Processing Leavers at Colleges

This page contains guidance for colleges on the administration of leavers from the DB section and Investment Builder

Leaver forms

You can find all the leaver forms on the forms for employers page.

These are for members in both sections of the scheme.

 

Please note that under scheme rules members have to leave employment before they can claim their benefits. The only exceptions are when members reach age 75 and have to leave the scheme or when they claim part of their benefits under flexible retirement.

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Please make sure you give us the member’s home address as we will write to DB section members there with their options. Legal and General will contact DC members with their options, so members should make sure their contact details are correct on Manage Your Account. We do not have access to change personal details on Legal and General's website.

Please circle the cost plan or tier you have used for collecting contributions in the relevant scheme year.

If you know a member is leaving you to join the University or another college it would be helpful if you could put this in the appropriate box on the relevant Leaver form.

Please read the members' page on opting out.

If a member wants to opt out of Investment Builder from the start they have to do so online. They cannot fill in a form to do this. 

If a member opts out online we will contact you and refund any contributions already submitted to Legal and General. You can then refund the appropriate share to the member through your payroll.

Do not refund contributions before being contacted by us. We cannot accept negative contributions on monthly returns for DC members.

If a member gives you form OPT2 (pdf) or OPT2DC (pdf) to opt out after the refund deadline then please send this to us with form OPT3 (pdf) and mark them as a leaver on the monthly remittance.

If a member is promoted into a post in which they have to join USS then it is the same as if they had left employment. It would be helpful if you could write on the form that they have left to join USS.

There is no need for a member to sign an opt out form if they are leaving to join USS.

If you know a member is leaving you to join the University or another college it would be helpful if you could put this in the appropriate box on the relevant Leaver form.

Please note that under scheme rules members have to leave employment before they can claim their benefits. The only exceptions are when members reach age 75 and have to leave the scheme or when they claim part of their benefits under flexible retirement.

Please send us a Advance notification of member retiring RET1 form (pdf) as soon as a member tells you they are going to retire. We will then contact them with their retirement options, but not more than three months in advance of the retirement date.

If the member is going on flexible retirement please put the before and after salaries on the form so that we can check it is a valid application.

If the retirement date changes please let us know as soon as possible.

When you have processed the member's final payments please send the Confirmation of Retirement form RET2 (pdf) to us.

If you agree, members can reduce their hours or salary by at least 20% and take 20 to 80% of their benefits without leaving employment. The University’s Personnel Services website gives more information.

Please look at the ill health sections on the members' pages for DB section and Investment Builder for more information. Please contact the Pensions Office if you have anyone who may need to retire on the grounds of ill health.

You should note that the Trustees do not normally ask for a report from Occupational Health. Even if you think an employee is not capable of doing their job on medical grounds that does not necessarily mean that they will get ill health retirement as the scheme’s criteria may be slightly different.

Remember that the ill health retirement process can take a few months or sometimes longer.

If a member dies in service please contact the Pensions Office. In particular it would be helpful if you could give us anything you know about the member's personal background. This will help us and the trustees decide who is potentially entitled to a lump sum and/or pension.

The Trust Deed and Rules of OSPS take precedence over anything said on this page.

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Useful links

Contact Us

 : Pensions Office
       University of Oxford
       23-38 Hythe Bridge Street
       Oxford OX1 2ET

 : OSPS - osps@admin.ox.ac.uk
 : (01865) 616133 or 616020