Child-related leave
In the LGPS, child-related leave includes:
- maternity or adoption leave (usually the first 26 weeks)
- paid extra maternity or adoption leave (usually weeks 27 to 39)
- unpaid extra maternity or adoption leave (if it started on or after 1 April 2026)
- paid shared parental leave
- unpaid shared parental leave (if it started on or after 1 April 2026)
- paternity leave
- bereaved partner’s paternity leave
- paid parental bereavement leave
- paid neonatal care leave.
During this type of leave, your pension is usually based on something called assumed pensionable pay (APP).
APP is a notional pay figure. It helps protect your pension if your pay goes down while you’re on leave. This means:
- you build up your pension as if you’re working as normal
- it’s as if you’re still getting your usual pay.
50/50 section
If you’re in the 50/50 section and your pay stops during leave (for example, maternity or paternity leave):
- you’ll move to the main section automatically
- this happens at the start of the next pay period
- you’ll build up full pension benefits
- you don’t have to pay pension contributions during this time.
