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For members of the Local Government Pension Scheme in England and Wales

Who can join the LGPS?

Only certain people can join the LGPS. Whether you can join depends on your age, who you work for and the job that you do.

In this section

Overview

Not everyone can join the LGPS. To be eligible for membership, you must work for an employer that participates in the Scheme. Some employers only offer LGPS membership to certain employees. You can only join the LGPS if you are under age 75. You may need to meet other criteria to do with the type of job you are in to qualify for membership.

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Scheme employers

To be able to join the LGPS, you must work for an employer that offers membership of the Scheme. The LGPS is offered by local government employers and by other organisations that have chosen to participate in the Scheme. If you are employed by:

  • a designating body, such as a town or parish council, or
  • a non-local government organisation which participates in the LGPS as an admission body

you can only join if your employer nominates you for membership.

Local government

Local government employment in this context includes:

  • civilian staff of police and fire authorities
  • coroners
  • civil servants engaged in probation provision
  • a conservation board
  • a valuation tribunal
  • a passenger transport authority
  • the Environment Agency
  • non-teaching employees of an academy
  • an Education Action forum
  • a sixth form college corporation
  • a Higher Education corporation.

Designating bodies

Designating bodies are employers that can nominate employees for access to the LGPS, Designating bodies include:

  • town and parish councils
  • voluntary schools
  • foundation schools
  • foundation special schools
  • federated schools
  • technical institutes
  • Transport for London
  • the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service.

If you work for a designating body, your employer can nominate you for membership of the LGPS.

Admission bodies

An admission body is an employer that chooses to participate in the LGPS under an admission agreement. Admission bodies are generally:

  • charities, or
  • contractors – usually where a school or a council has contracted out a service to a non-local government employer.

If you work for an admission body, your employer can nominate you for membership of the LGPS.

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About you and your job

You can’t join the LGPS if you are over age 75.

You can’t join the LGPS if you are able to join another public service pension scheme. Police officers, operational firefighters, most teachers and employees eligible to join the NHS pension scheme are generally not allowed to join the LGPS.

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