retirement is available for members from age 55 and allows you to access your pension benefits whilst continuing to work in your employment. In order to access your benefits you are required to reduce either your working hours or grade in line with your employers' policy. Each employer has their own individual policy on flexible retirement and you should contact your employer for further information.
Your pension (provided you have 2 years in the LGPS) can be paid early if your employer decides you are permanently unable to perform the duties of your job due to ill health and you are not immediately capable of undertaking other work.
The pension can take account of some or all of your prospective service to your state pension age (min 65) depending on whether you are likely to be capable of working again.
Any enquiries regarding this type of retirement should be directed to your employer.
You will receive a Pension Update for each period of membership held in the scheme.
If you are currently contributing to the scheme your Pension Update for this period of membership will be available in August and if you have deferred benefits your Pension Update will be available in June.
Yes, you can elect to take up to 25% of your overall pension pot as a tax free lump sum.
No, it is not possible to convert your automatic lump sum to pension.
This option is not available in the Local Government Pension Scheme. More information can be found here.
No, your pension update does not show your Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs)
Pension debits are not shown in the yearly pension quoted on your statement. The current value of any debits are calculated in the 'How we have calculated your benefits' area of your statement.
If you have previous LGPS rights, it is very important that you contact us, as there are LGPS rules that we have to apply if you do not provide us with any instructions and applying these rules may not be to your advantage.
You will be able to transfer pension rights into the LGPS from any other public sector scheme provided you make an application within 12 months of joining.
If you have more than 12 months but less than 24 months of scheme membership you will require your employer's consent for a transfer to be accepted.
Transfer applications made outwith 24 months of joining will not be accepted.
Yes, you can pay extra to increase your pension either by paying additional contributions to buy an increased LGPS pension known as Additional Pension Contributions (APCs) or by making Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs).
Our AVC scheme is administered for us by Prudential and details are available on their website.
A death grant is payable, as well as a spouse's / qualifying partner's pension and children's pension, where appropriate.
If our records show you are single, your pension update may not show a husband's, wife's or qualifying partner's pension.
The tax-free lump-sum death grant we will pay if you die while you are still working is three times your CARE pensionable pay.
If you are also a pensioner member or a deferred member (or both) of the LGPS in Scotland, the death grants will not be added together. Only one death grant will be paid, and it will be whichever is higher.
To protect your loved ones, make sure you have nominated them. You can make and update your nominations using SPFOnline. Alternatively, you can fill in a Nomination Form
If you fail to nominate someone for any lump sum death benefit, it might take longer for the payment to be made. The person receiving the lump sum might also have to pay inheritance tax if they've not been nominated using the form.