What to do if a member goes on any other type of leave

Authorised unpaid leave of less than 15 days

Pension contributions are compulsory during authorised unpaid leave that lasts less than 15 calendar days. This only applies to leave that starts on or after 1 April 2026.

When you send data to us, you must include:

• Lost pensionable pay
• Employer and member contributions paid on the lost pensionable pay. Take member contributions from the current month’s pay where possible.
• If there’s not enough pay, take the outstanding contributions as soon as possible after the unpaid leave ends and pay them to the Pension Fund.

Authorised unpaid leave – over 14 calendar days

From 1 April 2026, a new pension buy‑back arrangement applies when a member takes authorised unpaid leave for more than 14 calendar days. This is called a Qualifying Additional Pension Arrangement (QAPA). A QAPA lets a member buy back pension they’ve lost during authorised unpaid leave that:

• lasts for more than 14 days, and
• isn’t due to sickness, injury, child‑related leave, or reserve forces leave.

These changes only apply to authorised unpaid leave that starts on or after 1 April 2026. The current rules will still apply if the leave started before this date.

If the member chooses a QAPA, you must tell us. You must also provide:

• the amount of employer contributions due
• the date a lump sum payment will be made, if one applies
• for regular contributions, the pay frequency, the member and employer contribution amounts for each pay period, and the length of the contract.

The Local Government Association (LGA) provides a basic calculator to help you work out the employer and member costs.

Strike action and unauthorised absence

If a member’s away from work because of:

• strike action
• unauthorised absence.

their LGPS pension isn’t protected.

You don’t need to work out or report lost pensionable pay, or pay employer contributions, if a member isn’t being paid. If they’re on reduced pay or no pay for either of these reasons, their pension benefits will be reduced.

When a member returns to work, they may be able to buy back the pension they’ve lost through additional pension contributions (APCs). You can find more information on the different types of absence in the LGPS HR guide.

For a summary see How different types of absence affect a member’s LGPS pension.