Leaving the service early?

[RotaryWingB2]

After a conversation today where a RAF friend of mine told me that the RAF are allowed to retire up to 12 months before their due out date, with no financial penalties (pension etc).

Can anyone confirm or deny this?

If true, is this tri-service or purely RAF?

[Pontius Navigator]

Well one thing is for sure. If you go one year early you will take a hit on your pension by one year.

I suspect the basis for the rumour is that people with jobs lined up have been able to get out more quickly.

[Talk Reaction]

As I understand it, no officer could be 50 AND have completed 30 years reckonable service...... sneaky!

[Specaircrew]

Unless of course you joined at 18 (like wot I did) and transferred to AFPS05 (like wot I did) making your reckonable service 32 years at age 50!

[Yellow Sun]

Spelling

As I understand it, no officer could be 50 AND have completed 30 years reckonable service...... sneaky!

I cannot comment on the current situation, but those who joined under the Apprentice scheme, via Halton and Locking, and were subsequently selected to proceed to Cranwell on completion of there Apprentice training did in fact have their service from the age of 18 treated as "reckonable service". Those of us who on the same entry who had joined as Flight Cadets had to wait until comissioning and the age of 21 to be similarly blessed!

I left 6 months prior to my 44/22 option point with the offer of a job. It didn't cost me only a year, they abated my pension by 10%, i.e. PVR terms. Not really all that generous.

YS

[steve757]

It is a long time (13 yrs) since I drove a desk at Group, but I vaguely recall that the info was in ASIs, either Air Staff Instructions or Admin Staff Instructions.( a large green manual). Essentially you could leave up to 12 months early if
a. your deskie and the boss could release you
b. you could show a firm offer of a job

A mate did it without much hassle but took a whack on his pension for the privelege. Prob all hidden in JPA now.

[ralphmalph]

You need to delve into the nitty gritty for this. If you leave before your agreed run out date you face penalties on your entitlements.

No terminal leave - 28 Days

Penalty on your lump sum payment

I believe that there is also a penalty for your pension payments but have not been able to find any links.

There was a good example on the Glasgow website regarding a guy running out his engagement and on who was leaving on PVR terms. There was a shortfall for the PVR guy of about 22%!.

The amount of time to relase and individual varies...however the full year is being employed in some areas of pinch.

[shawtarce]

With less than 12 months left, I've heard that there is a QR that allows you to leave 3 months early ( before the 22 year point) if you have a job to go to, with no financial penalty at all.
I've yet to find this in QRs yet, but I'll continue to look......
If anyone knows the QR in question, I'd greatly appreciate the info.
Ta