• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

City and County of Swansea Pension Fund

Search

  • Home
    • Introduction
    • Member Self Service – My Pension on-line
    • Links
    • Disclaimer
    • Contact us
  • Current Employees
    • Joining the LGPS – current employees
      • How much will it cost? Information for current employees
      • Transferring previous pension benefits – current employees
    • During membership – current employees
      • Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs) – current employees
      • Absent from Work – current employees
      • Divorce or Dissolution of Civil Partnership – current employees
      • 50/50 Section – current employees
      • Protecting pension benefits – current employees
      • Increasing benefits with additional pension contributions – current employees
      • Changing Your Work Arrangements
    • Membership before 1 April 2014 – current employees
    • Leaving the scheme – current employees
      • Options – current employees
      • Freedom and choice – current employees
    • Retirement – current employees
      • When can I retire? Information for current employees
      • Calculating your benefits – current employees
      • Commutation – current employees
      • Normal retirement – current employees
      • Early retirement – current employees
      • Late retirement – current employees
      • Ill health retirement – current employees
      • Redundancy/efficiency – current employees
      • Flexible retirement – current employees
      • Members – A Guide to your retirement from the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
    • Death in service – current employees
      • Death grant – current employees
      • Survivor benefits – current employees
      • Children’s Pensions – Death in Service
    • Protecting pension benefits – current employees
    • Internal Disputes Resolution Procedure (IDRP)
    • Member guide – A short guide to the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
    • Forms and literature
  • Deferred members
    • Membership before 1 April 2014 – deferred members
    • Left on or after 1 April 2014 – deferred members
    • Transferring your benefits – deferred members
    • Ill Health
    • Death in deferment – deferred members
      • Death Grant
      • Survivor Benefits
      • Children’s Pensions – Deferred
    • Change of address – deferred members
    • Internal Disputes Resolution Procedure (IDRP)
    • Member guide – A short guide to the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
    • A Guide to your retirement from the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
    • Forms and literature
  • Pensioners
    • How do I retire?
    • Payment of pension
    • Income tax – pensioners
    • Payment dates – pensioners
    • Pensions increase
      • Pensions increase and the link with the state scheme (SERPS & GMP)
    • Change of address or bank details -pensioners
    • Death in retirement – pensioners
      • Death grant – pensioners
      • Survivor benefits – pensioners
      • Children’s Pensions – Pensioners
    • Tracing previous pension rights
    • The state pension
    • Internal Disputes Resolution Procedure (IDRP)
    • Forms and literature
  • Councillors
    • Leaving the scheme – councillors
      • Refund of contributions – councillors
      • Deferred benefits – councillors
      • Transferring your benefits – councillors
    • Retirement – councillors
      • Calculating your benefits – councillors
      • Commutation – councillors
      • Normal retirement – current employees
      • Early retirement – councillors
      • Late retirement – councillors
      • Ill health retirement – councillors
    • Death benefits – councillors
      • Death in office – councillors
      • Death in deferment – councillors
      • Death in retirement – councillors
    • Councillor member guide – A brief guide to the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) for eligible councillors in Wales
    • How much will it cost? Information for councillors
    • Transferring previous pension benefits – councillors
    • Internal Disputes Resolution Procedure (IDRP)
    • Forms and literature – councillors
  • Employers
    • Administration documents
      • Pension Administration Strategy
      • Customer service charter
    • Automatic enrolment
    • Presentations and seminars
    • LGPS regulations
    • Internal Disputes Resolution Procedure (IDRP)
    • Secure Employers’ Area
      • Employer guidance manual
      • Local Government Association
      • Employer forms
  • Investment and fund
    • Policy Documents
    • Actuarial valuations
    • Annual report and accounts
    • Administration Documents
    • Pension fund data quality
  • News
    • Videos – Pensions made simple by the LGPS
  • English
    • Cymraeg
You are here: Home / Current Employees / During membership – current employees / Increasing benefits with additional pension contributions – current employees

Increasing benefits with additional pension contributions – current employees

Additional Pension Contributions (APCs)

Additional pension contributions are a way of topping up your pension directly with the City and County of Swansea Pension Fund – you pay in a set amount, and that tops up your pension by a set amount. You can either use APCs to buy extra pension simply because you want to, or to catch up following a break where you have not paid contributions, by buying back lost pension. There is a maximum amount you can boost your pension by (currently £8,903 but will change each year in line with the cost of living.)

Buying Extra Pension

Benefits 

  • APCs allow you to build up additional pension within your Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) pension. This can then be used to provide you with additional retirement benefits.
  • The contributions you make are tax efficient as you can pay the money in directly from your salary before tax. You can normally pay for this extra pension either regularly over a complete number of years directly from your pay or via a lump sum (either from your pay or directly to the City & County of Swansea Pension Fund). The minimum period of time you can spread payment of APCs over is 12 months.
  • You can choose to stop paying APCs at any time by notifying us in writing. You will be credited with the extra pension that you have paid for at the time of ceasing payment.

 Contribution level 

The cost depends on many things – your age, gender, payment period, and how much extra pension you wish to buy. You can pay monthly or make a one off payment.

For example, Christine is 38 and wants to buy an extra £2,000 of yearly pension. This would cost her:

  • £18,400.00 as a one off payment
  • £801.40 per month if paid over 2 years

To find out how much an APC will cost, please visit the APC calculator

Taking your money

If you choose to retire early (before your Normal Pension Age) the extra pension you have bought will be reduced for early payment.  If you choose to draw your pension after your Normal Pension Age any extra pension you buy is increased because it is being paid later.

On retirement, you can choose to exchange some of the extra pension you have bought for a tax-free cash lump sum in the same way as your main LGPS pension.

If you die in service then no extra benefits from your APC contract will be payable. This is because the amount of extra pension you purchase is for you only. 

If you decide to enter into an APC arrangement and elect to pay the APC’s on a monthly basis you will be required to undergo a medical examination at your own expense and provide a certificate of reasonable health before being allowed to buy extra pension.

Buying Back Lost Pension

This is a way of catching up on lost pension following a break, such as unpaid parental leave. See the section on Absence from Work for more information on what absence qualifies.

Strike action and pension

You can buy back “lost” pension if for example you have been on strike, but your employer would not share the cost. You would pay all the costs involved.

If you are buying back “lost” pension through an APC then you don’t require a certificate of reasonable good health.

How to apply

To find out how much an APC will cost, please visit the APC calculator

Once you have inserted your details in the calculator and obtained a quote if you decide to proceed you will need to complete the application form on the calculation page and return it to us at the following address:

Pension Section
Guildhall
SWANSEA
SA1 4PE

Footer

Contact information

Pension Section
Guildhall
Swansea
SA1 4PE
01792 636655
pensions@swansea.gov.uk

Privacy notice

Latest news

  • Pension Dashboards
  • McCloud Judgment-FAQs for Members
  • Winner of the Best Climate Change Strategy Award
  • Statement from the Wales Pension Partnership and the LGPS in Wales
  • Pension fund on course to hit green target

Log In (Employers Only)

Please log into the site.

Return to top of page

Copyright © 2025 City and County of Swansea Pension Fund

  • English
  • Cymraeg