Active members

In this section:

• New joiners
• Automatic Enrolment 2023
• Absences from work
• Increasing your pension benefits
• Opting out
• Paying less into your pension
• Considering retirement
• Death in service benefits

See also:

• Divorce proceedings

Paying less into your pension

The LGPS offers you the flexibility to pay half your normal contribution rate and build up half your normal pension, whilst retaining full life and ill-health cover. This is called the 50/50 section of the LGPS, and it is designed to help members stay in the scheme, building up valuable pensions benefits, during times of financial hardship.

More information about the 50/50 section of the scheme can be found on the national members' website.

How to move to the 50/50 section

You can join the 50/50 section at any time on or after your first day of eligible employment by completing a 50/50 form (download the form in PDF or Word format).

If you opt out, you should be aware that your employer is required by law to re-enrol you back into the main section of the LGPS in certain circumstances.

Sending the form by your MSS account

If you have registered to use the Member Self-Service (MSS) website, you can complete the form electronically and upload in from your MSS dashboard by selecting “Document upload” from the documents tile.

Sending the form by email

If you have registered to use the Member Self-Service (MSS) website, you can send your completed form to the dedicated pension inbox at pensions@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk.

Please note that emailed forms must be sent directly by the member and not a representative of the member.

If you do not have access to a work email, you can send the form electronically from your personal email address but need to include a clear copy of your ID (passport, driving license, or birth certificate).

The subject line in the email should be: “The name of your pension fund, (example: Camden, Merton, Wandsworth) 50/50 form”.

For example: Wandsworth 50/50 form or Camden 50/50 form.

The form should be completed in full and attached to the email, you must insert the required phrase into the body of the email containing the form:

• I personally submitted this election

If the phrase is not included in the body of the email or the form is not completed in full, it will need to be resubmitted as it will not be actioned. 

Sending the form by post

If you do not have access to an email address, you can print the form to paper, complete it in full ensuring the form is signed by hand and send it via post to:

Pensions Shared Service
PO Box 72351
London
SW18 9LQ