Reckonable service meaning

Reckonable service is the period of employment that counts, usually in years and days, when calculating a member’s pension benefits under a defined benefit public sector scheme, including the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). The term is set by the relevant scheme regulations or rules, rather than a single statute or case. It typically includes actual pensionable service and, where permitted, credited periods such as transferred-in service and purchased added years or additional pension. Part-time service is pro-rated. Periods that are not pensionable—such as certain unpaid leave or strike days—do not count unless the member pays the required contributions to buy back the lost pension. Breaks in service are excluded unless aggregated under the scheme. Reckonable service is central to calculating final salary accrual (for pre-reform tranches) and career-average revalued earnings (CARE) benefits, and may affect early or ill-health retirement reductions and survivor benefits. Usage is broadly consistent across England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland, but the precise inclusion and exclusion rules are scheme-specific (for example, the LGPS regulations in each UK jurisdiction and Irish public service superannuation schemes).