To be able to join the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), you simply have to work for a local authority or an employer who is allowed to be part of the scheme. Two sorts of employer are members of the scheme: scheduled bodies and admitted bodies. Scheduled bodies have their membership laid down in law. Admitted bodies have chosen to enter the scheme. The Lothian Pension Fund administers the scheme for employers in Edinburgh and the Lothians. You can view a list of all the member employers [PDF].
You cannot join the scheme if you are eligible to join another public service scheme, like those run for teachers, police officers or fire fighters.
If you have opted out of the scheme more than once whilst in the same employment, it is up to your employer to decide whether or not you can re-join the scheme. This is set out in your employer’s Policy Statement, which you can get from your employer.
If you currently contribute to a personal pension plan or stakeholder pension scheme and you decide to join the LGPS you may be able to continue to make contributions to a stakeholder pension scheme, at the same time as being a member of the LGPS. However, you will only be able to do so if in at least one of the previous five tax years (excluding years prior to 2000/2001) your pay did not exceed the remuneration limit (currently £30,000 ) and you are not, and have not in anyone of the previous five tax years been a controlling director of a company.
Check with your personal pension provider to find out whether you can be a member of LGPS and continue to pay contributions to a personal pension plan.
The LGPS uses an automatic membership policy for all employees of scheduled bodies, except casual employees. New employees, both full and part time, whether permanent or temporary, are automatically entered into membership of the pension scheme unless they specifically choose not to join. If you are not a casual employee you will automatically become a member of the scheme, regardless of hours or weeks worked, provided you are under age 65. You can choose not to join the scheme and you can opt out at any time.
If you have more than one employment you may choose whether to pay contributions on each employment, as they are treated separately. For example, if you have two part-time jobs, each with an employer which is a scheduled body of the scheme, you may choose to be a member of the scheme for one but not the other.
If, when you start working, your employer tells you that you are employed on a casual basis, you will not automatically be included in the scheme. You can still choose to join. You are able to join the scheme regardless of the hours or weeks worked.
If you have more than one job you can choose to pay contributions on one or more of them.
The above conditions also apply if you work for an employer which is an admitted body, unless the terms of their admission only allow a specified class of employee to join the scheme. The only difference is that employees of admitted bodies are not automatically entered in the scheme. Your employer will have to nominate you to become a member.
There is more detailed information on the scheme in the leaflet A Guide to the Local Government Pension Scheme.