Leaving the pension scheme

If you leave the University or decide to opt out of a pension scheme, you'll stop paying contributions. Contributions you've made may either be paid back to you, held as benefits in the scheme until you retire, or you might be able to move them to another scheme, depending on how long you've been a member.

You can opt out of any of our schemes at any time, and if you leave the University’s employment you’ll automatically leave the scheme and stop paying contributions. If you’re a member of the DC Plan, you can choose to continue paying your own contributions, but the University contributions will end.

Depending on which scheme you're in and how long you've been paying in, you might be able to get a refund of your contributions; otherwise you'll need to either leave the benefits where they are or move them to another suitable pension scheme.

If you're in USS or PAS and have been paying in to the scheme for:

  • less than 3 months: you’ll receive a refund of your contributions, minus a deduction for tax and national insurance, or you can opt for leaving service benefits or transfer the benefits to another suitable pension arrangement;
  • less than 2 years: you might be able to have a refund of your contributions minus a deduction for tax and national insurance, or you can opt for or leaving service benefits or transfer the benefits to another suitable pension arrangement;
  • more than 2 years: you’ll be entitled to leaving service benefits or you can transfer the benefits to another suitable pension arrangement.

If you're a member of the DC Plan and you've been paying in for more than 1 month, you'll be entitled to leaving service benefits or you can transfer your fund to another suitable pension arrangement.

To find out more information on calculation and payment of the benefits on leaving, take a look at our scheme specific pages.

You’ll receive a letter from the scheme once you’ve left. This will show the benefits you’ve built up while you were a member and will give details of any options available to you.

How to opt out

Our scheme specific pages will give you details on how to opt out of each scheme.

Because of pensions legislation, the University might have to put you back into a scheme in the future, but you’ll be told about this in advance.

Transfer option

You might be able to transfer the benefits you’ve built up to a new employer’s pension scheme or to a personal pension arrangement. The transfer value would be the capital value of your deferred benefits at the date you transfer.

Contact details

If you’ve got any queries or need any further information, contact details for the schemes are as follows:

If you’re a PAS scheme member, contact the Pensions department either by email or by post to Pensions Department, Level 11, Worsley Building, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9LU.

If you’re in the DC Plan, you’ll need to contact The People's Pension.

If you’re a USS member, you should contact USS.

For NHS enquiries, contact NHS Pensions.