Pension information

All members of staff, with a contract of employment for 3 months or more, are automatically enrolled into one of our occupational pension schemes, namely:

• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Teachers’ Pensions Scheme (TPS)

The particular scheme a member of staff is eligible to join is stated in their contract of employment.

• Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS)

New members of staff who contributed to USS in their previous employment within a month and a day prior to their start date can continue USS membership in our employment.

Opt out
Anyone wishing to opt out of a pension scheme must do so as soon as possible by contacting HR by email (humanresources@northumbria.ac.uk) or calling extension 4102.

Pension scheme benefits
The benefits provided by all of these schemes include:

• An annual index-linked pension and tax free lump sum at retirement (optional in some cases), based on final salary (and career revalued salary for new USS members*).
• Early payment of pension if retired on grounds of ill health.
• Death in service grant to a nominated beneficiary.

Members of staff in the pension scheme pay a percentage of their salary as a contribution to the scheme. The University also makes a further contribution for each member of staff.

Contributions from staff currently stand at:

• LGPS – between 5.5% and 7.5% (actual rate depends on an individual’s salary level)
• TPS – currently 6.4%, from April 2012 between 6.4% and 8.8%
• USS – 7.5% for existing USS members, 6.5% for career revalued members* (*applicable for new USS members from 1 October 2011)

Contributions from the University for each member is, currently,:

• LGPS – 14.1%
• TPS = 14.1%
• USS – 16%

Scheme information
More detailed information on each scheme can be obtained from their respective web sites:
www.lgps.org.uk
www.teacherspensions.co.uk
www.uss.co.uk

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