Details of Civil Service Pension Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVC) arrangements: FOI release

Information requested

My enquiry relates to staff in the core Scottish Government directorates and I am interested in the following financial years: 2025/26; 2024/25; 2023/24; 2022/21.
- The number of civil servants (by grade/rank) that have made AVC payments
- The mean average AVC contribution eg considering all AVC payments made and number of staff making them
- The highest single individual AVC contribution in pounds. And how many times that maximumpayment was made during those years.
- The lowest single individual AVC contribution in pounds. And how many times that lowest payment was made during those years.
- Please describe the mechanism used to transfer AVC funds from Scottish Government to Legal & General.
- Please describe the reason why AVC payments do not transfer immediately on pay day from Scottish Government to L&G. I understand there is usually a delay of many days from pay day and the AVC being credited to the individual’s AVC account.

Response

2021/22

Grade	No. Employees
1st Officer	10
A4	67
B1	22
B2	14
C1	38
SCS Deputy Director	1

Mean amount = £420.57
Highest = £2800 x 1 person
Lowest £10 x 1 person

2023/24

Grade	No. Employees
1st Officer	11
A4	79
B1	39
B2	12
B3	48
C1	11
Fee Paid	11

Mean amount = £451.74
Highest = £3400 x 1 Person
Lowest = £10 x 1 Person

2024/25

Grade	No. Employees
1st Officer	13
A4	87
B1	51
B2	16
B3	12
C1	68
SCS Deputy Director	1
Fee Paid	18

Mean Amount = £488.44
Highest = £3800 x 1 Person
Lowest = £10 x 2 People

2025/26

Grade	No. Employees
A3	51
A4	163
B1	11
B2	48
B3	6
C1	27
C2	3
SCS Deputy Director	1

Mean Amount = £526.50
Highest = £4500 x 1 Person
Lowest = £1 Only x 1 Person

The process to transfer AVC funds to Legal and General (L&G) is by direct debit, with payment details uploaded to the L&G portal by the 19th of the following month which enables collection of funds by L&G i.e. April’s payment information is uploaded by 19th May, and the transaction is completed by this date.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.