How do I become a member?

To help people save more money for their retirement, the Government now requires employers to automatically enrol their workers into a workplace pension scheme (if they are not already in one). This is called Auto-Enrolment.

Under the Scheme Rules, employees who have been employed by an Employer for at least three months are eligible to join the Scheme if they are at least 18 and have not passed the first day of the month following their 60th birthday.

However, if your Employer is automatically enrolling its employees into the Scheme, slightly different criteria apply. If you meet the criteria for Auto-Enrolment, you won’t have to do anything. You will be enrolled in the DC Section of the Scheme (see below):

• If your Employer has reached its Staging Date and you are an Eligible Jobholder, you will be automatically enrolled into the Scheme. Your Employer will provide further information.
• If you are not an Eligible Jobholder or are within a Waiting Period you may apply to join by completing an application form and passing it to your Employer.
• If you commence employment prior to attaining the age of 22 and have not already joined the Scheme, then you will be auto-enrolled upon attaining the age of 22 if you are at that time an Eligible Jobholder.
• If your Employer has reached its Staging Date but has informed the Trustee that it will not be using the ITB DC Scheme to fulfil its auto-enrolment duties, then your Employer must inform you that you can elect to join the DC Section of the Scheme by completing an application form and passing it to your Employer.

Your Employer will notify you of which category you fall into.

If you are not admitted to the DC Section of the Scheme under the membership arrangements detailed above, and your Employer has passed its Staging Date you can still join the Scheme by making a request to your Employer, if you are aged between 16 and 74.

Please complete a Nomination Form when joining the Scheme. The Nomination Form will help the Trustee to make decisions regarding the distribution of any lump sums payable on death. This can be in found in the DC member booklet or in the document library.

Opting-out of membership

You may choose to opt-out of the Scheme at any time by notifying your Employer using the Opt-Out form. If you do opt out you will stop paying contributions and so will your Employer, and your life assurance cover under the Scheme will cease. An opt-out form is available in the document library or from the ITB Pension Funds Office.

Auto-Enrolment: If you have opted-out of the Scheme and you are an Eligible Jobholder, your Employer is legally required to re-enrol you automatically, usually every 3 years, or when you reach age 22, if earlier. You would have the opportunity to opt-out again if you wish to.

Transferring in pension benefits from other arrangements:

You may be able to Transfer-in the value of benefits that you hold in other pension arrangements to add to your DC Account.