Employer newsletter - June 2025

Every year, East Sussex Pension Fund organise an Employer Forum to help employers find out about the Fund, to meet key fund personnel and to understand some of the major pension issues that lie ahead. 

During this year’s face-to-face Forum we expect to be providing employers with a report which details the estimated employer contributions payable for the period 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029.

This year’s Forum will be held face to face – details below.

The date:       13^th November 2025

The venue:     American Express Stadium, Village Way, Brighton, BN1 9BL

The times:      9.30 am until approx. 2.30 pm

We would kindly ask that you put the date in your diaries as a placeholder. We will send an official email with registration instructions to all employers shortly.

In July 2024 we relaunched our self-service website called ‘My Pension’ which provides members with online access to their Local Government Pension Scheme account(s). 

We have previously asked for your support in helping promote the new website. And we would like to ask again. For contributing members, we have just over 44% registered, so some way to go.

The uptake differs between employers (we have figures for each employer available should you wish to access this information). 

Increased registration ensures members have access to tools that empower them to manage their pensions effectively, reducing queries and administrative workloads for both employers and the Fund.

Register for 'My Pension'

For registration guidance and FAQS, visit our ‘My Pension’ support page.

Our communications manager is happy to assist you if you need articles/wording to share via staff newsletters, intranets etc. He can be contacted at [email protected].

The Fund has started running training sessions to support actively contributing members. In January and May 2025 we ran the following courses (2 sessions per topic).

Shown below is a link to a page on our Pension Fund website dedicated to the free training we are planning for members. 

https://www.eastsussexpensionfund.org/your-pension/paying-in/free-pension-training/

We would like your help to share this link with your employees, so that they can book onto the next courses we are running in October this year.The page highlights:

1)    The courses available

2)    The dates they are available

3)    and provides a link to book on via Eventbrite

Members will need to book each course separately. For those unable to attend during working hours we can provide a pre-recorded version. If any employers need face-to-face training, then please email [email protected] with your request.

The LGPS31 form is completed monthly by employers to confirm that contributions have been deducted and payments made to the Scheme following Scheme requirements.

Unfortunately, we have been receiving forms that have been incorrectly completed for a range of reasons, commonly because the ‘assurance’ section hasn’t been completed or the individuals authorising the forms are not known to us (i.e. not shown on the authorised signatory form).

It is a Scheme requirement that employers complete the LGPS31 accurately and keep us updated of employer contacts by regular completion of an ‘authorised signatory form’.

For support completing LGPS31 forms please follow this guide.

LGPS31 form

For support completing the authorised signatory form please follow this guide

Authorised signatory and contacts form

We continue to try to onboard the last remaining employers on to i-Connect, a live cloud service for the flow of member information from your payroll system to the Funds pension administration system.

We will soon be introducing an annual check to ensure that the right individuals at employer/payroll companies have appropriate access to perform their roles on i-Connect. This will also help us tidy up any accounts that are no longer needed.

There is an i-Connect support page available on our Pension Fund website, which includes a range of guides to help you carry out your roles.

I-Connect | East Sussex Pension Fund

For queries on i-Connect please contact the team by email at: [email protected]

The Employer Engagement team are happy to provide support and in-person training for employers. If you have a specific training requirement and need our help, please email us at:

[email protected]

The LGA also have training opportunities for employers. Click on the links below for more details.

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

•       LGA Employer role training course - Local Government Association

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

New documents…

Appointing a payroll provider

Find out about responsibilities you can delegate and what you need to tell us when appointing a payroll provider.

Access ‘Appointing a payroll provider’ here

Employer Fact Card 25/26 Scheme year

A handy document with reminders of all things important to employers of the LGPS.

Access ‘Employer Fact Card’ here

Redundancy fact sheet (for members)

A handy fact sheet for any members facing redundancy detailing the implications on their pension.

Access Redundancy Fact sheet here

Existing support…

Employer Toolkit

It can be daunting as an employer in the LGPS. That is why the Fund provides an Employer Toolkit.

Access Employer Toolkit here

HR guide - This guide sets out the requirements for HR departments of LGPS employers.

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 helps employers understand how ill health retirement works in the LGPS. It also details your role in supporting members through the process.

