Understanding your protected pension rights

Some members of the Scottish Teachers' Superannuation Scheme's NPA 60 and NPA 65 sections qualified for protected pension rights when the Scottish Teachers' Pension Scheme 2015 scheme was introduced. Depending on how close you were to retirement when the current scheme was introduced in 2015, you may have qualified for ‘full’ or ‘tapered’ protection. From 1st April 2022 all members will move into the CARE scheme.

Full protection

If you qualified for full protection, you’ll have continued to earn benefits in your former scheme as before and you’ll have kept the same normal pension age. To qualify for full protection, you had to have been paying into your scheme on 1 April 2012 and 1 April 2015 and you had to meet certain age conditions.

If you were in the NPA 60 Section as a normal member, your ongoing rights were fully protected in that section if, on 1 April 2012, you were at least 50 years old.

If you were in the NPA 65 Section, your ongoing rights were fully protected in that section if, on 1 April 2012, you were aged 55 or over.

Tapered protection

Tapered protection was also extended to some members of the NPA 60 and NPA 65 Sections who were close to retirement when the Scottish Teachers' Pension Scheme 2015 scheme was launched but didn’t qualify for full protection.

If you were within three years and 5 months of qualifying for full protection and were paying into your pension scheme on 1 April 2012 and 1 April 2015, you’ll move in to the 2015 scheme at a later date.

If you hold tapered protection, SPPA will have written to you at the time to let you know when you'll move to the 2015 scheme, your employer should also be aware of your tapering date.