Social Security Pensions Act 1975

39 Commutation, surrender and forfeiture

(1) Where the annual rate of a pension required to be provided by a scheme in accordance with section 33 or 36 above would not exceed the prescribed amount and the circumstances are such as may be prescribed, the scheme may provide for the payment of a lump sum instead of that pension.

(2) A scheme may, with the approval of the Occupational Pensions Board, provide for the payment to the earner of a lump sum instead of any part of the pension required to be provided for him under section 33 which exceeds the guaranteed minimum ; but—

(a) the manner in which the amount of the lump sum is arrived at under the scheme must be satisfactory to the Board; and

(b) the Board shall not give their approval under this subsection unless they are satisfied that it will not result in the benefits of the scheme, taken as a whole, being less favourable to the earner than would otherwise have been the case.

(3) Without prejudice to subsection (1) above, a scheme may, in relation to a case where the earner dies before attaining pensionable age, provide for the payment of a lump sum instead of any part of the pension required to be provided for his widow in accordance with section 36 above which exceeds her guaranteed minimum, being a lump sum equal to not less than eleven times what would have been the annual rate of that part; and subsection (8) of that section shall have effect in relation to any such lump sum as it has effect in relation to any part of a pension in excess of the widow's guaranteed minimum.

(4) Neither section 33 nor section 36 above shall preclude a scheme from providing—

(a) for any part of a pension in excess of the earner's or widow's guaranteed minimum, as the case may be, to be forfeited or surrendered or to be subject to any charge, lien or set-off; or

(b) for the earner's or widow's guaranteed minimum pension to be suspended or forfeited in such circumstances as may be prescribed.