Parental leave and your pension
When you're on parental leave (including maternity, paternity or adoption leave) you'll remain a member of your Police pension scheme. However, the precise arrangements for pension purposes will depend on whether you're on paid or unpaid parental leave.
Paid parental leave
While you're on paid parental leave, you'll continue to pay scheme contributions which will be deducted from the pensionable pay you actually receive.
Similarly, any 'Keeping in Touch' days you undertake are pensionable and scheme contributions will be deducted from your pay for these days.
Unpaid parental leave
Although it’s not compulsory to pay scheme contributions when you're on unpaid parental leave, you can choose to pay any missed contributions when you return to work.
If you do choose to pay contributions to cover any period of unpaid leave, you must notify your employer in the first instance and do so, within three months of your return to work. You're only permitted to pay back six months worth of missed contributions and if these contributions are not paid then you won’t accumulate any pension benefits for the unpaid leave period.
If you don't return to work after a period of parental leave
Your last day of scheme membership will be the last day you pay scheme contributions. Any pension you have accumulated to this point will be preserved and your membership will be deferred.