Opting Out

You are not required to be a member of the Fund.  If you would like to opt out of membership, you will need to complete an opting out form, giving us at least one month’s notice. 

The opting out form is available from the Fund Office or from the document library below.

Please seriously consider the benefits you will be giving up before you make this decision, these include; 

• Valuable contributions by your employer towards your pension from the date you opt out 
• If you have dependants, valuable benefits towards their security if anything should happen to you 

You may want to take independent financial advice before making a final decision. 

However, if you still decide to opt out of the Fund, you will be entitled to the same benefits as if you had left service, although you cannot draw a pension until you actually leave service. See page 9 for more details on deferred pensions. 

If you do decide to opt out of the Fund, you will need to consider alternative arrangements for your retirement, although note that your employer will be required to auto-re-enrol you periodically in accordance with the auto enrolment legislation. Further information can be found in our Guide to Opting Out of the Fund available on the Fund website. 

Automatic enrolment 

The Fund is a qualifying pension scheme for the purposes of automatic enrolment.  

Automatic enrolment requires companies in Great Britain and Northern Ireland to automatically enrol (and periodically re-enrol if they have opted out) certain employees into a qualifying workplace pension scheme. The scheme must meet certain minimum legal standards, which the Fund, in fact, exceeds.