Your retirement options
If you're a member of the Legal Aid (Scotland) Pension Scheme's post October 2010 section, your normal pension age is 65.
Once you reach your normal pension age, you're able to retire from Scottish Legal Aid Board employment and draw the full value of your pension. Pensions are paid for life and increase in line with inflation, usually in April each year.
Early retirement options are possible from age 55 as long as you have at least two years' continuous service in the scheme. Early retirement options include voluntary retirement, partial retirement and retirement due to ill health. The scheme also provides pensions for members who are retired through redundancy.
If you return to the Scottish Legal Aid Board within one month of retiring, your pension may be suspended and you may have to repay any pension you've received.
If you work beyond your normal pension age, your pension will be paid when you eventually retire and the value of any pension earned before your normal pension age will be enhanced.
What you'll receive
When you retire, you'll receive an annual pension equal to 1/60th of reckonable pay for each year of pensionable service in the scheme up to a maximum of 45 years. If you work part-time, your pension will be based on the full time equivalent rate of pensionable pay.
You also have an option to 'commute' some of your annual pension into a tax free lump sum. Every £1 of annual pension given up equals £12 of lump sum and the maximum tax free lump sum you can take is 25% of the overall value of your 'pension pot'.
Applying for your benefits
When you're ready to retire, ask your employer for an application form. This should be completed four months before your intended retirement date.