Query about breaks in service when switching between public sector jobs

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PoundMan

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Hi folks, my first public sector job in Ireland was with a national government department in 2020. In 2021, I finished my employment there on a Friday before starting a new job with a Local Authority on the Monday. A colleague has told me this was a mistake on my part as the two weekend days (Saturday & Sunday) in-between would be classed as a break in service. They said that I should always submit my resignation on a Sunday so that my 4-week notice period ends on a Sunday and then start the new job the next day on the Monday. Is this true? I'm a little annoyed that I wasn't aware of this kind of thing much sooner.
 
It does seem to be true, I recall being advised of the "Sunday resignation" back in the 80s when I moved between public service jobs.
 
Possibly it means you missed out on 2/7 of a weeks pay - not sure about that. Other than that I can't see any big impact. Missing 2 days from your complete pensionable service is not going to make much of a difference.
 
I've just double-checked and searched through old emails to find that my official resignation was on the Saturday and I started the new job on the Monday. So perhaps I might be ok as it's unclear if Sunday is considered a working day.
 
I contacted MyPay Superannuation about this and was told the following:

"In regards to your query, I note that you are a member of the Single Public Service Pension Scheme. This scheme is based on a career averaging model. This means that your retirement benefits are based on a % of your pensionable earnings throughout your public service career as a member of the Scheme. It is not a service based scheme so therefore the break in service you referenced has no impact for you."

So it would appear that I have nothing to worry about.
 
The break in service was important if you were D stamp si pre 1995. Also important after 1995 as there was a variety of pension schemes where every day counted. You did have 6 months but I've known of people missing out by one week / month due to lack of knowledge.
 
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