Employers have a crucial role to play in making members aware of the benefits of the pension schemes throughout their careers. Below is a summary of the benefits provided by the pension schemes:

• The employer makes a substantial contribution towards the cost of the pension.
• The pensions schemes not only provide the member with a regular income after retirement, but also provides their family or other dependants with financial protection after the member dies.
• All employees, both full time and part time, are automatically members of the scheme unless they elect to opt out.
• If the member becomes too ill to work, they may receive their pension early.
• The member can increase their pension credit by buying extra pension. They may also be able to transfer in pension credit from another scheme. 
• The pensions schemes will pay a lump sum if the member dies before retirement and we may pay children’s and dependants’ pensions.
• The pension is index-linked, to protect its value against the effects of inflation.

Employers have a crucial role to play in helping members understand their pension provision. This includes:

• Ensuring members are kept informed of any changes to the scheme that may affect them.
• Providing information to new appointees such as the Scheme Guide, relevant fact sheets and by encouraging members to access information on the Hackney Pension Scheme website.
• Ensuring new appointees are aware that previous pension provision may be transferred into the pension schemes within one year of taking up their appointment.
• Educating members on options for planning how and when to retire, e.g. how new average salary calculation or phased retirement might support them winding down towards the end of their career.
• Making members aware of options to increase their pension such as by buying AVCs or purchasing additional pension in the pension scheme.
• Encouraging members to periodically review their pension position by for example, making them aware of the pension modellers on the Hackney Scheme website.
• Ensuring members are aware of the need to register their unmarried partner with the pension scheme, if they want benefits to be paid to that partner after their death.
• Making members aware of what happens to their pension when they are on leave of absence.

Informing leavers of their options

Information on entitlement to benefits, and how these are calculated, is given in the scheme guide. Employers must ensure that new members are provided with this if they have not previously received one.

A Members’ Short Guide to the new LGPS Scheme is available to give to current members. The guide is available on the website or copies can be obtained from Xafinity Paymaster. (Employers are not encouraged to hold large stocks of this because it is regularly updated). This guide is not, however, intended to be exhaustive, and any employees who are concerned about their position under the pension schemes should be offered either the appropriate fact sheet or advised to access the website www.hackney.gov.uk for further information.