The National Health Service Pension Scheme Regulations 1995

Meaning of “qualifying service”

C3.—(1) In these Regulations, “qualifying service” is service which counts for the purpose of ascertaining entitlement to benefits under these Regulations but not for the purpose of calculating them and means the aggregate of the following—

(a) pensionable service under these Regulations, except any period of pensionable service credited to the member under regulation N1(4) (transfers from other pension arrangements) or any period of additional service referred to in regulation Q1 (right to buy additional service);

(b) where a transfer payment has been accepted under regulation N1(4) in respect of the member’s rights under another occupational pension scheme, a personal pension scheme, or a buy–out policy, the period of employment that qualified the member for those rights; and

(c) any period reckonable as “service” under the previous regulations.

(2) If a member leaves and subsequently returns to pensionable employment, paragraphs (3) and (4) will apply for the purpose of calculating the member’s qualifying service.

(3) If the interval between leaving and rejoining pensionable employment does not exceed one month or is due to a trade dispute, the member’s pensionable service before and after the break will be treated as continuous for the purpose of calculating the member’s qualifying service after the break, (even if the member’s pensionable service before and after the break is otherwise treated separately for the purpose of calculating the member’s benefits) except that the interval will be excluded.

(4) If a member is entitled to a preserved pension under regulation L1 in respect of the earlier period of pensionable service (whether or not the pension has become payable), and the periods of pensionable service before and after the break are not treated as continuous under regulation L4, the period of pensionable service to which that pension relates will be treated as qualifying service in relation to the later period.

(5) If a pension becomes payable to a member under regulation R4(6) (members doing more than one job) and the member has elected to take a benefit only in respect of the employment that has ended, the pensionable service in respect of which that benefit is calculated will be treated as qualifying service in relation to the employment in respect of which rights to benefits continue to accrue.

(6) If the member is a whole–time chaplain, any period of employment as a whole–time chaplain before joining the scheme will be treated as qualifying service.