The Judicial Pensions Regulations 2022

CHAPTER 3 Partial retirement benefits

Exercise of partial retirement option

49.—(1) This regulation applies if—

(a) a person (P) is an active member of this scheme in relation to a continuous period of pensionable service;

(b) P has reached normal minimum pension age;

(c) the terms of P’s appointment have changed and as a result of that change the amount of P’s annual pensionable earnings in respect of service in a particular office is reduced to 80% of the amount before the change or less; and

(d) P would be entitled to the immediate payment of a full retirement pension if P left pensionable service and claimed payment of the pension in respect of that particular office.

(2) P may opt to continue in pensionable service but claim payment of the whole or part only of P’s accrued pensions in respect of a particular office for the continuous period of pensionable service before P’s pensionable earnings were reduced (“partial retirement option”).

(3) P may not exercise a partial retirement option more than once in respect of a particular judicial office.

(4) Where P holds more than one judicial office—

(a) P may exercise a partial retirement option separately in relation to each office held; and

(b) P may only access the pension accrued in relation to the particular office or offices in respect of which P is exercising the partial retirement option.

(5) For the purposes of calculating P’s annual pensionable earnings in relation to paragraph (1)(c) where P is a fee-paid office holder, the amount of pensionable earnings that P receives in respect of a particular office is calculated as follows—

Z per annum, where:

where—

• J means the total fee-paid income in respect of that office over the preceding three years, or, if less than three years, over the period since P was first appointed to that office;

• K means the lesser of—

  (a)

  3; or

  (b)

  the period in years (and a fraction of a year, determined by complete months) from the first sitting day in that particular office until the date of partial retirement;

• “complete month” includes an incomplete month that consists of at least 16 days; and

• Z means the annualised total of fees from that particular office.

(6) Where P holds multiple assignments within the First-tier Tribunal or the Upper Tribunal—

(a) the reduction in earnings in paragraph (1)(c) refers to service in each chamber of the relevant tribunal; and

(b) in paragraph (5) references to an office are to be taken as references to an assignment to a tribunal chamber.

Partial retirement option notice

50.—(1) A partial retirement option may only be exercised—

(a) by notice to the scheme manager in a form required by the scheme manager (“option notice”); and

(b) in the 3 months after P’s pensionable earnings are reduced, on a date agreed by the member and the scheme manager.

(2) An option notice must specify—

(a) if P holds more than one office, the office or offices in respect of which P is exercising the partial retirement option;

(b) whether P claims payment of—

(i) the whole of P’s accrued pensions to which the office relates; or

(ii) part only of P’s accrued pensions to which the office relates; and

(c) if P claims payment of part only, the proportion of each description of accrued pension for which payment is claimed (“option proportion”).

Entitlement to partial retirement pension or full retirement pension

51.  An active member of this scheme (P) who exercises the partial retirement option is entitled to the immediate payment for life of—

(a) if P claims payment of part only of P’s accrued pensions, a partial retirement pension calculated in accordance with regulation 41(2) (amount of partial retirement pension); or

(b) if P claims payment of the whole of P’s accrued pensions, a full retirement pension calculated in accordance with regulation 39(2) (amount of full retirement pension).

Annual rate of partial retirement pension

52.—(1) This regulation applies if an active member of this scheme (P) exercises the partial retirement option in respect of part only of P’s accrued pensions in the office from which P is taking partial retirement.

(2) The annual rate of partial retirement pension is calculated under regulation 47 (annual rate of full retirement pension (active members)) by reference to the amount of full retirement pension specified in the full retirement account.

(3) Regulation 47 applies as if—

(a) the reference to a full retirement pension were a reference to a partial retirement pension; and

(b) the reference to the full retirement account were a reference to the partial retirement account.

Annual rate of full retirement pension when taking partial retirement

53.—(1) This regulation applies if an active member of this scheme (P) exercises the partial retirement option in respect of the whole of P’s accrued pensions in the office for which P is taking partial retirement.

(2) The annual rate of full retirement pension is calculated under regulation 47 (annual rate of full retirement pension (active members)) by reference to the amount of full retirement pension specified in the full retirement account.

(3) Regulation 47 applies as if the last day of pensionable service were the day before the day on which the member exercised the partial retirement option.