LGPS pension calculator
See what your Local Government Pension Scheme pension could pay when you retire, in today’s money. It covers career average and final salary service, the 50/50 section, your lump sum and early retirement.
Your LGPS pension
Use your actual pensionable pay, including overtime and allowances. Years in career average means since April 2014, or since you joined if later. It pays in full at your State Pension age.
Your options
Include State Pension
Full rate £12,548 a year
Annual allowance: your pension grows by about £10,814 this year against an allowance of £60,000. You are within it.
See what this income leaves after tax with the income tax calculator.
How the LGPS builds your pension
Every year in the main section you add 1/49 of your pensionable pay to your pension account. Someone on £33,119 adds £676 of yearly pension for a year’s work. The account is increased by inflation each April, so in today’s money it holds its value. Joining at 30 and working to 67 on that pay builds about £25,008 a year.
The LGPS covers council staff, school support staff, and people working for many academies, colleges, universities, police staff and some charities and private contractors.
What you pay in
| Actual pensionable pay | Main section | 50/50 section |
|---|---|---|
| Up to £18,400 | 5.5% | 2.75% |
| £18,401 to £29,000 | 5.8% | 2.9% |
| £29,001 to £47,300 | 6.5% | 3.25% |
| £47,301 to £59,800 | 6.8% | 3.4% |
| £59,801 to £84,000 | 8.5% | 4.25% |
| £84,001 to £119,100 | 9.9% | 4.95% |
| £119,101 to £140,400 | 10.5% | 5.25% |
| £140,401 to £210,700 | 11.4% | 5.7% |
| £210,701 or more | 12.5% | 6.25% |
Rates for England and Wales from 1 April 2026. Your employer pays more than you do, often 15% to 20% of pay. See your take-home with the council pay calculator.
Estimates only. Your annual benefit statement shows your actual pension. Early retirement reductions here are approximate, and some members with pre-2008 service have protections not modelled here. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate schemes.
Common questions
How is the LGPS pension worked out?
Each year you build 1/49 of your pensionable pay as pension in the main section, or 1/98 in the 50/50 section. Your pension account goes up each April in line with inflation, so it keeps its value.
When can I take my LGPS pension?
Your normal pension age for career average service is your State Pension age, with a minimum of 65. You can take it from 55, reduced for early payment. The minimum age rises to 57 from April 2028.
What about service before April 2014?
Service from April 2008 to March 2014 is final salary at 1/60 a year. Service before April 2008 is 1/80 a year plus an automatic lump sum of three times that pension. Both are normally paid at 65.
How much lump sum can I take?
You can give up some pension for a tax-free lump sum. Every £1 of yearly pension you give up gives you £12 of lump sum, up to a quarter of the total value of your benefits.
How much do I pay into the LGPS?
5.5% to 12.5% of your actual pensionable pay in England and Wales from April 2026, depending on what you earn. The 50/50 section halves that. Contributions come off before tax.
What is the McCloud remedy in the LGPS?
If you were in the scheme before April 2012 and built up pension between April 2014 and March 2022, an underpin checks whether you would have got more under the old final salary rules. If so, the difference is added when you retire. Most people are not affected.