Work pension payments

[mattfox]

I started a pension with my new job a few months ago but will not be staying the the UK in the future. I have my owns savings and wanted the money I had paid in to be refunded back to me but the company pension scheme says payments cannot be refunded after 3 months. All other places I've worked have been less than 2 years. Is there any way around this or am I stuck with the terms of this particular pension?????

Thanks

Matt

[WendyS]

I was under the impression if you had less than 2 years contributions into a company pension scheme, the money had to be repaid when you left their employment. I have never heard of an occupational scheme which says payments cannot be refunded after 3 months. Is somebody in your company pensions department fobbing you off? Have you personally read the Pension Trust rules which specifies this? It seems a strange clause to me because if you had to leave having made only a few months' contributions, even after many years, there would probably still be insufficient funds to buy you the minimum pension possible and the fund would possibly have to make a "one-off" payment to you in lieu of an ongoing minimum pension. . I'm unsure whether it is Inland Revenue regulations that insist on contributions under two years being refunded. (It might be worth your while checking with them). I suppose your only options are to write to the pension trustees and ask for a refund.