Retirement Benefits

The Scheme’s Normal Retirement Age (NRA) is 65. You have the option to take your pension from age 55 but if you do so your pension will be reduced for early payment. The rate at which your pension is reduced is calculated by the Scheme Actuary.

On retirement you will be able to either take a full pension or a reduced pension and a pension commencement lump sum. Your pension is based on your deferred pension revalued to your date of retirement. It may then be reduced for early retirement or increased for late retirement.

Tax Free Cash Under current law you can take up to 25% of the value of your pension benefits as a tax-free cash sum when you retire. This is calculated using a formula set by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. Please note that Tax Free Cash is sometimes referred to as a Pension Commencement Lump Sum. If you used to be a member of the DC section of the Scheme and you also have benefits in the DC section of the Scheme, there is a switchback facility which enables you to transfer your DC fund (if it is still held in the L&G Mastertrust) back into this Scheme so that it can be used to fund your Tax Free Cash. More details on this switchback process can be found HERE. You can find out more about the L&G Mastertrust please visit www.legalandgeneral.com/upmuk.

Timing

When you are roughly six months away from Normal Retirement Age, the Scheme Administrators will contact you. They will provide you with a retirement quotation and steps about what to do next if you want to proceed.

Transfers In

You are not allowed to transfer benefits into the Scheme.

Transfers Out

The Trustees have provided a new online facility whereby DB members can receive an indicative Transfer Value on Hartlink. If you wish to receive a guaranteed Transfer Value please contact the administration team directly.

It is important that you notify the Administration team if you change address so they can contact you when you are approaching retirement age.

Payment of Transfer Values

Once we have received all the required documents to enable the transfer to proceed, we will request the Trustees to make the funds available.  We then expect to be in a position to complete a transfer settlement in around 4-5 weeks