The Public Service (Civil Servants and Others) Pensions (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025
Source: legislation.gov.uk (2025-07-01)

These Regulations amend The Public Service (Civil Servants and Others) Pensions Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014 (the 2014 Regulations) (S.R. 2014/290). The 2014 Regulations established a scheme for the payment of pensions and other benefits to civil servants and other eligible persons (“the alpha scheme”).

Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland

2025 No. 109

Public Service Pensions

The Public Service (Civil Servants and Others) Pensions (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025

Made

13th June 2025

Coming into operation

1st July 2025

The Department of Finance(1 (\"#f00001\"))makes these Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 1(1) and (2)(a), 2(1), 3(1), (2), (3), 22(1), paragraph 1 of Schedule 2 and Schedule 3 to the Public Service Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2014(2 (\"#f00002\"))(“the 2014 Act”).

In accordance with section 22(2) and (3) of the 2014 Act, the Department of Finance has consulted the representatives of such persons as appear to the Department likely to be affected by these Regulations and laid a report before the Assembly.

Citation and commencementN.I.

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Public Service (Civil Servants and Others) Pensions (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025.

(2) These Regulations shall come into operation on 1st July 2025.

Commencement Information

I1Reg. 1 in operation at 1.7.2025, see reg. 1(2) (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/nisr/2025/109/regulation/1/2\")

Amendments to the Public Service (Civil Servants and Others) Pensions Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014N.I.

2. The Public Service (Civil Servants and Others) Pensions Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014(3 (\"#f00003\")) are amended as follows.

Commencement Information

I2Reg. 2 in operation at 1.7.2025, see reg. 1(2) (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/nisr/2025/109/regulation/1/2\")

Amendment of regulation 134N.I.

3. In regulation 134 (Rate of member contributions)—

(a)for paragraph (4), substitute—

“(4) In this regulation—

(a)for the purpose of calculating the rate of member contributions, pensionable earnings are determined in relation to each pay period and are the sum of;

(i)the member’s basic amount of pensionable salary; and

(ii)the member’s permanent pensionable allowances; and

(iii)the member’s fluctuating pensionable earnings;

(b)the member contributions rate is the relevant percentage rate set out in the relevant table in this regulation, which applies to a member’s annualised rate of pensionable earnings calculated in relation to each payment of a member’s pensionable earnings;

(c)for the purpose of this regulation, the total pensionable earnings in relation to a payment excludes any arrears or retrospective element when determining the member’s annualised rate of pensionable earnings;

(d)the Department must, having considered the advice of the scheme actuary, determine and publish the annualised rate of pensionable earnings bands in the table set out in this regulation in respect of each subsequent scheme year;

(e)the Department must make amending regulations to change the contribution percentage rates in the table set out in this regulation in respect of any subsequent scheme year.”;

(b)after regulation 134(8) for the table headed “Scheme Year 1st April 2019 to 31st March 2020” substitute—

“For scheme year that commenced on 1st April 2025, for the period of that scheme year from 1st July 2025 up to and including 31st August 2025

Annualised rate of pensionable earningsMember contributions rate effective from 1st July 2025 to 31st August 2025Up to but not including £27,092.004.65%£27,092.00 to but not including £61,646.005.65%£61,646.00 to but not including £165,794.007.55%£165,794.00 and above8.25%

For scheme year that commenced on 1st April 2025, for the period of that scheme year from 1st September 2025 up to and including the 31st March 2026 and each full scheme year subsequently

Annualised rate of pensionable earningsMember contributions rate effective from 1st September 2025Up to but not including £28,717.004.65%£28,717.00 to but not including £65,344.005.65%£65,344.00 to but not including £175,741.007.55%£175,741.00 and above8.25%”

Commencement Information

I3Reg. 3 in operation at 1.7.2025, see reg. 1(2) (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/nisr/2025/109/regulation/1/2\")

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Finance on 13th June 2025.

(L.S.)

Patrick Neeson

A senior officer of the

Department of Finance

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend The Public Service (Civil Servants and Others) Pensions Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014 (the 2014 Regulations) (S.R. 2014/290 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/nisr/2014/290\")). The 2014 Regulations established a scheme for the payment of pensions and other benefits to civil servants and other eligible persons (“the alpha scheme”).

The Northern Ireland Civil Service Pension benefit structure requires 5.6% of pensionable earnings to be contributed by members collectively (scheme yield). These Amendment Regulations address the shortfall in the scheme yield by adjusting the employee contribution percentage rates with effect from 1st July 2025.

Regulation 3(b) sets the member contribution rates payable from 1st July 2025.

The Regulations come into operation on 1st July 2025.

An impact assessment has not been produced for this statutory rule as no impact on the costs of business or the voluntary sector is foreseen.

(1)

The Department of Finance and Personnel was renamed the Department of Finance by section 1(4) of, and Schedule 1 to, the Departments Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 (2016 c.5(NI)) (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/nia/2016/5\").

(2)

2014 c.2 (N.I.) (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/nia/2014/2\")

(3)

S.R. 2014/290 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/nisr/2014/290\"), as amended by S.R. 2015/181 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/nisr/2015/181\"), S.R. 2019/60 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/nisr/2019/60\"), S.R. 2022/67 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/nisr/2022/67\"), S.R. 2022/126 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/nisr/2022/126\") and S.I. 2023/1267 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/2023/1267\").