Is there flexibility to pay less contributions ? Yes , in the scheme there is an option known as 50 / 50 which provides members with the facility to pay half the normal contributions and to build up half the normal pension during the time the reduced contributions are being paid - see the section on flexibility to pay less .
Can I pay more to increase my benefits ? You can increase your benefits by paying additional contributions , known as Additional Pension Contributions ( APCs ), to buy extra LGPS pension , or by making payments to the scheme ’ s Additional Voluntary Contributions ( AVC ) arrangement . Your pension fund can give you more information on these options . Contact details are at the end of this guide . You are also able to make payments to a personal pension or stakeholder pension or free-standing AVC scheme of your own choice . You may wish to take independent financial advice before you make a decision about paying extra . What if I ’ ve been a member before and can now re-join the LGPS ? If you rejoin the LGPS and you have deferred benefits in an LGPS fund in England or Wales ( which you were awarded other than as a result of electing , on or after 11 th April 2015 , to opt out of membership of the scheme ) your deferred benefits will normally be automatically joined with your new active pension account . If , for benefits that are normally automatically joined together , you want to retain separate deferred benefits then you must make such an election within 12 months of rejoining the scheme ( or such longer period as your employer and pension fund may allow ). If you have deferred benefits in an LGPS fund in England or Wales which you were awarded as a result of electing , on or after 11 th April 2015 , to opt out of membership of the scheme , you cannot join those benefits with your new active pension account . They will remain as a separate deferred benefit . If you rejoin the LGPS in England or Wales and have a deferred refund this must be joined with your new active pension account .
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