Welcome to Pension Pulse

March 2026

Hit the links below for all the latest pension news and updates for you and your employees.

Contents

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End-of-year checklist

We’re nearing the end of the 2025-26 financial year. So, we’ve put together a checklist to highlight the actions you need to take before 31 March 2026 – from submitting your March monthly return to checking backdated pay. 

Checklist: actions you need to take

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Submit your March monthly data return: remember to send your return to LPPA by the 10th April deadline (6th for Lancashire County Pension Fund). For more information, click here
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When completing your monthly data return: remember to include ‘casual members’ in your submission, regardless of whether the member has received pay in that period or not.  This is important for your March files, as it will ensure that your records are updated correctly at the end of the financial year – ahead of us producing annual benefit statements for your members.
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Make APP adjustments: remember, any assumed pensionable pay (APP) must be adjusted if an employee is absent from work for a period that crosses 31 March for two consecutive years. This year, the increase is 3.8 per cent. To find out more, click here
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Check backdated pay: if any of your employees are affected by backdated pay increases, please add the details to your monthly data return. For help and support, click here
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Don’t duplicate your leaver submissions: don’t forget, you no longer need to submit a leaver form for members with certain reasons for leaving (see here for further information), as the information will be picked up in your monthly return.

2026 employee contributions

The new employee contribution bands that apply to the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) from 1 April 2026 are now on our website. 

Find out more

CARE revaluation revealed

The 2026 CARE (Career Average Revalued Earnings) revaluation rates for the LGPS have been confirmed. 

Find out more

Latest training

Our latest employer training dates are now available.

Find out more

Monthly returns

Next deadline: 10 April (6th for Lancashire County Pension Fund).

Find out more

Retirement notifications

Remember, we need at least 30 days’ notice.

Find out more

LGPS access & fairness changes

We’re currently working through the new regulations relating to the access and fairness changes for the LGPS scheme. View the Government’s response here.

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LGPS summary

The LGPS has published a new summary of the scheme, including details on how it works, the Scheme Advisory Board and administering authority duties.

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Our latest web page updates 

Employer retirement page (for you) >

Pensions dashboards page (for you and your members) >

About us page (for you and your members) >

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