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Absences

There are many reasons for absences and each has a different effect on the pension you build up in the Scheme.

The main reasons for absences are:

Sick leave

If you are off work due to illness or injury and your pay is reduced or you do not receive any pay then the pensionable pay figure used to work out your pension is your assumed pensionable pay.  Using an assumed pay means that you will continue to build up a pension as if you were working normally and receiving pay.

You continue to pay your Scheme contributions on any pay that you receive while you are off sick (before any reduction on account of Statutory Sick Pay or Incapacity Benefit). If you go on unpaid sick leave you do not pay any contributions.

If you are in the 50/50 section and go onto unpaid sick leave you will automatically be moved into the main section from the beginning of the next pay period.  You will then build up full pension benefits in the Scheme even though you are not making any pension contributions.

Maternity, adoption, paternity, shared parental leave or parental bereavement leave

During any period of relevant child-related leave, the pensionable pay figure used to work out your pension is your assumed pensionable pay (where this is higher than the pay you receive).  This means that you continue to build up a pension as though you were working normally and receiving pay. This applies to ordinary maternity or adoption leave and to paternity leave. It also applies to leave of the following types where you are receiving some pensionable pay (including statutory pay) – additional maternity or adoption leave, shared parental leave and parental bereavement leave.

You will continue to pay your Scheme contributions on any pay that you receive.

If you are in the 50/50 section and go onto no pay during ordinary maternity, paternity or adoption leave you will automatically be moved into the main section from the beginning of the next pay period.  You will then build up full pension benefits in the Scheme even though you are not making any pension contributions.

Any period of unpaid additional maternity, adoption, shared parental leave or parental bereavement leave will not count for pension unless you elect to pay Additional Pension Contributions (APCs) to buy the amount of pension lost during that period.

The amount of pension lost is calculated as 1/49th or your lost pensionable pay if you are in the main section or 1/98th of your lost pensionable pay if you are in the 50/50 section.

If you wish to buy the amount of lost pension and make your election within 30 days of returning to work (or such longer period as your employer may allow) then the cost of the APC is split between you and your employer.  You will pay 1/3rd of the cost and your employer will pay 2/3rd of the cost.  You can pay these contributions as a one-off lump sum or by regular payments.  The maximum period that you can cover with an employer contribution is three years.  You can use the APC calculator on this website to work out the cost.

If you have a Keeping in Touch (KIT) day or Shared Parental Leave in Touch (SPLIT) day during a period of unpaid maternity, adoption, shared parental leave or parental bereavement leave you will build up pension for the day or days that you are paid.

Absence with permission

If you are absent from work with permission and receiving either no pay or reduced pay you continue to pay contributions on the pay you would have received if the absence is for 30 consecutive days or less. If the absence is for more than 30 consecutive days then no contributions are paid for the whole period. If you wish to cover this period then you must pay Additional Pension Contributions (APCs) to buy the amount of lost pension.

The amount of lost pension is worked out as 1/49th of your lost pensionable pay for the period of absence if you were in the main section or 1/98th of your lost pensionable pay if you were in the 50/50 section.

If you wish to buy the amount of lost pension and choose to do so within 30 days of returning to work (or such longer period as your employer allows) then the cost of the APC is split between you and your employer.  You will pay 1/3rd of the cost and your employer will pay 2/3rd of the cost.  You can pay these contributions as a one-off lump sum or by regular payments.  The maximum period that you can cover with an employer contribution is three years.  You can use the APC calculator on this website to work out the cost.

Strike

If you are absent from work due to strike then the period will not count towards your pension unless you choose to pay Additional Pension Contributions (APCs) to buy the amount of pension lost during the strike. 

The amount of lost pension is worked out as 1/49th of your lost pensionable pay for the period of absence if you were in the main section or 1/98th of your assumed pensionable pay if you were in the 50/50 section.

The cost of buying the amount of lost pension is paid for fully by you, unless your employer chooses to make a contribution.  You can obtain a quotation and print off an application to buy your lost pension on our website.

Reserve forces service leave

If you are on reserve forces service leave your pension in the Scheme is worked out using your Assumed Pensionable Pay (APP).  This ensures that your pension will continue to build up as if you were at work.  Any pay you receive from your employer will not have pension contributions deducted from it.

When you are going on reserve forces service leave your employer needs to tell you:

  • The amount of basic pension contributions you will pay
  • The amount of basic pension contributions the Ministry of Defence (MoD) will pay
  • The amount of any additional contributions you are paying into the Scheme
  • The amount of your Assumed Pensionable Pay those contributions must be paid on.

You will need to give this information to the MoD.  Your member contributions will be deducted by the MoD and paid directly to NILGOSC along with the employer contributions. If your employer is paying any shared cost additional contributions, these remain payable by your employer.