April 2026 LGPS reforms target gender pension gap

From April 2026, months of unpaid additional maternity leave in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) will count towards your pension by default, the UK government said on 2 February 2026. (gov.uk)

Shared parental and adoption leave will also be treated as pensionable, alongside a new duty to publish gender pension gap data across the scheme. (gov.uk)

Government figures highlight the need: nearly seven million people are in the LGPS and about three‑quarters are women, with maternity leave a key reason for lower pension build‑up. (gov.uk)

Let’s pause on the why. When you step back from work to care for a baby, your pay and pension contributions often dip at the very moment costs rise at home. That gap compounds over time. By making leave pensionable automatically, we remove one of the main ways women’s retirement income falls behind.

What it means for families if the worst happens: survivor benefits are being levelled so partners are treated the same whether a relationship was opposite‑sex or same‑sex, with backdated and future payments where needed. (gov.uk)

An age rule that blocked a death‑grant lump sum when a member died at or after 75 will be removed, allowing survivors to receive a lump sum in those cases. (gov.uk)

The government will also improve data on why people opt out of the LGPS, so funds can act on real reasons and keep more people saving. (gov.uk)

If you’re planning parental leave from April 2026, expect your employer and fund administrator to treat unpaid additional maternity, shared parental and adoption leave as pensionable automatically. Keep a note of your leave dates and check your next annual benefit statement to ensure your record reflects that period.

We suggest a simple habit to protect your future self: store copies of HR letters and payslips during leave, and if your statement misses months you know should count, contact payroll or your pension fund to get your service updated.

Ministers framed the package as correcting long‑standing inequality, and the TUC called it an important step while urging ministers to extend the approach across the wider public sector. (gov.uk)

Mark the calendar. These changes start in April 2026. If you support colleagues or students, share the basics: leave will count, survivor rules are fairer, and clearer data should follow-so planning work, family and retirement becomes a little easier.