Certificate in Local Government Pension Scheme Administration
Aimed at England and Wales Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) administrators specifically, this new Level 3 (A Level equivalent) qualification has been developed by the Local Government Association (LGA), and accredited by the Pensions Management Institute (PMI).
It is expected that students will have some experience of working in the LGPS before studying towards the Certificate in Local Government Pension Scheme Administration.
Certificate in LGPS Administration Course content
There are six compulsory units:
Unit 1 – UK pension provision and the LGPS
The first unit in this course covers the UK pensions landscape. Students may be familiar with the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) but there are thousands of other pension schemes in the UK structured in different ways and providing different benefits.
This unit aims to give the student an understanding of the most common benefit structures in the UK for pension schemes, defined contribution and defined benefits with a high level view of the differences. It also covers the three pillars of pension saving; the State Pension scheme, occupational pension schemes and personal pension schemes.
Unit 2 – The CARE scheme
This unit covers the new joiner process and ongoing employer duties in the LGPS. Students will be able to explain the impact of employment changes during active membership of the LGPS and understand how CARE benefits are calculated. Students will also explore the options available to scheme members to improve their pension benefits in the LGPS and explain the LGPS appeals process.
Unit 3 – Early leaver benefits
This unit allows students to identify the options available to a member leaving the LGPS before retirement. Unit 3 also incorporates understanding the calculation of final salary benefits in the LGPS and when a member is eligible for aggregation or interfund options.
Unit 4 – Transfers in and out
Unit 4 allows students to identify when the requirements for transferring into and out of the LGPS are met. Students will demonstrate an understanding of how transfers in and out of the LGPS are calculated. This unit will allow students to demonstrate their understanding of the need for robust procedures and checks for transfers out of the LGPS. Finally, the unit will also cover the basic principles of pension sharing on divorce.
Unit 5 – Retirement Benefits
In this unit students will develop an understanding of the different types of retirement in the LGPS. They will calculate retirement benefits in various retirement scenarios, including ill-health, and understand the processes involved in paying retirement benefits.
Unit 6 – Death Benefits
The final unit allows students to identify the eligibility criteria for the different survivor and death benefits payable in the LGPS. This will include the calculation of death grants and survivor benefits and the rules and processes which surround the payment of these benefits.
Study and assessment
Each unit will be completed over a three month period, ending with a multiple choice, open-book examination. The examinations will test against learning objectives and success criteria detailed in the study materials provided to students. The recommended study time is 40 hours per unit.
The qualification will take a minimum of 18 months to complete. The cost of the course covers one examination and one resit (if necessary) per unit. The resit will be scheduled approximately one week after the original examination. Further resit examinations will be available at an extra cost.
Students cannot progress to study for a subsequent unit until they pass the previous unit. Where a student fails an examination and resit, the next resit can be taken at the next available examination cycle.
Upon passing at a later examination cycle the student will be given a choice to either continue with the next unit immediately, with access to a tutorial which may be pre-recorded, or to wait until the next cohort of students begins the same unit. This could mean up to a five month wait.
The maximum time to complete the Level 3 Certificate in LGPS Administration is 4 years.
The learning method will be self study with in-house support expected from the student’s administering authority. A two-and-a-half-hour group tutorial facilitated by the LGA’s LGPS Training and Development Advisers will be given for each unit.
On passing this qualification, candidates will be eligible for ProfPMI membership with the PMI. Please get in touch with the team directly – Membership@pensions-pmi.org.uk
Cost
The price per student is £1,750 plus VAT.
The cost covers:
- Student registration with PMI
- Certificate of completion
- All learning materials
- One two hour group tutorial for each unit
- One examination session for each unit
- One resit examination session for each unit, if required.
If a student requires more than one resit an extra charge per examination cycle will be payable. An examination cycle contains an examination and a resit. There is also a charge for students returning from a break in learning. Details of all additional costs are provided prior to study commencing.
How to register interest for Level 3 Certificate in LGPS Administration
To express your interest please complete the Level 3 register of interest form.
Please note: September 2026 cohort is now full, you will be registering interest for the April 2027 cohort.
For queries please email training.lgps@local.gov.uk.
In the interest of fairness, places are limited to four per administering authority, per cohort.
Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
Cohorts will start each April and September with a maximum capacity of 50 students per cohort.