I have an enquiry about my own pension benefits

I have a question about claiming my pension

You can use the calculator in your My Pension account to calculate how much pension we will pay out on your chosen retirement date.

Contributing members - If you currently pay into GMPF every month, you will need to speak to your employer about retiring from your job and claiming your pension. They will provide you with details of the benefits you will be due based on the reason for your retirement. You can then decide whether to go ahead or not. If you go ahead, your employer will notify us, and we will then contact you and provide you with your retirement pack and options. Visit the Retirement process page on our website for more information about this.

Benefits on hold member (deferred) - If you no longer pay in and have benefits on hold, also known as deferred benefits, then the process to claim your pension is slightly different. You will need to login to your My Pension account and select ‘Pay my pension’. You can view figures at your chosen pension date and then let us know you’d like to receive these by selecting ‘Begin payment request’. We’ll then let you know what happens next. You can use the pension calculator in My Pension to check your benefits at different dates of retiring. Please see our website page When and how can you access your benefits on hold for more information. Please speak to your former employer if you wish to claim your benefits on hold due to ill health. You must meet certain criteria to receive them. You can find out more about this on our Ill Health retirement website page.

Please fill in the form below if you have a question about claiming your pension.

I am looking for an update on where my case or request is up to

Fill in the form below to get an update from us on a case or request you have ongoing. We aim to respond to your query as soon as we can however please allow up to 20 working days to receive a response.

If you are leaving or have recently left your current employer, then your employer will notify us of this. They normally do this within one month of your leaving date, and we will normally write to you within one month of receiving their notification. So, if you haven’t heard from us within two months of leaving, we recommend you contact your employer in the first instance to check if they have notified us and when.  

I want to check my pension service history

The quickest way to check your GMPF pension service history is by using your online My Pension account. Log into your account and select the option My Employment Details. This screen will display your GMPF membership and any pensions you have transferred into your GMPF pension account. You can use the link on the main menu to register or log in to My Pension.

Please use the form below to let us know if you think your pension service is incorrect or to contact us if you need help.

I want to get an estimate of figures and find out what these will include

There are severe delays in providing pension estimates and these currently may take a minimum of 30 working days.

You can get your latest pension figures using the calculator in your online My Pension account. This is the quickest way to get the information and the figures will be the same as those we would give. If you are not already registered for your online account, please visit the My Pension homepage and follow the three step registration process.

You will need to speak to your employer if you still pay into GMPF and plan to retire soon. Your employer will confirm your options and pension figures at your preferred retirement date. Please call us if there are any issues. Your employer can also discuss and provide pension figures if you retire due to redundancy, ill health, or if you take flexible retirement. 

If you no longer pay into GMPF but have benefits on hold, log into your My Pension account to access your latest figures. Please also see our website page When and how can you access your benefits on hold for more information. If you wish to discuss accessing your benefits on hold under ill health grounds, then please speak to your previous employer.

Please use the form below if you cannot use the My Pension calculator and need some help. We will only be able to provide you with estimates for voluntary retirements.

I’d like to take some, or all my pension as a lump sum straight away

You normally cannot do this. The LGPS is a statutory defined benefit pension scheme, and the regulations specify the benefits you will receive. Your LGPS pension is guaranteed, and we will pay it to you from your retirement date for the rest of your life. You must generally take all your pension at the same time.

You can choose to convert some of your annual pension to a one off lump sum at retirement, but not all. You can find out more about how much lump sum you can take using our website page Calculate your maximum lump sum. 

However, there is an exception, as some members have the right to something called a trivial commutation, but this only applies in a few cases. We will contact you if trivial commutation is an option at your chosen retirement date. If we pay you a trivial commutation cash lump sum, you cannot change your mind afterwards. 

If you’re already in receipt of your pension from us and think you maybe eligible for a trivial commutation lump sum, please call us on 0161 301 7100 to discuss.

You can find out more about LGPS benefits on our website page How pensions and the LGPS work. 

I want to transfer a previous pension to GMPF

We only accept transfers from other local government pension funds or other public sector schemes. You can elect for a transfer from one of these schemes within the first 12 months of joining provided you are still a contributing member. Your joining letter will include details of what to do if this is something you want to explore. Your joining letter will be in the My Documents section of your My Pension account if you joined within the last 12 months. 

You can check the My Employment Details section of your My Pension account to see if you have already elected to transfer a previous pension into GMPF. 

And you can read more on transfers on our website page Joining, contributions, and transferring in your benefits - GMPF.

I want to transfer my GMPF pension to another provider

To be able to transfer your pension benefits to a different pension provider if you have either left your employment or opted out after having paid into GMPF for at least three months. 

Please read our website page What are your options when opting out, leaving or transferring and watch our Transferring your GMPF benefits video to learn about the process and the importance of watching out for pension scams. 

If you are considering transferring your GMPF pension to another pension provider and want to know the value for transfer purposes, you can get this by accessing the Contact us section of your My Pension account and selecting 'Can I transfer my GMPF pension out to another pension provider?'. 

Alternatively, you would need to request a cash equivalent transfer value (CETV) by following the instructions on our website page What are your options when opting out, leaving or transferring.

I have a general question about my GMPF pension

Please use this form to contact us if none of the other options apply. We aim to respond to your query as soon as we can however please allow up to 20 working days to receive a response.