Members who left from the 1st April 1998 onwards
Where deferred benefits are drawn at NPA (Normal Pension Age), there will be no early retirement reductions.
NPA for deferred benefits is:
- 65 for the benefits built up before 1st April 2014
- 65 or SPA (State Pension Age) if later for benefits built up from 1st April 2014
However deferred members can now draw their benefits from age 55 and over.
Choosing to draw deferred benefits at 55-59
If a deferred member draws their benefits from 55-59, their benefits will be reduced by a percentage, to reflect the fact that we will be paying them for longer. 85 rule protection does not apply in these circumstances
Choosing to draw deferred benefits at 60 onwards
If a deferred member draws their benefits from 60 onwards, early retirement reductions may apply.
If a member wishes to enquire about early payment (from age 55 onwards) of their deferred benefits they should contact: PensionFundEnquiries@wolverhampton.gov.uk. The Fund will then provide details of benefits payable including any reductions, should they wish to draw them. The early reduction factors are set by the Government and can vary from time to time. The current factors can be found on the national LGPS member website - www.lgpsmember.org/more/reductions.php.
NB:
If a member does not wish to draw their deferred benefits early, the Fund will automatically contact the member in advance of their NPA to provide details on their unreduced benefits from their NPA.
If the member wishes to ask for their former employer's consent to receive early payment of their deferred benefits unreduced (at a potential cost to their former employer), they should in the first instance contact their former employer who will then contact the Fund to assess any potential cost to the employer. The employer should have a discretion policy for payment of deferred benefits for leavers from 01/04/1998 and waiving any reductions.
The City of Wolverhampton Council is a data controller under the Data Protection Act 2018, for more information on how the Council manages your personal data, please visit: www.wmpfonline.com/informationgovernance.
