The Pensions Ombudsman

What are the powers of the Pensions Ombudsman and when should he be used?

The Pensions Ombudsman is a free, impartial forum set up to determine complaints or disputes of fact or law. As a result of the transfer of The Pensions Advisory Service’s dispute resolution function to the Pension Ombudsman with effect from 19 March 2018, the Pensions Ombudsman now offers an informal resolution service (led by its Resolution Team) as well as an adjudication service. Our material explores mainly the workings of the Pensions Ombudsman’s adjudication service.

Completion of a scheme's internal dispute resolution procedure is usually required before an eligible member can file a formal application under the Pensions Ombudsman's adjudication service. Applications must fall within the Ombudsman's jurisdiction and be within three years of the date of the offending act or omission which is the subject of the application. Exceptions to the three year time limit can be made.

The caseworker can request more information from the parties and, where appropriate, the Ombudsman can hold oral hearings, although this is rarely used in practice. After

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Latest Pensions News

Pensions weekly highlights—29 January 2026

This week’s edition of Pensions weekly highlights includes a review of key news stories, as well as dates for your diary and trackers.

PPI publishes third report assessing retirement adequacy for low earners

The Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) has published the third report in its ‘From Payslip to Pension: Life Course Impacts on Retirement Saving Among Low Earners’ series.The report projects retirement outcomes for low earners under current automatic enrolment policy. The report concludes that retirement adequacy challenges persist across profiles, highlighting the influence of housing costs, household circumstances and the need for policy interventions to better support low earners.

SMF proposes pensions dashboard health checks to enhance engagement and retirement security

The Social Market Foundation (SMF) has published a report recommending that a pensions dashboard health check could improve retirement saving outcomes by tackling widespread disengagement with pensions in the UK. The SMF’S report finds persistently low pension engagement: 28% of full-time workers barely engage with their pension, many haven’t checked their savings in years, and confidence in pension saving remains weak. The report indicates that while the forthcoming launch of pensions dashboards may improve access to pension information, it is unlikely on its own to drive meaningful behavioural change. To address this, the SMF recommends embedding personalised guidance through a pensions dashboard health check to assist users interpret their estimated retirement income and identify practical actions, such as increasing contributions or consolidating pension pots.

House of Lords report warns IHT changes on pensions remain unworkable without further reform

The House of Lords Economic Affairs Finance Bill Sub-Committee (the Committee) has published a report examining the proposed inheritance tax (IHT) reforms in the draft Finance Bill 2025–26. The report considers proposals to bring unused pension funds and certain death benefits within the scope of IHT from April 2027, as well as reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief due to take effect from April 2026. In relation to pensions, the Committee has concluded that proposals to bring unused pension funds and certain pension death benefits within IHT from April 2027 remain operationally problematic and risk being unworkable without further reform.