There are three types of members of the scheme:
- Active – you are currently paying into the teachers’ pension scheme (TPS)
- Deferred – you previously paid into the TPS and since leaving have left your pension on hold
- Pensioner – you are drawing your pension
Guidance for all members can be found on the teachers’ pension members hub.
Understand how much you'll pay
Employee pension contributions are based on the amount earned each month. If you earn more in a month than you did in the previous month, your contributions may increase.
As your employer, Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) also contribute towards your pension each month.
Read guidance on how much you pay into the TPS.
Teachers top-up
Additional pension can be bought by either paying a one-off lump sum or having deductions from your salary. Additional pension is index-linked, which means that the value of extra pension increases in line with cost of living rises. For further information on additional pension, please visit the teachers pensions website. If you are interested in or have any queries about additional pension, please email TPSActions@lincolnshire.gov.uk.
Retire and return
This guidance is for LCC employees who:
- are in the TPS
- wish to retire to claim their TPS pension
- and then return to employment after a break in service
Employees who pay contributions into the TPS can decide to retire from their current role to claim their TPS. They may then elect to return to their substantive role, on either full or part time hours, dependent on service requirements.
Before any action is taken, individuals should read the following documents on the TPS website including:
- useful retirement planning FAQs
- a guide to planning requirement
- videos and factsheets for members thinking about retirement
Being able to re-join the pension schemes depends on which section or scheme individuals are in receipt of pension benefits from and may affect pension benefits.
For those employees returning to the teaching or post eligible for membership of the TPS, the pension scheme requires a 24-hour break in the contract of employment when claiming the TPS in full.
For LCC purposes, there must be at least a one-day break in service between employees terminating their employment to claim their TPS and to return to a position that is pensionable under retire and return. This is irrespective of whether you remain opted-in to the pension scheme.
Process
If an employee wishes to retire and return, they should read the information from the TPS website mentioned above and discuss the details of their request with their line manager or headteacher. An agreement should be reached with the line manager or headteacher on the details of their return. For example, hours of work, which need to be balanced between service needs and the wishes of the individual employee.
Once agreement has been reached and confirmed in writing, employees must complete a certificate of re-employment form. Alternatively, the form can be completed online.
All the completed documentation must be sent to TPS three to four months prior to retirement. Once everything is processed, the TPS aim to pay the pension and lump sum payment the day after the last day of pensionable service.
Contact details
TPS enquiries are managed by the Pensions Team who can be contacted at: TPS.Actions@lincolnshire.gov.uk
TPS can be contacted directly at TPS members enquiries.
Please use the notification of death form to notify TPS if you have recently lost someone who has a pension managed by TPS.
If the deceased was also in receipt of additional pension paid by LCC you may also want to report their death to TPS.Actions@lincolnshire.gov.uk.