Human Resources

This is an alternative to the DC Plan for support staff at the University, who can opt to join if they meet certain criteria.

About the scheme

The Career Average (CARE) section of PAS is a defined benefit scheme, where the benefits built up are worked out using a set formula.  

Joining the Scheme

You can opt to join the scheme if you meet the eligibility conditions below and you’ve been employed by the University for less than 12 months, but you won’t be put into the scheme automatically. Please e-mail the Pensions department for an opt in pack.

If you don’t join within the first 12 months of your employment, you might not be given a further opportunity to join this scheme.

You can download a summary of the main benefits of the CARE section of PAS below, and more detailed information can be found in the scheme booklet, also available to download below. Each year you will receive a statement summarising the benefits you have built up in the scheme at the end of the scheme year, which is 31 March.

Death in service benefits

If you die while you’re an active member of the scheme, a lump sum of three times your pensionable salary will be payable to your dependant nominee. Please download and complete the Member Wishes form below to provide a guide as to who you would like the lump sum to be paid to. 

A spouse’s or adult dependant’s pension may also be payable. This would automatically be paid to your spouse but, if you’re unmarried but have an adult who is financially dependent on you, you should download and complete the potential dependant form below.

Increasing your scheme benefits – additional voluntary contributions (AVCs)

To increase the value of your benefits on retirement, you can pay extra contributions to the scheme. These are known as additional voluntary contributions (AVCs).

AVCs are a very useful way of filling a gap in your pension benefits if you don’t have a lot of benefits from other sources, or you could to use AVC’s to enable you to retire early. They're also a very tax efficient way of improving benefits. They’re deducted from your pay before tax is calculated, so you get tax relief at your highest rate, eg an AVC contribution of £100 only costs £80 to a basic rate tax payer.

The AVC arrangement offered by PAS allows you a choice of investments. You can download the AVC booklet below for details.

If you're considering paying AVCs, please e-mail the Pensions department to request an AVC application form.

Pension estimate

If you’re considering retirement, you might want more details about the benefits you’ve built up in the scheme and the options available to you. Please e-mail the Pensions department, giving an idea of your planned retirement date, and they’ll provide an estimate for you.