job, although you will only pay contributions on the pay you actually earn. As a part-timer you will receive less pay than an equivalent full-timer and pay less into the scheme, so your benefits will build up at a proportionate rate to those of a full-time employee. Your final pay will be converted to full-time when calculating your benefits and your membership is adjusted to reflect your working hours. I am already buying extra scheme membership. Can I buy any extra benefits? If you are already buying extra years, you can still pay additional contributions to buy extra scheme pension (ARCs) and / or pay Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs), if you wish. Please see the section on Increasing your benefits. Can my employer award me any extra pension benefits? Your employer, at it’s discretion, can award you up to 10 years extra membership to improve your retirement benefits. They can also grant you up to £5,000 extra annual pension. Your employer can also pay into your in-house AVC scheme. This is known as a shared cost AVC arrangement. These are discretions your employer can use if they so wish; you can ask your employer what it’s policy is on this.
How will I be informed if the scheme rules change? Before any change can be made to any aspect of the scheme, the government will enter into a consultation process with employees’ representatives and employers. No changes can be made without them being passed through Parliament, and as your Scheme Administrator we will keep you informed of any developments by updating our scheme booklets and issuing regular newsletters. All scheme consultations and regulation changes can be found on our website: www.shropshirecountypensionfund.gov.uk If you wish to keep an eye out for any consultation documents you can also visit the following website: www.communities.gov.uk
?
29