Employer newsletter - December 2023

As we near the end of 2023, the Employer Engagement team continue to focus on i-Connect - a cloud-based portal which helps to manage the transfer of employee information from an employer’s payroll to the pensions administration system Altair. Just over 2/3rds of employers have now integrated i-Connect into their monthly processes. We will continue to engage with other employers who are not yet onboarded during in 2024.

On the 30th of November, we held the 2023 Employer Forum face-to-face at The Amex – the home of Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club. We would like to thank all employers who took the time to attend. Those who attended found the day really beneficial. 

We continue to support both employers and members of the Fund via virtual and face to face Local Government Pension Scheme training sessions and will continue to offer this service going forward. These have proved extremely useful to attendees. More information on training is included in the newsletter.

In 2024 we plan to improve engagement with employers with increased site visits and regular drop-in sessions and will continue the work we have done this year on improving communication methods.

I’d like to let you know that I’m leaving the Pension Fund just after the Christmas break. I’d like to take the opportunity to thank all employers that I’ve worked with during my time here and wish you all the best in the future. I leave you in very capable hands and would ask that future queries are directed initially to [email protected]

I would like to finish by wishing you all a Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Tim Hillman – Employer Engagement Manager

[email protected]

On the 30th of November 2023 we ran our 2023 Employer Forum. Feedback was very positive, which is great news. Employers scored the overall Forum 8.55 out of 10. 

On the day we asked employers to complete a survey. We will now analyse the results and see if any improvements can be made on our employer engagement. We have included some of the content discussed on the day as key topics in this newsletter for those who missed out.

The agenda from the day is shown below. If anyone wants a copy of a specific presentation, then please email [email protected].

Member training

In the second half of 2023 the Fund began to pilot LGPS training to employees within East Sussex County Council. This was split into five specific areas:

• Introduction to the LGPS Part 1
• Introduction to the LGPS Part 2
• Your Pension MOT
• Planning for retirement
• The process of retirement

The feedback from those who have attended the six sessions to date has been extremely positive.

As part of the active member survey we asked whether there was an appetite amongst members for this type of training (offered both virtually and face to face). There was!

We will look to roll this training out across other employers in the Pension Fund in 2024. Watch this space!

Employer training

In 2023 the engagement team have provided support and in-person training for employers.

Examples of these:

• Full day in-house training covering all sections of the fund.
• Roadshows
• Schools
• On site with employers
• Online virtual sessions

If you have a specific training requirement and need our support, please email us at:

[email protected]

Please note that the LGA also offer employer training courses. Click on the links below for more details.

LGA bite-sized training - Employer bite size training (lgpsregs.org)

LGA Employer role training course 

16 April 2024 – online

22 April 2024 – online

2 May 2024 – online

14 May 2024 – online

13 August 2024 – London

29 August 2024 – online

1 October 2024 – online

7 November – online

6 December – online

Following a recent audit, we would like to remind you about correct completion of the LGPS 31 form. The form is a requirement for all employers (as outlined in the Pension Administration Strategy) to complete. It is used to confirm that contributions have been deducted and payments made to the Scheme in accordance with the Scheme’s requirements.

Here are a few hints and tips:

• Make sure all amounts are in the correct sections.
• Check the month figure is correct before submitting.
• Split the employer % as per the values listed – we need this split for reporting purposes.
• If making an adjustment, please list the code and a brief description of what the payment relates to.
• Make sure the 'certified correct' section is signed by someone on the authorised signatory list.
• Make sure at least one of the assurance* sections are confirmed.

*Evidence of assurance arrangements need to be held.

To help you with this we have produced a guide to completing the form.

This breaks down each section.

Forms should be emailed to the LGPS mailbox by the 18th of the following month in which they are due. Payments should be received by no later than the 19th of the following month in which they are due.

If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].

The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association published a guide in June 2023 to support employers participating in the LGPS.

The guide will help LGPS employers understand and fulfil the significant financial commitments, administrative responsibilities and regulatory requirements associated with the scheme. It also explains the many benefits of being an LGPS employer.

A link to the Guide is shown below.

Best-Practice-Guide-for-Employers-Participating-in-the-LGPS-June-2023.pdf (plsa.co.uk)

The Fund offer a range of support material for employers. Here’s a reminder…

Employer Toolkit

We appreciate that sometimes it can seem daunting being an employer in the LGPS. What with complying with regulation, meeting deadlines, understanding processes, supporting employees, data submission and much more. That's why East Sussex Pension Fund have provided a Toolkit for all employers to help point you in the right direction.

We had feedback in recent surveys from some employers about support in understanding their responsibilities in the LGPS. There is a document in this toolkit which will help. 

The toolkit is split into six sections covering the following topics:

Access Employer Toolkit here

HR guide

This guide sets out the requirements for Human Resource (HR) departments of employers who provide the LGPS.

Access HR Guide here

Payroll guide

This guide sets out the requirements for payrolls in respect of the LGPS.

Access Payroll Guide here

Ill health retirement guide

This guide is to help employers understand what constitutes ill health retirement within the LGPS regulations and details their role in supporting members through the process.

Access Ill Health retirement guide here

Forms

We also have standard and editable forms available for both employers and members.

Access forms here

In addition to the resources available to employers we have a range of support for your employees too.

Our website has a host of useful information for employees:

Homepage: Homepage | East Sussex Pension Fund

Paying-in page: Paying in | East Sussex Pension Fund

The 'Paying in' page in particular, offers a gateway to a range of information for active members of the Fund.

Forms and publications: Forms and Publications | East Sussex Pension Fund

We also have some handy guides available:

Brief guide to the LGPS – access here

Retirement Planning Guide – access here

Additional voluntary contributions and the LGPS – access here

Reducing your working hours factsheet – access here

We are continuing to onboard employers onto i-Connect, a cloud based portal for the flow of employee information from your payroll system to the Fund's pension administration system. Please do reach out to the i-Connect team if you are in a position to onboard or would like to find out more.

Benefits of i-Connect

• Reduces the number of forms you are required to submit.
• Faster response to employer enquiries.
• Much faster processing of benefits for employees from real time data.
• A safe easy to use portal to transmit data securely.
• Removes the need to manually complete end of year reports.

We have a designated team who are responsible for supporting employers with all things i-Connect related.

Paula Jenner – Pensions Engagement Officer

Hayley Deeley - Senior Pensions & i-Connect Administrator

Joyee Lau - Pensions & I-Connect Administrator

Julianne Lambert - Pensions & i-Connect Administrator

From 1^st January 2024 we will have a dedicated i-Connect Email Inbox:

[email protected]

Please ensure you direct any i-Connect queries to this mailbox from next year and one of the team will be in touch.

Thank you for providing the McCloud data back to us. The returned data is being screened and there may be some further queries as part of the screening process. Once all the data has been looked at it can be loaded onto the Pension Administration system.

About McCloud

The LGPS rules changed from 1 October 2023. When public service pension schemes changed from final salary schemes to career average schemes in 2014 and 2015, older members were protected from the changes. In 2018, the Courts found that younger members had been discriminated against because the protections did not apply to them.

The 2023 changes are called the McCloud remedy. They remove the age discrimination found in the McCloud court case.

Not all LGPS members are affected by the changes. Future quotations and figures will have McCloud included in the calculation (will show on Annual Benefit Statements from 2025). The Fund will write to all members (Active, deferred and Pensioners) by the end of 2023 to provide an overview on McCloud.

If you (or your employees) need to know more, then please refer to the information on the LGPS member website.

The McCloud remedy