Tel: 0800 012 1117

Joining and auto-enrolment

Discover more about joining the Career Average Revalued Earnings (CARE) Section of the Fund, which is open to all eligible British Transport Police employees and those who have a legal right to join.

Joining the British Transport Police Force Superannuation Fund

The British Transport Police Force Superannuation Fund (BTPFSF or the Fund) is a workplace pension scheme. It consists of 3 sections: 

  • the 1970 section – for members who joined before 1 April 2007
  • the 2007 section – for members who joined between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2015, and
  • the CARE section – for members who joined on or after 1 April 2015

The CARE Section is the only section of the Fund that is open to new joiners.

Joining the Fund

You can join the Fund if:

  • it’s part of your employment contract. You will need to speak to your employer for further details about this
  • you have a legal right to join
  • your employer has chosen the Fund as their suitable auto-enrolment pension scheme and you are eligible to join under auto-enrolment law. You can find more information about auto-enrolment below.
  • your employer offers you membership of the Fund

Please speak to your employer if you haven’t been offered the chance to join the Fund and think you might be eligible. If you’ve already been enrolled in it and are not sure why, please check with your employer to find out. You can read more about what you’ll get as a member of the Fund on the benefits of my membership page.

Video: Welcome to the Fund

Watch this short welcome video for a high-level overview of saving for retirement with the BTP Fund.

Understanding auto-enrolment

If you meet certain criteria and you are not already being enrolled for another reason - as listed above - then by law your employer must automatically enrol you into a pension scheme.

This process is known as auto-enrolment.

Your employer can choose which pension scheme to automatically enrol you into. They will write to you to explain what is happening but do not need to ask your permission first.

Even if you don’t meet the auto-enrolment law criteria listed below, you may still be able to opt-in or join your employer’s auto-enrolment pension scheme. You will need to speak to your employer to find out if this is possible.

If you think you’ve been auto-enrolled by mistake please contact your employer.

Auto-enrolment law applies to anyone who:

  • works in the UK
  • is at least 22, but under State Pension age
  • earns above the minimum level set for auto-enrolment. This is known as the earnings threshold and is currently set at £10,000
  • isn’t already in a suitable workplace pension scheme
What auto-enrolment means for you in the Fund

If your employer has chosen to auto-enrol you into the Fund, they will get everything set up on your behalf, without you having to do anything.

Once the auto-enrolment process is complete, you’ll get a welcome letter from the Fund. This will be followed by a new joiner pack, giving you more information about your membership.

You’ll also be able to register for a myFund account to find more details about your pension.

The money you’re paying into your pension will be taken directly from your wages, so you won’t have to worry about setting up any payments. This also means you benefit from tax relief too.

You can read more about what you’ll get as a member of the Fund on the benefits of my membership page.

If you've just joined, please see the I’m new to the Fund page for details of what to do next.

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Opting out of the Fund

Paying into a pension is one of the most secure ways of saving for your life after work. But if you have been enrolled into the Fund and decide it's not right for you, then you can leave or opt-out.

How you leave the Fund depends on whether you were auto-enrolled or were enrolled for a different reason. You can find more information on the leaving the Fund and opting out page.

If you do opt-out, your employer may be required to automatically enrol you back into the Fund or another suitable pension scheme after 3 years. This is in line with auto-enrolment law and is designed to give you another chance to start saving for your future. You should speak to your employer if you need more information.

Manage your pension online

The easiest way to manage your Fund pension and actively plan for retirement is to use your myFund account.

You can get a copy of your Member Guide, ask for estimates, check/update your details... and more!