Frequently Asked Questions - Active Members
Absences from work
Q: What happens to my pension contributions if I am off work?
A: This varies according to the reason for the absence as set out below.
If you are absent due to sickness and you are receiving sick pay, your employer will deduct contributions from your pay so that you keep up your membership of the Scheme. If you are off sick with reduced pay or without pay, your employer must treat this time as a period of membership in the Scheme with entitlement to membership benefits.
If you take employer authorised unpaid leave of less than 31 days, you will have to pay your normal contributions on the pay you would have received. If your leave is for 31 days or more, your must pay contributions for the first 30 days. You can opt to pay contributions from the 31st day onwards to avoid a break in Scheme membership, provided you do so within 30 days of your return to work.
If you are not paid for a period of unauthorised absence, this period will not count towards your pension. If the unauthorised absence was because of an industrial dispute, you can count it as a period of membership if you pay 16% of the pay you would have received during the period of absence. The amount you pay is set in the Regulations and is higher than normal because you have to pay the contributions that your employer normally pays. You must write to your employer within 30 days of the end of the dispute if you want to pay these contributions.
If you take maternity leave you will normally be entitled to count the first 39 weeks of your maternity leave towards your Scheme membership. This applies whether you are in receipt of Occupational or Statutory Maternity Pay. If you are in receipt of Occupational or Statutory Maternity Pay, contributions will be taken from your pay.
If you continue your maternity leave for more than 39 weeks (unpaid) you can opt to pay contributions (as if you were receiving maternity pay) to cover the unpaid period. You will have 30 days from the date you return to work to decide whether you want to pay the extra contributions. If you do not pay the contributions the unpaid period will not count as membership of the scheme.
Please see our maternity flowchart, which explains how this works
You can, with your employer's agreement, take unpaid parental leave*. For the first 30 working days of this leave you must pay pension contributions on your return to work. If you are granted unpaid leave beyond 30 days, and you want this period to count as a period of membership you will have to pay contributions for this period as well. Please see the "Unpaid Leave" question above.
* You will need to check with your employer to confirm their policy for Parental Leave
Last Modified:
09/11/2009 11:10:01
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