Actuarial guidance
Actuarial guidance issued by DCLG relating to the LGPS in England and Wales. This page includes guidance issued under the LGPS Regulations 2013 and the LGPS (Transitional Provisions, Savings and Amendments) Regulations 2014 as well as guidance issued under previous regulations but which continued to have effect at any point on and after 1 April 2014.
Where a piece of guidance is labelled as a 'consolidated working copy', this document was provided for information in August 2015. It was not official guidance but a consolidation, prepared by GAD, of the original guidance (issued in March and April 2014) with amendments that were made after the original guidance was issued.
The below table lists documents published by DCLG confirming the actuarial guidance in force at the time of writing, the relevant statutory references for each piece of guidance, the situations where cases must be referred to GAD individually and the previous items of guidance which are no longer in force.
The LGPC Secretariat maintain a log of ongoing queries relating to matters covered in actuarial guidance, the current version of which is available here. As new queries are added and existing queries are resolved/ amended, the log will be updated accordingly. Administering authorities are asked to review the document before raising any queries directly to the LGPC Secretariat in case your query relates to a known issue.
» Additional pension
Elections on or after 1 April 2014
Guidance on the amount of contributions to be paid by a member purchasing additional pension under the LGPS Regulations 2013, or by an employing authority purchasing additional pension for a member under the LGPS Regulations 2013.
Elections on or after 1 April 2012 and before 1 April 2014
Guidance on the purchase of additional pension for elections between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2014 under the LGPS (Benefits, Membership and Contributions) Regulations 2007.
Elections on or after 1 April 2008 and before 1 April 2012
Guidance on the purchase of additional pension for elections on or after 1 April 2008 and before 1 April 2012 under the LGPS (Benefits, Membership and Contributions) Regulations 2007.
» Additional survivor benefit contributions
Guidance on the purchase of additional survivor benefits for elections made prior to April 2014 under the LGPS (Benefits, Membership and Contributions) Regulations 2007.
» Annual allowance charges: calculation of Scheme Pays offset
Offset elections made on or after 1 April 2014
Guidance on the reduction of a member's pension rights following an election for an annual allowance charge to be met by the Scheme (election made on or after 1 April 2014.
Offset election made prior to 1 April 2014
Guidance on the reduction of a member's pension rights following an election for an annual allowance charge to be met by the Scheme (election made prior to 1 April 2014).
» AVCs - purchase of additional pension
AVC contracts entered into on or after 1 April 2014
Guidance on the use of accumulated AVCs to provide additional pension under the Scheme where AVCs commenced on or after 1 April 2014.
AVC contracts entered into on prior to 1 April 2014
Guidance on the use of accumulated AVCs to provide additional pension under the Scheme where AVCs commenced prior to 1 April 2014.
Dated |
Operative date |
Document(s) |
Extant? |
| 14 April 2016 |
29 April 2016 |
Guidance - updated version issued 7 June 2017 confirming the use of accumulated AVCs to provide additional pension is not available for councillors
Covering letter |
Yes |
| 20 March 2012 |
21 March 2012 |
Guidance
Covering letter |
No |
» Conversion of lump sum into pension
Guidance on the conversion of lump sum into pension under regulation 58(1) of the LGPS Regulations 1997.
» Early retirement
Guidance on the reduction in benefits for members who retire before they have a right to take unreduced benefits, ie. on the voluntary early payment of pension.
» Flexible retirement
Guidance on flexible retirement and how any benefits under earlier regulations paid to a member on flexible retirement shall be taken into account in any subsequent calculation of his or her benefits.
» Interfund transfers
Guidance on the transfer payment made from one fund to another when a member aggregates a past period of service with a current period.
In March 2015, DCLG issued a letter clarifying the relevant date to be used in interfund transfers.
» Late retirement
Guidance on late retirement increases to benefits payable after normal pension age.
» Lifetime allowance
Guidance on the calculation of the capital value of a member's LGPS benefits in order to compare the capital value against the member's lifetime allowance and to make adjustments where relevant.
» Lump sum commutation
Guidance on calculating the capital value of a member's accrued rights, for the purposes of determining the maximum lump sum the member may take at retirement.
» Pension credits
Debited member has been a member of the LGPS on or after 1 April 2014 and the transfer date is on or after 1 April 2014
Guidance on the calculation of the pension credit for the former spouse or civil partner (the "pension credit member") following a divorce proceeding (where the debited member has been a member of the 2014 Scheme and the transfer date is on or after 1 April 2014).
Debited member left the LGPS prior to 1 April 2014 or the transfer date is prior to 1 April 2014
Guidance on the calculation of the pension credit for the former spouse or civil partner (the "pension credit member") following a divorce proceeding (where the debited member left the LGPS prior to 1 April 2014 or the transfer date is prior to 1 April 2014).
» Pension debits
Transfer date is on or after 1 April 2014
Guidance on the debit applied to a member's pension following a pension sharing order where the transfer date is on or after 1 April 2014.
Transfer date is prior to 1 April 2014
Guidance on the debit applied to a member's pension following a pension sharing order where the transfer date is prior to 1 April 2014.
» Pensioner CETVs on divorce
» Probation service transfer
Guidance to determine the transfer share that applies when the administering authority changes in connection with probation service arrangements.
» Transfer credits - conversion of accumulated AVCs (regulation 66(8))
Guidance on the conversion of accumulated AVCs to transfer credits under regulation 66(8) of the LGPS Regulations 1997.
» Transfers - individual incoming and outgoing
For Club transfers, the public sector transfer Club memorandum and other associated documents can be found under Other Government documents.
Relevant date is on or after 1 April 2014
Guidance on the earned pension credited to a member's pension account where a transfer value has been accepted and in respect of transfers out of the LGPS.
Non-Club transfers where relevant date is prior to 1 April 2014
Guidance on individual incoming and outgoing non-Club transfers with relevant dates prior to 1 April 2014
» Trivial commutation
Guidance on the calculation of the amounts payable on the trivial commutation of a member's pension.
