Employees Joining
A completed Application Form must be sent to The Pensions Trust, if possible prior to the date of joining
the scheme. To download an Application Form Click Here.
Please check that all appropriate sections have been completed and that the form has been signed both by the employee and on behalf of the employer.
Part-time employees may join the Scheme. Please ensure that the full-time equivalent to the part-time hours are noted on the application form for a part-time employee.
At the same time as submitting the Application Form,
you should supply evidence of age in respect of the employee. This can be a certified copy of a birth certificate or a passport (both birth and marriage certificates are required in the case of a married woman).The Pensions Trust will only accept photocopies of the above certificates provided that you certify them
as true copies of the original. Please do not send original documents.
The Lump Sum Death Benefit and pension Nomination Form should be completed so as to avoid unnecessary delays in the payment of benefits in the event of death-in-service. To download the Lump Sum Death Benefit and pension Nomination Form Click Here. |
The scheme automatically provides for a survivor’s pension and children's pension where applicable. Members may defer nominating who they wish to receive the survivor’s pension when they first join, or alternatively make changes to their nominee at a later date, subject to the scheme rules.
Once the Application Form has been processed, a Membership Certificate will
be prepared by The Pensions Trust and sent direct to the member. You will be notified of the member’s membership number and contribution rate. Please quote this number in any future correspondence. Contributions in respect of the member should not be deducted and sent to The Pensions Trust until you have received confirmation of his/her scheme membership.
It is a requirement to provide members with basic legal information about occupational pension arrangements. Members will receive a copy of the member booklet containing the information when they have joined the Scheme. If a member requires a copy prior to joining click here.
Prompt submission of Application Form
An employee will not be classed as a member of the scheme until a completed Application Form, signed by both the employer and the employee,
has been received by The Pensions Trust. Application forms for existing employees should be sent to The Pensions Trust before the proposed
date of joining the scheme.
It is extremely important that these application procedures are followed. If this is not the case and an employee dies shortly after the expected
date of joining, there could be complications with the payment of benefits.
Telephone Enrolment System
The Pensions Trust operates a telephone enrolment system for all employees wishing to join the Scheme. A dedicated enrolment team will deal with the enrolment process. Please have an Application Form to hand as this will guide you through the information that is required.
The Eenrolment Team will issue a confirmation document ('membership agreement'). This will show the new member's details, which can then be agreed by both the member and employer. This 'membership agreement' will need to be signed and returned to the Trust in order to complete the enrolment process.
If this is not returned with a period of two weeks from the date of issue, a reminder will be automatically issued. If it is not received within a further two weeks, it will be assumed that the enrolment is not to proceed.
On receipt of the signed and agreed 'membership agreement', the enrolment team will set up the contribution rate and issue final confirmations to both member and employer.
Contributions should be not deducted by you until the final confirmation is received. Membership, will, however, commence from the date upon which the employer first contacted the Enrolment Team.
Can an employee transfer pension benefits into the SFHA Pension Scheme?
No, transfers from other schemes are not allowed.
Do I need to complete an Application Form if the employee is claiming continuous service within the Scheme ?
Please contact the Final Salary Team about this.
Can I backdate membership?
Employers should aim to submut the Application Form to The Pensions Trust before the member's date of joining the Scheme. Sometimes this is not possible and we receive receive requests for backdating.
Provided less than two months have passed between the entry date on the application and the form reaching The Pensions Trust it will be possible to backdate entry to the Scheme and only the contributions missed will be payable.
If there is a request to backdate membership for more than two months, this will be considered only if the employer has made an error which has out the employee at a disadvantage. If the employee has delayed returning the form to the employer then backdating will not be allowed. The cost of backdating will be the greater of the contributions that would have been paid, and the Actuary's calculation of the actual cost of the service which can be considerably higher than ordinary contributions. No more than three months' backdating will be allowed.
What is the cost to an employee?
The contribution rate for a member in the SFHA Pension Scheme is (from April 2008) 7.7% (for the Final Salary 60ths option); 6.9% (for the CARE 60ths option) and 6% (for the CARE 70ths option).
Many employees do not join the Scheme because they think that it might be too expensive. The main reason for this is that they do not take account of the savings due to tax relief and National Insurance. To assist you in providing help
for your members we have developed a cost calculator.
Are there any special rules for late entrants?
If an employee applies to join the Scheme more than one year from first becoming eligible to do so, they must have completed three months' continuous service without absence due to illness or injury, immediately prior to the date from which they wish to join.