How to make a complaint to your pension provider

Here are the steps to follow before you make a complaint to the FSPO:

1. Contact your pension provider

Contact your pension provider and make your complaint clearly and formally. Tell your provider how you want it to fix the problem.

2. Give your pension provider a chance to resolve the issue

Your pension provider should deal with your complaint through its own internal complaint handling process. This is called an internal dispute resolution process (IDR process).

Once the IDR process has concluded, the provider should provide you with a notice of determination which will outline its response to your complaint.

It may take up to three months for your pension provider to issue a notice of determination in relation to a pension dispute.

If your complaint is about an occupational pension scheme:

The notice of determination must, in most cases, be issued by the trustees of your pension scheme (or on behalf of the trustees). If you do not know who the trustees of your pension scheme are, you can contact the registered administrator of your scheme or your employer’s pension or HR department, for this information.

If your complaint is about a public or civil service pension scheme:

You should contact your employer, the relevant Government Department or public body, and make your complaint clearly and formally.

The IDR process for your public or civil service pension scheme must be completed:

• Once your pension provider has finished investigating your complaint it should supply you with a notice of determination, outlining its response to your complaint. In some cases, the IDR process will be completed at this point.
• You may have to submit a further appeal to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) or another Government Department, depending on the rules of your scheme. You must complete the IDR process and be issued with a notice of determination by the final decision maker, before the FSPO can progress your complaint. You can contact your employer to find out if this is a requirement of your pension scheme’s IDR process.

If you are having difficulty getting the notice of determination and three months have passed, please contact us.

The Ombudsman may, in some limited circumstances, investigate a complaint against a pension provider, before the IDR process is complete. This may happen if the provider has failed to complete the IDR process so as to allow a complaint to be made within the time limits, as set out in the FSPO Act or where the Ombudsman determines that a complaint is of such importance that it warrants waiving the IDR procedure.