Pensions Information

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Pension Payments Guidance 2009 onwards

In 2009 West Yorkshire Pension Fund took over the administration of the Firefighters Pension Scheme on behalf of South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue will continue to pay your pension, but you will from time-to-time hear from West Yorkshire Pension Fund. If you have any queries about how your pension has been calculated or the benefits available from the scheme, please contact West Yorkshire Pension Fund.

But if you move house, change your bank account or have a query regarding your tax code, please contact South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue.

See the foot of this section for all your contact numbers and addresses.

Every year the Government issues a Pensions Increase (Review) order to tell pension schemes what the annual increase to pensions is. The increase is based on the rise in the cost of living in the year up to last September.

West Yorkshire Pension Fund pays any increase from 6th April this year and your pension will go up if you're over 55 or retired through ill health. You'll also get the increase if your pension is a spouse's, partner's or child's pension.

When will I be paid my pension increase?
If you get an increase, it will usually be included in your May pension payment.

Are you under age 55?
If you are, you can get an increases earlier than age 55 if you become permanently unfit to do any work.

If this doesn't apply to you, on your 55th birthday your pension will be brought up to the amount it would be if you had received all the increases from the date you retired.

Increase in inflation or stasis with regards to your pension
In today's economic situation many financial experts believe that inflation will continue to be very low for at some time to come. It's also suggested that inflation could turn into deflation.

Each year's annual pension increase will be set by the retail price inflation rate at the end coming September. This could mean that in the near future the increase to your pension could be very low, or nil.

When inflation becomes deflation, which is also known as negative inflation, your pension will not go down.

Pension advices
South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue will continue to send you a pension advice each month.

Your CMP and your pension
If you worked for South Yorkshire Fire Authority after April 1978 you built up something called a guaranteed minimum pension, or GMP. It's also known as a contracted-out deduction, or COD.

It only affects the way they calculate increases to your pension, and only from the time you reach state pension age.

How does it affect me if I have a GMP?
From state pension age the Inland Revenue starts paying the increase on your GMP (it's paid along with your state pension).

So when they pay the increase on your pension they pay it less the increase on your GMP. (Remember, the Inland Revenue pays this.)

Example

Let's say your annual pension is £1,500, your GMP is £500 and the increase is 5%.

Pension before the increase

£1500

Plus 5% (£75)

£1575

Less the 5% increase on your £500 GMP

-£25

Pension after the increase

£1550

The Inland Revenue pays you the £25 increase on your GMP along with your state pension.

Membership after 6 April 1988
It's a bit more complicated if you have membership after 6 April 1988. If you do, you are paid the increase on the part of your GMP that's for your membership after this date. Except that if the increase is more than 3%, we only pay the increase on 3% and the Inland Revenue pays it on the rest.

So if the increase was 5% like in the example, we would pay 3% increase on your GMP and the Inland Revenue 2%.

I paid married woman's reduced rate Contributions do I have a GMP?
There will be no GMP for the time you paid the reduced rate.

My pension is a widow's or a widower's  pension - do I have a GMP?
If you're a widow over age 45, or under age 45 with dependant children, you get half of your husband's GMP. If your circumstances change before you reach 60, your widow's GMP may stop.

If you're a widower over age 65 and your wife was over 60 when she died, you get half of her 'post '88' GMP.

What happens if I live abroad?
If you live in a country that has a social security agreement with the United Kingdom, West Yorkshire Pension Fund work out your increase in the same way as in the example.

Otherwise you will be paid the increase on all of your pension, including your GMP.

USEFUL to KNOW

Which tax office deals with my pension?
The South Yorkshire Area tax office is the one to contact if you have a query about tax on your pension.

HMRC South Yorkshire Area
PO box 370
Joseph Locke House
Heelis Street
Barnsley
S70 1XG

Phone 0845 302 1432

Always quote your National Insurance number and tax office reference 673/SY3.

Protecting your money
Under the National Fraud Initiative, public agencies and local authorities 'share and compare the information they hold about us. When information doesn't tie up, it's investigated, often involving the police.

West Yorkshire Pension Fund have been taking part in the NFI for several years and they will go on doing so - after all, it's your money they're looking after!

Moving house?
If you move house or change your bank account please contact South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue.

New bank account?
If you change your bank account, please give at least three weeks’ notice.

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue
Payroll & Pensions
197 Eyre Street
Sheffield
51 3FG

Phone
0114 2532239 -Tina Jackson
0114 2532472 - Claire Davies
0114 2532476 - Laura Clarke
0114 2532475 - Zoe Wombell

How to contact West Yorkshire Pension Fund

Contact West Yorkshire Pension Fund if you have any queries about how your pension has been calculated or the benefits available from the scheme.

Phone 01274431223

West Yorkshire Pension Fund
PO Box 67
Bradford
BD1 1UP

Phone: 01274 434999 Email: wypfgpradford.gov.uk Website:www.wyptorg.uk

The above information was published Spring 2009 by West Yorkshire Pension Fund

The information in their newsletter relates to SYFRA members only and can't be treated as a statement of law.

