should I pay pension contributions while on unpaid maternity leave?

[malloo]

I'm 5 months preg and my employer (local authority) has given me a form which asks me to choose whether or not to make contributions to my pension while I'm on unpaid maternity leave. Does anyone know whether this is something I should do - ie. if I don't, does it mean a break which will result in less money at the end of the day? any advice welcome, thanks.

You still accrue service while on ML so if yours is based on how many years you work then you can still benefit without paying.

You need to check the terms and conditions of your pension scheme malloo. Whoever manages it in HR and/or payroll or wherever ought to be able to help you as well.

I did for my mat leave

I was TUPE from the civil service pension scheme - 3/80th lum sum & 80th FS pension scheme - so similar to the LA one I think?

In our scheme you only accrue pensionable service when you are paying contributions (so for the 39wks of mat pay/SMP) so if you are off for the full year then you will not acrrue pensionable service for all of it. From what you have said sounds like yours is the same.

I worked out that I would effectively get the extra conts "back" in the increase it would give me in my lump sum & then the extra pension every year after that is "free", so for me it was a no brainer.

Do the sums both ways & see how yours pans out, but if you can afford it, it's probably worth doing.

thanks for the answers folks, I will check the small print!

You might be able to pay it back when you return to work - that's what I did in the NHS scheme. I had 5 or 6 months unpaid maternity leave and paid it back in installments on a monthly basis over about a 12 month period.

With my employer they will still make their contributuons, but my part that I pay will stop unless I ask to contribute. Guess it depends on how much you put in as to if you can afford to keep putting your bit in.