Teacher pension claims

[MrsTumbletap]

Has anyone else had an email about teacher pensions and making a claim if you joined the scheme before 2012?

Is it worth doing? I feel tempted as it says the following and I fall into this category

In broad terms, we are currently looking to bring claims for teachers in the state or independent sector who:
• became members of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme pension scheme before 1 January 2007 and were born on or after 2 July 1963;
• became members of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme pension scheme on or after 1 January 2007 and were born on or after 2 July 1958.
We are unable to offer legal advice and representation to teachers who:
• joined the Teachers’ Pensions Scheme after 1 April 2012;
• stopped working as a teacher more than 2 months ago;
• have voluntarily opted out of the Teachers’ Pensions Scheme at any point since 31 March 2012;
• are currently on a career break; or
• work in Northern Ireland.

Do you mean your state pension at 67? As I understand it the second part of the teachers pension will not kick in at 67 if you take the 'old' pension at 60. If you go aged 60 you will have the full amount of the old pension and will be forced to take the second part reduced at the same time. I don't think you can delay taking the 'new' part of your pension until you are 67.

Hopefully this is one of the things that will be looked at following the firefighter's/ judges successful court case.

I can't really understand why anyone would go to a no win no fee lawyer. Surely if the government have to look again at teachers who are on the old/ new pension transition, then whatever new deal is reached would apply to all teachers? I am surprised that the teachers unions have not been more vocal about this.

I understood that I could take the final salary aspect of my pension at 60 but could not take the second part until I was 67 - the career average portion + my state pension. I thought the second bit would just be frozen until I was 67, but I'm just presuming this - I don't actually know for sure.

I know I get a lump sum with the first bit but not the second. I teach KS1 and I'm not working until I'm 67, there is no way I could do it.

I too think the unions should be advising and supporting us over this - I've paid £15 a month for 23 years to teachers unions and had very little back for it.

Yes, sorry I think you are right. I think if you took the 'old' pension early - from age 55 up to age 60, then you would have to also take the 'new' part early as well. If you take early retirement at 55 then you loose a huge amount of the 'new' pension - you can't just leave it in there and draw it at 67.

Sorry for confusion!

www.teacherspensions.co.uk/news/public-news/2019/10/mccloud-case-be-reassured-about-your-pension.aspx

Thanks for sharing this. It looks like pensions are going to be looked at.

You don’t need to take any legal action. The government has accepted that the McCloud judgment reads across to all public sector pension schemes and will be putting a remedy in place in due course. Taking legal action is simply a waste of your money.

Sorry uploaded in a weird way .
Not sure what to believe now ?

Sit tight and wait for the TPS to confirm what the government are doing.

I clicked on the link on the previous page to look what the lawyers in question were offering, purely out of curiosity I started filling the form in but didn't click submit as it stated it would be legally binding etc and not getting into that.

Yesterday I had a phone call (went to voicemail as I was teaching) and it was from the lawyer Leigh Day thanking me for my interest and asking if I'd got any questions they could answer before the paperwork arrived. Not impressed with this, as I did not submit the form but they've obviously got hold of my details somehow.

The lawyers are only offering to raise a discrimination claim with government about the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, and saying that if the claim is successful they will take a percentage of whatever you gain. However government has already accepted that there was discrimination and will put it right (although they haven’t yet worked out how). You will get your pension adjusted anyway (if you fall into the right category), so there is no advantage to taking legal action - it will cost you money for no reason!

Ah very helpful, thank you. So sit tight and see what they sort out.

I also thought we could claim the first bit early and the second part when we were 67.

You can claim the first bit at 60, as that was the retirement age of that scheme. The 'reformed' bit from 2015 cannot be taken until age 67.

I use this term 'reformed' as an illustration of the way Squealer abuses language when I teach Animal Farm. Work longer, pay more, receive less is not 'reforming'. Oddly, the MPs didn't 'reform' their pension scheme.

And breathe