Part 1: Public Service Pension Schemes Chapter 1: Schemes other than Judicial Schemes and Local Government Schemes Section 7: Elections by virtue of section 6: timing and procedure
Section 7(1) sets out that an election under section 6 must be made before the end of the section 6 election period (which is defined in section 7(2)) and is treated as taking effect immediately before the member became a pensioner member or, if the member died before becoming a pensioner, immediately before the member’s death. The effect of the election is therefore retrospective, and the legislation specifies the timing of that retrospection to ensure that the member’s pension rights are retrospectively treated as having arisen at the correct point in time (i.e. just before the pension benefits became payable).
	Section 7(2) provides that the end of the section 6 election period is one year from the date that a remediable service statement is first provided by the scheme or such later time as the scheme manager considers reasonable in the circumstances. A remediable service statement is provided for later in the Act. It will contain information about the benefits payable in relation to a member’s remediable service if an election to receive new scheme benefits is made or not made.
	Section 7(3) sets out further provision that scheme regulations may make to manage immediate choice elections.