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In 1990 my wife started teaching and at that time opted out of the Teachers Pension Scheme.
In 1994 she started a new job with Local Authority #1 and opted back in. LA #1 started deducting pension contributions from her salary.
She went on maternity leave (twice) and also changed jobs to LA#2 in the next 10 years but then returned to work for LA#1 who continued deducting pension contributions.
She changed jobs again back to LA#2 in January last year. At this point no pension contributions were taken. She didn't notice this until a letter came through from LA#2 asking her if she wanted to join a pension scheme.
To cut a long story short, none of the contributiosn she (or her employer who should have been making contributions too) has made since 1994 have ever found their way to the Teachers Pension scheme. The tax office have records of her being opted out of NI for the relevant period and we have some pay slips going back to 2003 showing contributions being taken.
Teachers pensions are saying they were never told in 1994 that she'd opted back in and both of the LA's concerned are proving extremely reluctant to offer any assistance at all.
Someone from her Union has contacted Teachers Pensions and is basically being told 'nothign to do with us mate' - basically they've now said we have no record of you ever being in the schem - you can appeal, but basically we're not interested.
Where we are now is that my wife has possibly lost all pension contributions for a 20 year period and we're being told by the union that LA#1 and LA#2 'may just offer you a cash settlement' which is going to be useless as far as I can see compared with the benefits she shoudl have had.
So, where do we go?
Stick with the Union?
Try and find some other 'We deal with your employer when they stuff your retirement up' solicitors?
Any help gratefully received.
Oh, she just got a call from LA#2 - they've destroyed all historic payslip records.
"We had a copy on a CD but someone threw away the only PC that would read it."
😯
He did follow up with "I did find a bit of old 'fiche in a drawer though and it has your payslips from 1998 on it showing contribuitions being made"
Has she kept any of her payslips?
I'm guessing she's kept something to give you the dates above - but what?
We've got some payslips going back to 2003 but nothign before that (other than the ones from the 'fiche that the bloke is sending us a printout of).
I'm kind of thinking that with the 'evidence' from the tax office of her opting out and if we can get P60 values for each of the years ti should be relatively easy to calculate what contributions she would have made in each year.
We then need to convice LA#1 and LA#2 to match those and forward their + her payments on to Teachers Pensions and for them to accept that as being backdated to 1994 as far as her final salary is concerned.
Problem is likely to be that the Pension provider won't have been earnign any money on it for 20 years so they may not be interested. Hence why I think we'll be offered cash and lose the benefit.
Apply to bothj La, s and askfor the relevant information under the data protection act, that usually gets them to get their finger out, but with all the job loses going on a lot of staff seem to be shreding random info, just to be naughty.