If you are a deferred member (either you have left the scheme or your employment) then Benefit Statements are no longer automatically issued to you. You can request one in your DB Online account or contact us and we can provide one free statement per year.

If you are an Active or Paid up member an annual benefit statement is produced for you each year. These are uploaded to your DB Online account for you to view. An e-mail will be sent when this is available. If you are struggling to get into your DB Online account please contact us so that we can help you.

If you are old enough you could take a pension and/or a cash lump sum. The options that your scheme provides on retirement can be found in your member guide that you may want to look at.

When you sign into DB Online (if you are a member of a Defined Benefit scheme) or your online DC Account (if you are a member of a Defined Contribution scheme) you will be able to request a quote of your benefits. If you can retire, the options open to you will be included in the information that we’ll send to you.

Active Scheme Members

If you are currently contributing into the scheme and want to retire you need to let your employer know. They then send us a withdrawal form confirming your date of retirement.

When we have received your withdrawal form from your employer we send you options for your retirement.

Deferred Scheme Members

When you choose to retire you can contact us with the date you want to retire and we will send options to you.

Advice

You may want to receive financial advice before taking your benefits, but be aware that there may be a charge for the time and expertise which is required. We have set out below some links to the government service (Pension Wise) and a site which allows you to search for independent financial advisors in your area.

• www.pensionwise.gov.uk
• www.unbiased.co.uk

The choice of an Independent Financial Adviser is yours alone. TPT Retirement Solutions does not make recommendations about which Independent Financial Adviser you should use, and can accept no responsibility or liability for any advice which they may give.

We  offer a service where your details can be given to the TPT Pension Decision Team who can help you. This service is not free and may not necessarily meet your needs, but if you would like details please let us know as soon as possible.

If you need more information please contact us.  

If there is medical evidence that you are unable to work again in any capacity then your pension may be paid immediately, no matter how old you are.

If you sign into DB Online (if you are a member of a Defined Benefit scheme) / DC Account (if you are a member of a Defined Contribution scheme) you will be able to request information on your eligibility for ill health early retirement. If you do not use DB Online or ​DC Account you can contact us directly.

Defined Benefit Scheme Members

If your application is approved there will be no reduction applied to your pension benefits for early payment and you still have the option to take a tax-free lump sum.

If your application for ill health early retirement is approved we may need to periodically request updated medical evidence to ensure that you are still able to receive this benefit. If your circumstances change we could reduce or suspend your pension.

If you wish to see how your pension would be calculated if you retired on ill health you may wish to look at your member guide. 

Serious Ill Health (Life expectancy less than 12 months) - If your life expectancy is less than 12 months you could take your benefits as a one off payment which is tax free. We would need evidence from a medical professional to confirm your life expectancy.

Defined Contribution Scheme Members

If your application is approved the current fund value would be paid to you no matter how old you are.

When you leave your employer or if you choose to leave the scheme while you are still employed, you will no longer pay contributions into the scheme. Your employer will let us know the date you left the scheme and send us your final contribution. We will then write to you with full details of your options.

Depending on your age and how long you were in the scheme there will be different options available to you:

Becoming a deferred member of the scheme

You can leave your benefits in the scheme and become a deferred member. 

Information on how long you can delay taking your benefits can be found by following this link: How long can I delay taking my pension?

Defined Benefit Scheme Members

Your benefits can increase over time between leaving and retiring depending on your scheme and how long you were in this scheme. 

Defined Contribution Scheme Members

Your funds will be invested until you retire or transfer to another pension arrangement. If you wish to see how your benefits may increase or how they are invested you may wish to look at your member guide or our investments page.

Taking your benefits at retirement

If you are old enough you could take a pension and/or a cash lump sum. The options that your scheme provides on retirement can be found in your member guide that you may want to look at. 

When you sign into DB Online (if you are a member of a Defined Benefit scheme) or your online DC Account (if you are a member of a Defined Contribution scheme) you will be able to request a quote of your benefits. If you can retire, the options open to you will be included in the information that we’ll send to you.

Leaving because of ill health 

If you are leaving employment for ill health reasons then you may be able to apply to have your benefits paid early.

Information on ill health early retirement can be found using the following link: What do I do if I am too ill to work?

Refund of contributions

You may be able to take a refund of your contributions if you were not in a salary sacrifice scheme or have less than two years’ service in the scheme. (Service includes any service from other memberships you have with us and any transferred service from another pension into the scheme.)

If you can have a refund of contributions this will be included in the information that we’ll send to you.

You can find out more about taking a refund of contributions using the following link: Can I take a refund of contributions?

Transferring benefits

After you leave the scheme you may want to transfer your benefits to another suitable pension provider. You can find more information on transferring your benefits using the following link: Can I transfer my benefits?

Internal transfer

If you join a new employer within 30 days of leaving your previous employer and your new employer offers a scheme we administer then you may be able claim continuous service under the scheme.

You can find out more about whether you would be able to claim continuous service using the following link: Can I transfer my benefits to my new employer? 

Re-joining the scheme with the same employer

You can re-join the scheme with the same employer if your employer and the Pensions Committee agree. 

You would re-join the arrangement that your employer currently offers which can be different from the section you were in before.

Auto enrolment

When you have left a scheme that you were auto-enrolled into, your employer is required to re-enrol you. The employer will re-enrol you on anniversary of their staging date, which is every three years. If you are re-enrolled then you can opt out again.

Find out more about auto enrolment.

If you need more information please contact us.