Access Ill Health retirement guide here

Forms

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

Access forms here

Please can you make sure you only use the forms that are available on the website. The Fund is still receiving old versions of forms which creates added work for everyone. 

Please also pay particular attention to any instructions on forms when completing them. If we receive invalid or incorrect information, it will have a bearing on the time taken to complete a process.

As mentioned in our February newsletter, our Fund Actuary Barnett Waddingham will be preparing for the next triennial valuation of the Fund at 31 March 2025. Key outputs of this valuation are the review of each employers’ funding level and the setting of new contribution rates for the Fund’s participating employers for the period 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029.

A reminder of key milestones – 2025 valuation

The below outlines the key milestones in the 2025 valuation. These timings might change but we will let you know if they do:

• 31 March 2025: The effective date of the valuation. All benefits built up to this date will be valued.
• 30 April 2025: This is the deadline for receipt of data from all employers. Either via the March 25 i-Connect file upload or an end of year return. The data will then be validated, and the Fund may contact you if there are any data queries. ü
• July 2025: The Fund will send the data to the Fund Actuary. The actuary will use this data to calculate each employer's funding level and contribution rate.
• September / October 2025: The Fund will review initial whole Fund valuation results and review and revise the Funding Strategy statement, to recognise different employer strategies and any regulatory changes.
• November 2025 (13th): Employer Forum with the Fund Actuary present where estimated contribution rates will be shared with employers who attend. Commence Funding Strategy Statement Consultation.
• December 2025 / January 2026: Commence Funding Strategy Statement Consultation.
• February 2026: Review Funding Strategy Statement Consultation Responses and amend the strategy for approval.
• March 2026:  All valuation results are finalised. The Fund Actuary issues final Valuation Report and a Rates and Adjustments certificate to each employer. New LGPS31 forms will be issued to employers.
• April 2026: New employer contributions take effect.

We will update you again as this works moves forward.

The normal minimum pension age (NMPA) is the earliest age that members can take their pension. The NMPA is currently 55, but it will rise to 57 from 6 April 2028. This change does not apply if you have members who have to take their pension early due to ill health.

What does this mean for members?

 Will there be any protection from the change in the NMPA?

The Government has just published a Final Report which sets out reforms to the Defined Contribution workplace pensions market and the Local Government Pension Scheme in England and Wales, specifically in relation to investment pooling, governance and local investment.

The Fund is currently working through the detail of what this means both from a governance perspective and what impact it will have on our current investment pooling arrangements. The proposals put forward by the ACCESS pool for compliance with the consultation were not supported by government and it is likely the Fund will need to merge with another investment pool. 

There is a March 2026 deadline for administering authorities and pools,  to comply with the changes set out in the consultation.

Hymans Robertson are hosting a webinar on Monday 30 June to help LGPS academies make sense of their upcoming LGPS accounting disclosures on 31 August 2025. 

Designed specifically for academies in the LGPS, their accounting experts will cover:

• The differences between your LGPS funding and FRS102 accounting valuations
• How your accounting figures are determined
• What’s changed in the accounting environment since 31 August 2024
• Why you might have to restrict your balance sheet position because of an 'asset ceiling'

Register for the webinar here

What is the Pension Dashboard?

The Department for Work and Pensions, via the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), is creating a Pension Dashboard that will be free for all UK citizens to use to view their pension information securely, online and in one place, even if living abroad.  All pension schemes in the UK, including the LGPS need to connect to the dashboard ecosystem to provide pension members information in a secure way. The project is being managed by the Pension Dashboard Programme, you can see all about them at the Pension dashboard website here. Local Authorities in the LGPS must connect by 31 October 2025, though it is unknown when public access will be available.

What do pension holders think?

The Pensions Regulator has been speaking to savers about their pensions experiences – their current understanding and confidence, and whether the planned pensions dashboards will help in a series of videos. Savers give consistent feedback in the videos that information about their pensions in one place could make a significant difference to their retirement planning.

View Pension Dashboard videos here

Do you need to do anything?

It is up to schemes, administrators and employers to make sure that member data is accurate and up to date whilst the industry works on the technical and technological framework to deliver the dashboard. So, we will be working alongside employers to ensure that all member data we hold is accurate. Please note that the member data is in respect of the Active & Deferred members only as the dashboards will not have access to any pension in payment information.