Bereavement Procedure

 

In the unfortunate event of the death of a retired member, listed below are the documents that the deceased widow(er), or children, must forward to the Fire Pensions Section in order to claim widow(er)’s pension entitlement.

Furthermore, the Firefighter’s Pension Section must be informed in writing, which bank the widow(er) wants her/his pension paying to.  Please ensure the account number is included.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue
Payroll & Pensions Section
197 Eyre Street
Sheffield
S1 3FG


Telephone:  (0114) 2532239

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Fire Service Pensions Circular 01/08

This circular advises FRAs on:

(i) the Pension Increase (Review) Order 2008; and
(ii) possible overpayments of pensions paid to FPS pensioners who have reached State Pension Age (SPA) as a result of late or non notification of GMPs.
PDF Icon

View or print the circular

  In response to questions from members' GMPs = GUARANTEED MINIMUM PENSION

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Pensions Credit

Pension Credit is an entitlement for people aged 60 or over living in Great Britain. This could mean extra money for you every week. Pension Credit guarantees everyone aged 60 and over an income of at least:

Also, if you or your partner are 65 or over you may be rewarded for saving for your retirement, up to:

If you apply for Pension Credit and are eligible, you may receive a payment backdated (for up to 12 months from the day you were first entitled to the date you first applied).

If you apply for Pension Credit, you must be at least 60 or within four months of your 60th birthday. It does not matter if your partner is under 60.

We use “partner” to mean your husband, wife or civil partner, or the person you live with as if you are married to them or as if you are in a civil partnership with them.

From 2010 the age from which you can get Pension Credit will gradually increase.

This will be in line with the State Pension age becoming 65 for women as well as men by 2020.For more information go to: http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/pensioncredit/

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NPI Pensions Simplification

Release date: 23 December 2004

Updated: 16 August 2007

The Government is part way through its reform of UK pensions. The aim is to make pensions simpler and easier to understand, and hence to encourage individuals to boost their pension savings where they can.

A key early stage in the program was the simplification of pension tax law, resulting from legislation introduced by the Finance Act 2004 and the Pensions Act 2004. These ‘Pensions Simplification’ changes mostly became effective on 6 April 2006, known as ‘A-Day’.

For information on these changes you can view or download our basic and detailed guides, and we also have a jargon buster to help with the technical words and phrases. You can also find out more about the Pensions Act 2004 by visiting the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) website, or by using the links below to download information.

If you are a Pension Trustee, you can get more specific information about these changes and how they affect you from our Pension Trustee section.

For full details go to: http://www.npi.co.uk/npi/npipb.nsf/Content/news-article-simple

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The Firefighters' Pension Scheme - A Guide Benefits

The original guidance on this page was a copy of the Stoke on Trent and Staffordshire Fire Authority document “The Firefighters Pension Scheme: A Guide to Death Benefits” written by their pensions advisor Eunice Heaney. Recent discussions with Eunice have highlighted the fact that the subject of Firefighter Pensions is extremely fluid. Eunice has suggested that instead of creating a static document a link should be provided to the relevant pensions page on the Communities and Local Government (CLG) web pages, thus ensuring you have the most up-to-date information. Once again I am indebted to Eunice for her assistance.

Ted Mullins MCITP

The following link will take you to the CLG page that covers many of the topics you may require.

Firefighter Pensions CLG Commentary

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07/02/08 Message from NARF National - 10% Income Tax Band

"Dear Colleague,

Following the last budget in 2007 it was decided by the Government to get rid of the 10% tax band with effect from the tax year 2008/2009. Following this it was found that the abolition of the 10% tax band would hit those pensioners in the age bracket of 60-64 years.

Brain Wakefield the Public Service Pensioners’ Council Rep for NARF has asked me to send you the two attached documents.

When you have District and or Branch meetings can you please bring this up with your members and ask them to send the attached letter to their local MP.

Could you please pass this on to any District/Branch Secretary’s that do not have e-mail.

Thank You
John Littleton
NARF National General Secretary"

>>View letter from Public Service Pensioners' Council
>>Download Generic Local Lobbying Letter in Microsoft Word Format
>>Download Generic Local Lobbying Letter in Microsoft Works Format

03/03/09 Improving basic State Pension

Pension reform will make the State Pension fairer, more generous and more widely available. But there are still people – mainly women and carers – who will not get a full basic State Pension because their National Insurance record is incomplete.

Some of our customers pay voluntary Class 3 National Insurance contributions to make up the gaps in their records. However, these usually have to be paid within six years. People with gaps in their contributions from earlier in their working lives often find they have missed the boat.

Following a high profile campaign by Baroness Hollis, a new Government measure in the Pensions Act 2008 will mean some people can pay up to six additional years of Class 3 contributions dating from as far back as 1975.

The measure will apply to people reaching State Pension age between April 2008 and April 2015, provided they already have 20 qualifying years, taking into account years of Home Responsibilities Protection. Around 110,000 people are expected to take up the offer. The new legislation will come into force in April 2009.

Further information:
www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/state-pension/basic/faqs.asp

Information Source:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/dwp/touchbase/2009/touchbase-54.pdf

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