Employers
In this section:
i Connect Guidance for employers and payroll providers
This guidance is designed to support employers and payroll providers in submitting accurate monthly i-Connect data to the Pensions Shared Service (PSS).
Accurate, timely data ensures member pension records remain correct and that key actions, such as processing retirement benefits, can be carried out efficiently.
1. Submission deadline
Each monthly i-Connect submission must be made by the 19th of the following month.
Timely submission is essential for maintaining accurate records, ensuring contributions are reconciled correctly, allowing members to see up to date information about their pension record on member self-service, and supporting year end processing.
2. Reporting leavers
When an LGPS member leaves an employment, the correct information must be recorded in your monthly i-Connect submission.
Required fields in the i-Connect file
Date of leaving
Reason for leaving
Acceptable reasons for leaving: Resignation, Retirement, Ill health retirement, Death, Job change / promotion, etc.
Job changes and promotions
When there is a job change or promotion, the ceased job should be reported as a leaver and the new job as a new starter with new starter details. Please ensure YTD values are reported correctly to each separate post and not merged.
3. Opting out
Opt outs must only be processed after official notification from the PSS. Members who wish to opt-out must complete an op out form available on the PSS website.
How to report an opt out via i-Connect:
In your i-Connect file, complete the field Opt Out Date, using the final day of the month in which the member opted out
Do not complete the field Date of Leaving
Do not action an opt out unless PSS has formally confirmed it to you or your payroll provider
4. Assumed Pensionable Pay (APP)
APP ensures that pension accrual is protected when a member’s contractual pensionable pay is reduced due to certain types of leave. Please ensure APP is accounted for on your payroll. You can find more information on APP and how to calculate it.
On the i-Connect file, the employer must report APP instead of the actual pensionable pay, and YTD pensionable pay must include any applicable APP.
5. Employment breaks
Employment breaks must be reported via i-Connect as they occur on payroll. Complete the following fields in your i-Connect file:
Employment Break Start Date
Employment Break End Date
Employment Break Reason
The reason can be any of the following entries:
A - Leave of Absence
E - Education Break
M - Parental Break
S – Strike
U – Unauthorised
Where an employment break spans multiple months, only complete the Employment Break Start Date and Employment Break Reason in the submission for the month in which the break begins. Once the member returns from the break, complete the Employment Break End Date in the submission for the month in which the break ends.
6. FTE Final Pay
Employers must report FTE Final Pay in each monthly submission. For employers in Wandsworth and Merton, FTE Final Pay is calculated using the following formula:
Actual annual salary ÷ actual hours × FTE Hours
For employers in Camden, Richmond, and Waltham Forest, it is calculated using the following formula:
Actual annual salary ÷ hours × FTE Hours (Hours should be adjusted for those working term-time only)
For casual posts, FTE Final Pay should represent what the member would earn if they worked full time. It could be calculated as hourly rate * FTE Hours * 52.14 or hourly rate x 1265.
Please note for members with multiple posts, calculate and report FTE Final Pay for each job separately.
7. YTD figures
Please ensure YTD figures for Pensionable Pay, Employee Contributions and Employer contributions match the reported monthly figures. If a member has multiple posts, YTD figures must be reported separately for each post.
8. Support and contact information
We are here to help with questions relating to i-Connect. Just email PSSEmployers@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk.