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End of year process - Camden, Merton, Richmond, Waltham Forest and Wandsworth
i-Connect guidance
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End of year process - Camden, Merton, Richmond, Waltham Forest and Wandsworth

We would like to remind all our employers of the importance to return prompt and accurate data to the Pensions Shared Service for the 2025/26 financial year. In order that your administering authority can complete its accounts and meet statutory deadlines it is vital that records are accurate, that annual benefit statements are dispatched by 31 August, and that benefits are paid correctly. Timely and accurate data is vital to ensure that your ongoing employer contribution rate is calculated correctly. Late or inaccurate data may have a detrimental effect on the amount you pay going forward.

The data you have submitted is also directly reflected on our Member Self Service (MSS) system and can be viewed at any time by your staff.

Your final 2025/26 i-Connect submission is due by 19 April 2026. Please ensure cumulative figures for pay and contributions correctly reflect monthly figures, and the FTE Final Pay is correctly reported for each post.

Read the i Connect guidance for employers and payroll providers for more information.

Compliance and reconciliation process

You can download the compliance and reconciliation forms that you need to read and sign off:

We require the Head of Organisation or your Senior Finance Officer to certify the details on the forms. If you use a third-party payroll provider, they may complete the form on your behalf, however as the scheme employer you must certify and sign the form before it is returned to us.

The compliance form acts as certification that you have met your employer duties under the scheme regulations, and the reconciliation form aims to ensure that payments made to the Fund match the contribution details submitted via i-Connect.

Please note if you changed payroll provider during the year and your previous provider was not using i-Connect, or if you on-boarded to i-Connect for only part of the year, the forms should only cover the period of time during which i-Connect was being used.

These forms can be completed and signed electronically.

Please ensure that the completed compliance and reconciliation forms are returned to PSSEmployers@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk by 30 April 2026.

Pensions Administration Strategy (PAS)

The Pensions Administration Strategy (PAS) includes a schedule of additional administration costs, in accordance with Regulation 70 of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) Regulations 2013. This provides scope for pension funds to recover costs where, in its opinion, additional costs are being incurred due to an Employer’s level of performance.

View the PAS document.

Additional work to cover late returns of the compliance and reconciliation forms, will be re-charged as per the terms of the PAS so please ensure they are submitted in good time.

Key contacts

We require each employer to designate a named individual to act as the main point of contact for administering any aspect of the LGPS.

If you have not previously, please confirm your nominated key contact by 30 April 2026 using the nominated representative online form.

You must let us know every time there is a change in your key contact.

Data quality

Failure to submit accurate and timely data will lead to delays in the calculation of benefits, inaccurate annual benefit statements or may lead to future increases in your employer rate. The Pension Regulator’s Code of Practice 14 and a range of legislation requires that the fund’s data is accurate.

Contribution Bandings 2026/27

Employee contribution bands effective from 1 April 2026.

Band	Actual pensionable pay for an employment	Main section contribution rate for that employment	50/50 section contribution rate for that employment
1	Up to £18,400	5.50%	2.75%
2	£18,401 to £29,000	5.80%	2.90%
3	£29,001 to £47,300	6.50%	3.25%
4	£47,301 to £59,800	6.80%	3.40%
5	£59,801 to £84,000	8.50%	4.25%
6	£84,001 to £119,100	9.90%	4.95%
7	£119,101 to £140,400	10.50%	5.25%
8	£140,401 to £210,700	11.40%	5.70%
9	£210,701 or more	12.50%	6.25%

Employer contribution rates

Employer contribution rates for 2025/26 will be posted to i-Connect so you or your payroll provider can check them online before implementation.

If you are not already aware, please do check to see if your rate has changed. If you have any specific queries about your rates, please just let the team know.