University of Bath Group Pension Plan (UoBGPP)
Staff on grades 2 to 5 who start their employment at the University on or after 1st June 2021 are eligible to join the University of Bath Group Pension Plan. This pension plan is administered by Aviva.
All eligible staff are automatically enrolled into the UoBGPP at the default 6% employee contribution rate. In addition the University will contribute 8% of your pensionable pay into this pension plan.
You can change your contribution rate to one of the below rates. You will need to complete the Contribution Adjustment form which you will find under the documents section at the bottom of this page.
For the change to be effective in the next payday, the form must be received by the Payroll deadline.
You will note the University will reward higher employee contributions of 1% with a match of 1.5% up to a maximum employee contribution of 10% at which point the University is contributing an additional 14% into your pension plan.
University of Bath Group Pension Plan.
| Contributions | Employee contributions % | Employer contributions % |
|---|---|---|
| Reduced contributions | 0% | 3% |
| Reduced contributions | 1% | 3.5% |
| Reduced contributions | 2% | 4% |
| Reduced contributions | 3% | 4.5% |
| Reduced contributions | 4% | 5% |
| Reduced contributions | 5% | 6.5% |
| Default contributions | 6% | 8% |
| Additional contributions | 7% | 9.5% |
| Additional contributions | 8% | 11% |
| Additional contributions | 9% | 12.5% |
| Additional contributions | 10% | 14% |
The UoBGPP also offers the following benefits, which are provided by Canada Life:
- Death in Service, 6 x salary.
- Group Income Protection (ill health), 50% of salary, no pension contributions and cover to age 65 or State Pension Age, deferred for 52 weeks.
Aviva administer the scheme and they send a joining letter and membership certificate within 6 weeks of your start date. If you don't receive your joining letter, please contact AVIVA or the University’s Pension Officer.
The letter details how to register online for the AVIVA pension portal in which you can:
- update any changes in your personal details (e.g. home address). All correspondence will be made via this address, so it is very important that you keep this updated.
- amend the fund that your pension is invested in.
- amend your target retirement date.
- use tools and calculators to make pension estimations.
- nominate your beneficiary in the event of your death.
Opting out
You can opt out from UoBGPP and the details on how to do this will be sent to you directly from Aviva as part of your starter pack. However, please be aware you have the option of changing your contribution rate to 0%, as detailed above, and the University will still contribute 3% of your pensionable pay to your pension. By staying in the UoBGPP even with a reduced contribution rate you will also retain the death in service and ill health benefits. If you choose to opt out from UoBGPP altogether you will lose these additional benefits. If you would like more information please contact dcpension@bath.ac.uk.
Annual statements
The pension statements will be issued to home addresses in June of each year, if you do not receive one please contact:
AVIVA
PO Box 520
Surrey Street
Norwich
NR1 3WG
email: contactus@aviva.com
Call: 0800 145 5744
Taking retirement
Contact AVIVA when your retirement has been confirmed in writing by HR. Try and give 2 month’s notice to AVIVA to help ensure that your pension payments start on time.
The University will stop further contributions once your retirement has been processed by HR.
Get a retirement quote
Contact AVIVA through their employee portal to get a retirement quote.
Leaving the University
When you leave the University, contributions will stop, but you can choose to leave the pension invested within the scheme or transfer to a new pension provider. You can still access your pension details via the AVIVA pension portal. This will include details of how to transfer and manage your funds.
If you are an overseas national and intend to leave the UK at the end of your University employment, the pension arrangements are exactly the same and at the end of your university employment, the pension can be transferred out to any UK recognised overseas pension scheme. Please check and ensure that AVIVA have your current contact address and details.
Important Documents
University of Bath Group Pension Plan Contribution Adjustment Form
Contact AVIVA
AVIVA
PO Box 520
Surrey Street
Norwich
NR1 3WG
email: contactus@aviva.com
Call: 0800 145 5744