76Reduction of benefit entitlements

76 Reduction of benefit entitlements

(1)  A benefit or benefit entitlement payable under these regulations is to be reduced at the time of payment by the Commission to the extent of the balance of the surchargeable contributions debt account.

(2)  For the purposes of subregulation (1)  –

(a) if a benefit entitlement payable under these regulations or substituted under regulation 102 is taken wholly as a lump sum, the lump sum benefit entitlement is to be reduced by an amount representing any part of the surchargeable contributions debt account attributable to that benefit entitlement; and

(b) if a person elects to commute part of his or her lump sum benefit entitlement payable under these regulations to a pension –

(i) calculated under regulations 60 and 61 ; or

(ii) calculated in accordance with Schedule 1 ; or

(iii) substituted under regulation 102  –

the part of the benefit remaining as a lump sum is to be sufficient to discharge the balance of his or her surchargeable contributions debt account, and an amount representing any part of that account attributable to that benefit entitlement is to be deducted from the lump sum remaining; and

(c) if a person elects to commute all of his or her lump sum benefit entitlement payable under these regulations to a pension calculated under regulations 60 and 61  –

(i) part of the benefit must be taken as a lump sum sufficient to discharge the balance of his or her surchargeable contributions debt account; and

(ii) an amount representing any part of that account attributable to that benefit entitlement is to be deducted from the benefit entitlement before the commutation to a pension; and

(d) if a person elects to commute all of a benefit entitlement payable under the contributory scheme to a pension substituted under regulation 102 or a pension in accordance with Schedule 1 , the amount by which the annual pension is to be reduced is determined in accordance with the following formula: