{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/pensions-act-northern-ireland-2015/section-16",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/pensions-act-northern-ireland-2015/section-16.json",
  "legislation": "nia/2015/5",
  "legislation_title": "Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2015",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/pensions-act-northern-ireland-2015",
  "path": "section/16",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "16",
  "heading": "Pensioner's option to suspend state pension",
  "text": "(1) A person who has become entitled to a state pension under this Part may opt to suspend his or her entitlement in accordance with regulations.\n(2) A person is not entitled to any state pension under this Part for the period for which the person has opted to suspend his or her entitlement.\n(3) For other effects of a person exercising the option, see section 17.\n(4) A person may not opt to suspend his or her entitlement to a state pension under this Part on more than one occasion.\n(5) Regulations may specify other circumstances in which a person may not opt to suspend his or her entitlement to a state pension under this Part.\n(6) Regulations may allow a person who has opted to suspend his or her entitlement to a state pension under this Part to cancel the exercise of that option (in whole or in part) in relation to a past period.",
  "extent": "N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "S. 16(1)(6) in operation at 16.7.2015 for specified purposes by S.R. 2015/307, art. 2(2)(d)"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I2",
      "text": "S. 16 in operation at 6.4.2016 so far as not brought into operation earlier by an order, see s. 53(1)(3)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nia/2015/5/section/16",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T20:20:14.058015+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}