Local Government Pension Scheme (Administration) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009

Additional voluntary contributions and shared cost additional voluntary contributions

21.—(1) An active member may elect to pay additional voluntary contributions (“AVCs”) into a scheme established under contract between the Committee and a body approved for the purposes of the Finance Act 2004(1) (“an additional voluntary contributions arrangement”).

(2) The additional voluntary contributions arrangement must be a money purchase pension scheme registered in accordance with the Finance Act 2004 and administered in accordance with that Act, the Pensions Act 2004(2) and the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 2005(3).

(3) Where the member’s employing authority, at its discretion, contributes to the arrangement, the additional voluntary contributions arrangement is known as a shared cost additional voluntary contributions arrangement and contributions to it as “SCAVCs”.

(4) Such AVCs and SCAVCs are in addition to any other contributions the member may pay under regulation 19 (payment of additional regular contributions).

(5) Where a member elects to pay AVCs or SCAVCs, he must first—

(a)notify his employing authority in writing; and

(b)in the notification specify—

(i)the percentage of his pensionable pay he wishes to pay or the amount he wishes to pay on his usual pay days from his pay;

(ii)whether he wishes any of his AVCs or SCAVCs to be used to provide benefits payable on his death (“death benefits”); and

(iii)if he does, the proportion so to be used.

(6) Subject to paragraph (7), a member may—

(a)vary—

(i)the amount of his AVCs or SCAVCs; or

(ii)the proportion of them to be used to provide death benefits; or

(b)stop paying AVCs or SCAVCs.

(7) Where he wishes to take the steps in paragraph (6), he must first notify his employing authority in writing.

(8) An active member may transfer, by notifying the Committee in writing within 12 months of joining, or such longer period as the Committee may allow, into his additional voluntary contributions scheme constituted under this regulation the accumulated value of any other additional voluntary contributions scheme to which he has subscribed.

(9) An election to pay AVCs or SCAVCs may be made in respect of each employment in respect of which a person is a member.

(10) The maximum a person may specify under paragraph (5)(b)(i) or notify under paragraph (7) as the varied amount in respect of each employment for which he makes such an election is 50% of the pensionable pay of that employment or an amount equal to 50% of the pensionable pay of that employment.