How to pay APCs for unpaid absence
An online calculator is now available on the National LGPS member website to show how much it will cost for you to make up the 'lost' pension.
To use the calculator you will need information about your 'lost' pay during your absence. You may need to ask your employer for this information.
For an authorised absence or unpaid child related leave, if you make an election to purchase lost pension within 30 days of returning to work (or such longer period as your employer may allow), your employer must contribute 2/3rds of the cost. However, if an election to buy back lost pension is made more than 30 days after you return to work and your employer does not extend this period, the cost of buying this lost pension would be met fully by you.
Where you are buying lost pension due to a trade dispute, the full cost of purchasing the amount of lost pension for the period of the absence would always be met fully by you (unless your employer voluntarily chooses to contribute towards the cost).
Only active members can elect to buy lost or extra pension. In the case of buying lost pension, if you will not be returning to work after a period of authorised leave of absence or unpaid child-related leave, an election to pay APCs must be made whilst you remain an active member of the scheme.
If you wish to proceed with paying APCs to increase your pension, you should complete the quotation from the 'Buy lost pension calculator' and print off the details. You should also complete page 1 of Staffordshire Pension Fund's application form below and then forward the form and the quotation to your employer:
You can pay additional contributions in a one-off lump sum or through regular payments from your wages. The maximum period of absence you can elect to buy back is three years.
If you choose to pay APCs over an extended period of time (more than 12 months), you are required to provide a medical report at your own expense to Staffordshire Pension Fund before your APC contract can start. You should download, print and complete page 1 of the form below and then arrange for your GP to complete page 2.
Once you have completed the application form and, if required, medical clearance form, you should forward the forms and a copy of your quotation from the APC calculator to your employer. They will check the amounts and then forward the information to Staffordshire Pension Fund once this is done.