Employer PLOG 2022

Thank you for everyone who completed the survey in last month’s edition. The majority have voted for an online event so we will now start the planning for a date in May when we hope to have the legislation updates and have the Data Quality Exercise completed. Details will be provided in due course.

Member Self Service – Action required

When an employee joins the LGPS they are provided with information about Member Self Service (MSS), our online communication portal. We would ask you to support us by including a link to MSS within your new staff induction material.

In addition to this, we are asking employers to update any leaver information provided to members or published on Intranet sites to encourage staff to register with a personal email address to enable continued access to MSS once they have left employment.

We will be contacting members shortly to advise them that all future correspondence from Peninsula Pensions will be issued via MSS with effect from 1^st April 2022. Members who joined the scheme before 31^st March 2015 are entitled to opt out of MSS and continue to receive postal communications.

Best of last 3 years pensionable pay

Please can you remember to provide the best of last 3 years pensionable pay on the leaver form for any members who have left or retired with pre 2014 service and have had a pay reduction which results in a previous year’s pensionable pay is higher than the final year.

Employee contribution bandings revised wef 1/4/2022

The recent LGPC Bulletin provides information on the revised contribution banding for 2022/23.

Please update your payroll systems accordingly.

Keep us updated

Please remember to keep us updated with any changes in staff responsible for completing our forms (authorised signatories). This can be done by completing our online form.

You can also use this form to notify us of your IDRP Stage 1 Appeals Officer, your Payroll Provider, your contact for Interfaces and to sign up to our employer newsletter Pensions Line

It is important that you contact the Employer & Communications Team if you are changing your payroll provider. We can then work with you to ensure you put processes in place to retain access to historical payroll information and continue to fulfil your responsibilities as a Scheme employer.

Payment of Pension Fund Contributions

Please remember to inform us and the relevant Finance team each time you have paid your pension scheme contributions, by filling in the Monthly Contributions Form. The form should be submitted the same day as the payment. This avoids unnecessary allocation delays and satisfies Government Actuary Department requirements.

Please ensure that you build this form into your procedures.

If you are a Somerset Pension Fund employer, please contact the Corporate Finance Team for a copy of the Monthly Contribution Return: Corporatefinancepens@somerset.gov.uk

If you are a Devon Pension Fund Employer, you will need to use the online EAS5 form. 

TUPEs & New Academies

If you are outsourcing services and have a number of staff who will be subject to TUPE and moving to a new employer or your school is converting to an Academy or moving MAT, you will need to consider obligations regarding the affected employees’ pension rights. Please do not submit any leaver forms as this will complicate the process – for more information on what you need to do, please visit the TUPE and Admitted Bodies page on our website.

Contacts

Employer & Communications Team

Quick links

Employer Services (ESS) Guide

Peninsula Pensions Employers' Pages

Peninsula Pensions Employers' Guide

LGPS regulations and guidance

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LGPS National Website

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