If you are a UK Operational volunteer and if you receive payments from the RNLI that are subject to assessment for tax and National Insurance, Pensions Automatic Enrolment means that your age and earnings are assessed. If you meet both thresholds in any month, you will join the RNLI's pension scheme without completing a form.
- The age threshold is age 22 to your State Pension Age.
- The earnings threshold is £833 per month (gross/before deductions).
If you are automatically enrolled into the RNLI's Group Personal Pension Plan, it means that you met the age/earnings threshold to join the pension scheme without completing a form. You will contribute 2% of your earnings above the Government's Lower Limit Qualifying Earnings and the RNLI will contribute 6% of your earnings above the Lower Limit Qualifying Earnings.
If you are under the age and/or earnings threshold you can complete an Opt In form if you want to join the RNLI's Group Personal Pension Plan.
If you join the Plan, if your earnings are above the Government's Lower Limit Qualifying Earnings, you will contribute 2% of your RNLI earnings that are above the Qualifying Earnings band. The RNLI will contribute 6% of your earnings above the Qualifying Earnings band.
As a volunteer, if your earnings are below the Government's Lower Limit Qualifying Earnings, then the RNLI will not contribute towards your pension.
For details of the current Lower Limit Qualifying Earnings, search www.gov.uk
If the RNLI does make a pension contribution, the value will be shown in the bottom right corner of your payslip.
If you decide to increase the pension contribution that you make from relevant RNLI earnings, you can do so by sending an email to People_Admin@rnli.org.uk and stating the new pension % that you wish to increase to. If you increase your contribution, the RNLI's contribution will not change.
If you haven't already done so, you will receive information on the Group Personal Pension Plan from Aviva. Aviva is the RNLI's UK pension provider.
Some volunteers ask whether there is an upper limit on how much can be contributed to their pension. The UK Government sets an annual allowance and lifetime allowance. Information on both allowances can be found on HMRC's website:
If you wish, in addition to contributions you choose to make from your volunteer payments, you can pay your own contributions, directly to Aviva. The process to do this can be found here:
https://rnlipensions.org.uk/documents/uk-gpp-additional-payments.pdf
Please note that the RNLI is not allowed or qualified to give people pensions advice but if you need advice on pensions, you should find a Financial Adviser who will be qualified to provide advice: