Public sector pay scales and pension links

Hello,

My public sector employer is offering me a transfer (due to job reorganisation) to a personal pay grade (where my salary is frozen and not linked to an incremental scale). I currently work in a public service graded post with increments (reached the top of my scale 13yrs ago!).

I am unfamiliar with these personal grades and I am concerned that the personal grade will cause difficulty when it comes to drawing down my pension. There may be other implications I am not aware of.

Can anyone share their experience of working in the public service on 'Personal Grades'....for example
1. are post holders on personal grades considered public servants for pension purposes?
2. Is it common practice to relink a personal grade post to a public service scale on or before retirement?

It might be worth checking up.

The issue is if you are on a non-standard scale, there may be issues in retirement with the index linked aspects of your pension as you are not mapped to a current scale. My organise had to regularise these sorts of arrangements and this was the reason I think.

Just be careful and get advice. Your union might know, or perhaps asking HR specifically will your pension track the public sector pay increases when you are not on a grade.

How long till you plan to retire. Will you get pay rises in your proposed new grade, while working.

Thanks DingDing

It's very hard to get clarity as the Dept pensions services only deal with HRs not individuals - its like the 4th secret of Fatima!! The Union does not deal with anything off the pay scales - so again this concerns me. My HR does not see anything problematic about this. The Union does not deal with anything off the pay scales - so again this concerns me.

The rate offered is in the middle of a payscale between 2 points. This figure was selected so that it was not directly linked to a particular payscale, rather it is termed a 'personal' grade. Historically and more recently they have regularised these 'personal' grades by mapping to scales on retirement but I am not privy to what T&Cs were negotiated for this linking.

The personal grade will not get annual increments (not sure if this is always the case) but HR have agreed to link it to the public service pay rises (aka it will be eligible for the recent 10% one granted) so while working these will apply. I expect, but not sure, if not linked to a pay scale they would not apply once I retire. Equally, I wonder how the personal grades are treated for pension calculation (e.g. does the 3yr average apply or is it the salary you retire on?).

I would retire in 2 - 4 years if I could get clarity on the issues but without that I am slow to as I don't want to find myself in a pickle - need clarity on retirement.

Have tried to get advice but really its only someone who has worked in public service pensions directly that would be able to guide me on this one - I have done a lot of research and most financial advisors do not know this type of nitty gritty.

Hoping this forum will come up with something

A lot of questions that would need to be resolved before you agree anything. You would not want to agree anything that could impact your pension and its future pension increases.

When I look at my pay slip I am on a grade and a point on a grade. I would imaging they would apply the pay increase to everyone on my grade. All the personal grades would have to be individually adjusted, which in time will be a lot of work for HR.

Thankyou for responding....needs a bit of working out, wd be simple if I could talk with the Pensions authority!

It looks like a lot of work into the future for the pensions section for a saving of a small amount of money. Perhaps you need to have a discussion with your pensions administrator. If there is anything verbally agreed / explained, pop what you think is the situation into an email and send it to the pensions administrator asking them to let you know if you got anything wrong. Keep the email in your pension file for future reference.