Important: The content on this page has been updated in line with recent 'access and fairness' regulation changes which came into effect from 1 April 2026. Some of the guidance within our factsheets and guides are still under review.
As all our documents are dated, any publication dated before April 2026 may not yet reflect these regulatory changes.

For details on these changes, read our Improving access and fairness in the LGPS news article.

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Leave of absence

In this section you can find out how the pension you built up in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) could be affected if you're off work for any reason.

For more information or if you have a problem or questions about your LGPS benefits please contact Capita. See our Contact details page for the various ways you can contact them.

Sick leave

You'll continue to build up pension in the Scheme if you're off work due to sickness or injury.  This is because the pensionable pay used to work out your pension will be based on assumed pensionable pay if your salary is reduced or stopped due to sickness or injury. See our Glossary for more information about assumed pensionable pay. 

The contributions that you pay to the Scheme will continue to be deducted from your pay before any reduction on account of statutory sick pay or incapacity benefit.  If you're on unpaid sick leave you won't pay any contributions.

If you're part of the 50:50 Section and on unpaid sick leave, you'll be moved into the Main Section of the Scheme and build up full pension benefits even though you're not paying contributions.

For more details about contributions or the 50:50 Section, see our Paying into the Scheme page.

Child-related leave

You'll continue to build up pension in the Scheme if you're off work due to:

  • Maternity
  • Adoption
  • Paternity
  • Shared parental leave
  • Parental bereavement leave, during which you receive some pensionable pay
  • Neonatal care leave, during which you receive some pensionable pay

The pensionable pay used to work out your pension will be based on the higher of:

  • The pensionable pay you receive during child-related leave, or
  • An average of your pensionable pay (assumed pensionable pay) before you went on child-related leave

Contributions will continue to be deducted from your pay while you're on child-related leave. For more details about contributions, see our Paying into the Scheme page.

However, any period of unpaid parental bereavement or neonatal leave will not count for pension purposes, unless:

  • The period of unpaid absence is for less than 15 days (in which case, you’ll buy back the lost pension automatically on returning to work, based on your normal contribution rate)
  • The period of unpaid absence is for 15 days or more, and you choose to buy back the lost pension by entering a Qualifying Additional Pension Arrangement (QAPA). If you do this, the cost of buying back the lost pension will be based on your normal contribution rate, which can be paid either as a one-off lump sum or a series of payments from your wage.

If you became a member of LGPS before 1 April 2014, you'll have built up benefits in the final salary section of the Scheme. Any lost pension bought back will also go towards covering protections associated with the pre-1 April 2014 membership (such as ensuring that you don’t have a ‘gap’ in your 85-year rule protection).

You can contact Capita for more information about buying back lost pension. See our Contact details page for the various ways you can contact Capita.

Unpaid Leave

If you're granted unpaid leave, including jury service and non-child-related leave, the period will not count toward your pension unless:

  • The period of absence is for less than 15 days (in which case, you’ll buy back the lost pension automatically on returning to work, based on your normal contribution rate)
  • The period of absence is for 15 days or more, and you choose to buy back the lost pension by entering a Qualifying Additional Pension Arrangement (QAPA). If you do this, the cost of buying back the lost pension will be based on your normal contribution rate, which can be paid either as a one-off lump sum or a series of payments from your wage.

If you became a member of LGPS before 1 April 2014, you'll have built up benefits in the final salary section of the Scheme. Any lost pension bought back will also go towards covering protections associated with the pre-1 April 2014 membership (such as ensuring that you don’t have a ‘gap’ in your 85-year rule protection).

You can also contact Capita for more information about buying back lost pension. See our Contact details page for the various ways you can contact them.

Strike

If you're absent for a day or more due to a trade dispute, the period will not count toward your pension unless you elect to pay Additional Pension Contributions (APCs) to purchase the amount of pension lost during the period of absence.

The cost of purchasing the amount of lost pension for the period of absence must be met fully by you (unless your employer voluntarily make contributions to the APC).

If you became a member of LGPS before 1 April 2014, you'll have built up benefits in the final salary section of the Scheme. Any lost pension bought back will also go towards covering protections associated with the pre-1 April 2014 membership (such as ensuring that you don’t have a ‘gap’ in your 85-year rule protection).

Visit our I want to pay more into the Scheme page for details about APCs.

You can also contact Capita for more information about paying APCs. See our Contact details page for the various ways you can contact them.

Reserve forces service

You'll continue to build up pension in the Scheme if you're off work due to Reserve Forces leave. This is because the pensionable pay used to work out your pension will be based on an average of your assumed pensionable pay, as if you were in work rather than on leave.

If you go on reserve forces leave and elect to stay in the LGPS your employer needs to tell you the amount of basic pension contributions that you and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) must pay, the amount of any additional contributions that you and your employer are paying in the LGPS, and the amount of assumed pensionable pay those contributions must be collected.

You'll need to pass the information on to the MoD and your contributions will then be deducted by the MoD and paid to the EAPF together with the employer contributions due.

Paying extra

If you've agreed to pay extra in to the Scheme and you're absent from work due to any of the reasons previously mentioned, with full or reduced pay, you must continue to pay the extra pension contributions you had contracted to pay as if you were not on leave. The contributions may be collected from your pay when you return to work where necessary. If you're absent with no pay due to sickness or injury, the extra contributions are deemed to have been paid. This applies if you:

  • Entered into a contract to buy extra pension (ARCs) prior to 1 April 2014
  • Entered into a contract to count pre-6 April 1988 membership for a surviving eligible cohabiting partner’s pension prior to 1 April 2014
  • Entered into a contract to buy extra LGPS membership (added years) prior to 1 April 2008
  • Entered into a contract to pay additional pension contributions (APCs) or to pay shared cost APCs

If you've entered into a contract to buy back previous part time service by paying extra pension contributions and you're absent from work due to any of the reasons previously mentioned, with full, reduced or no pay, you must continue to pay the extra pension contributions you had contracted to pay as if you were not on leave. The contributions may be collected from your pay when you return to work where necessary.

If you're paying additional voluntary contributions (AVCs) or shared cost AVCs (SCAVCs) which commenced on or after 1 April 2014 and you're absent from work due to any of the reasons previously mentioned, with full, reduced or no pay, then providing that you've sufficient pay to cover the AVC or SCAVC contract, they remain payable. If you have a period of authorised, unpaid leave you may elect to continue payments in respect of any AVC or SCAVC contracts.

If the pensionable pay is less than your AVC amount due, you should make alternative arrangements to pay directly to the AVC provider.

If you're paying AVCs or SCAVCs which commenced before 1 April 2014 and you're absent from work due to any of the reasons previously mentioned, then you may continue to make payments in respect of any such AVC or SCAVS contracts.

If you're paying AVCs for extra life cover should you arrange to continue with these payments throughout your leave or cover will stop.

The contributions may be collected from your pay when you return to work where necessary.

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