Rejoining the LGPS
If you have not had a disqualifying break of more than 5 years and you rejoin the LGPS before your pension is paid, you can choose, within 12 months of rejoining, to be treated as a member of the scheme on 31 March 2014 and 1 April 2014. If you have had a break of more than 5 years in LGPS membership, but you have not had a continuous break in active membership of any public service pension scheme of more than 5 years, the break is not a disqualifying break.
If you are able to choose to be a member of the scheme on these dates, the membership you built up before 1 April 2014 will automatically be joined to your new pension account and will continue to be calculated as a final salary benefit. Your final pay, when you leave your job, will be used to work out the benefits for your membership before 1 April 2014.
You should take financial advice before doing so, especially if the full-time salary on your current job is less than the full time salary on which your deferred benefits are based, including cost of living increases.
If you don’t choose to be a member of the scheme on these dates or had a disqualifying break of more than 5 years, you can choose for the membership you built up before 1 April 2014 to buy an amount of pension under the rules of the scheme at the time of the transfer and this will be added to your active pension account.
If you do not choose either of these options, your deferred benefit will remain separate to your new active benefits.