• If you have left the pension scheme before your retirement age, the benefits you have built up will remain in the scheme and will receive annual inflation increases until they become payable. These are in line with pensions increase tables.

We call these ‘deferred’ or ‘preserved’ benefits.

• It is possible to have more than one deferred benefit in the scheme if you have more than one period of scheme membership.

• We will send you a statement every year to your home address showing the current value of your deferred benefits after the addition of all the annual pension increases.

• Please let us know in writing if you change your home address.

• Deferred benefits normally become payable at age 65.
• You can choose to take your deferred benefits from age 60 but reductions may apply.
• Alternatively, you can delay payment past age 65.
• If you wish to claim the benefits before the normal payment date, you should make a claim in writing three months before the date from which you wish the benefits to be paid.
• If you stopped contributing to the Local Government Pension Scheme before 1 April 1998, you can only ask for your benefits to be paid at age 60, age 65 or your normal retirement date. If you stopped contributing after this date, you can ask for your benefits to be paid at any date after age 60.
• You can find more information about pension payments in the section Thinking about retiring?

• You may be able to transfer your deferred benefits to another pension scheme. You need to contact your new pension provider to find out how to do this.
• Similarly, you can ask for your pension rights to be transferred to your new job if you rejoin the Local Government Pension Scheme, but this will not happen automatically.
• If you re-join the Hampshire Pension Fund you need to make sure you complete the relevant section of the membership option form.  1mb

• If you die before your deferred benefits are due, a death grant lump sum will be payable to your estate.
• If your last day of service was on or before 31 March 2008 the lump sum will be the lump sum shown on your annual statement.
• If your last day of service was on or after 1 April 2008 the lump sum will be five times the annual pension shown on your annual statement

You can find more information in dependants' benefits