Pension Complaints

Complaints about occupational (workplace) pension schemes — including defined benefit (final salary) and defined contribution (money purchase) schemes — are handled by the Pensions Ombudsman. Common complaints include:

• Errors in benefit calculations or transfers
• Disputes about what benefits you are entitled to
• Failure by trustees to follow the scheme rules
• Maladministration by the pension administrator
• Delays in transferring or paying out benefits

Contact the pension scheme's trustees or administrator first and follow their internal disputes resolution procedure (IDRP). All occupational pension schemes must have an IDRP. If the IDRP does not resolve your complaint, refer to the Pensions Ombudsman (pensions-ombudsman.org.uk).

Complaints about personal pensions (including stakeholder pensions and SIPPs) provided by regulated financial firms are handled by both the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) and the Pensions Ombudsman, depending on the nature of the complaint.

In general:

• Complaints about financial advice, mis-selling, or investment performance relating to a personal pension go to the FOS
• Complaints about the administration of a personal pension (errors, delays, transfers) go to the Pensions Ombudsman

If you are unsure which body to use, contact both — they will direct you appropriately. Both services are free and independent.

Disputes about the amount of your State Pension, National Insurance record, or entitlement to benefit from your ex-spouse's contributions are handled differently. Contact HMRC (for NI record queries) or the DWP Pension Service (for State Pension payment issues) first.

If HMRC's response to an NI record dispute is not satisfactory, you can use their formal complaints process and escalate to the Adjudicator's Office (an independent office that reviews HMRC complaints). For DWP State Pension decisions, use the DWP complaints process and escalate to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) if needed.

The Money and Pensions Service (moneyhelper.org.uk) offers free specialist pensions guidance and can help you understand your rights before making a complaint.

Pension scams cost victims an average of over £50,000, and the complaint routes vary depending on who was at fault. If you believe you have been the victim of a pension scam — including cold-call investment offers, high-return guarantees, or pressure to transfer out of your workplace scheme — take the following steps.

Report to Action Fraud: Contact Action Fraud (actionfraud.police.uk) to report the scam. This creates a crime reference number and feeds intelligence to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau. Even if individual recovery is unlikely, your report helps protect others.

Report to the FCA: If a regulated firm was involved in giving advice that led to the transfer, report to the Financial Conduct Authority via the FCA's ScamSmart portal (fca.org.uk/scamsmart). The FCA can take enforcement action against regulated firms and can assist in identifying unregulated individuals.

Complaint to the Pensions Ombudsman: Where the scam involved a legitimate pension scheme failing to carry out adequate due diligence before processing a transfer — for example, failing to warn you about known scam indicators — you may have a complaint against the scheme trustees. The Pensions Ombudsman has upheld complaints against schemes that processed transfers in breach of their own rules or without following proper checks.

The Equality Act 2010 and pension complaints: If you believe a pension scheme has treated you less favourably because of a protected characteristic — such as disability, age, gender, or sexual orientation — you have rights under the Equality Act 2010. Pension schemes are service providers for Equality Act purposes, and discriminatory rules (for example, historical rules that denied survivor benefits to same-sex partners before civil partnerships were introduced) can be challenged. Complaints about discriminatory scheme rules should be directed to the Pensions Ombudsman, who has jurisdiction to consider Equality Act arguments, and to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) for systemic issues.

Evidence to gather: For any pension complaint, assemble: your original joining documents or pension scheme booklet; all correspondence with the scheme administrator, trustees, or financial adviser; transfer documentation including transfer value quotations; any marketing materials you were shown; records of phone calls or meetings; and bank records showing any payments made in connection with the pension. A well-organised evidence bundle substantially speeds up any investigation.