Guidance

Managing pension schemes service newsletter April 2022

Published 11 April 2022

1. Pension scheme migration

Take action now to migrate your pension schemes to the Managing Pension Schemes service.

Pension scheme administrators can now migrate pension schemes registered on the Pension schemes online service to the Managing pension schemes service.

Scheme administrators must be enrolled on the Managing pension schemes service using their existing ‘A0’ administrator ID to be able to migrate pension schemes. Administrators with multiple scheme administrator IDs will need to have enrolled on the Managing pension schemes service using their ‘master’ ID.

Only schemes with a status of ‘open’ on the Pension schemes online service will be included in the list of schemes available to migrate. If you’ve completed the process of setting up your ‘master’ and ‘ancillary’ scheme administrators IDs, you’ll be able to migrate all open pension schemes under all of these IDs on the Managing pension schemes service, using your ‘master’ ID.

We’ll also be introducing additional features to the Managing pension schemes service to help pension scheme administrators and practitioners manage their pension schemes. These features are:

• bulk reporting for Accounting for Tax returns
• updated financial information

Due to issues with testing, these features will not be available from today. We hope to release these shortly.

If you’d like us to contact you when these features are available, please email migration.mps@hmrc.gov.uk and put ‘MPS – new features’ in the subject line.

1a. Updated guidance

We’ve updated our guidance on how to prepare to migrate your pension schemes to the Manging pension schemes service. As you’ll still need to use the Pension schemes online service for certain reports we’ve also updated our other guidance pages to reflect how you should both services.

1b. Migrating your pension schemes

Scheme administrators can now select pension schemes from the list on the Managing pension schemes service, and provide up to date information on them, to migrate them to the service.

Before you migrate any pension schemes, you should review the list of your registered schemes on the Pension schemes online service and notify us if you:

• can see schemes that are inactive and should be wound up
• can see schemes that you do not recognise
• cannot see listed all the schemes you have registered on the Pension schemes online service

In Appendix A, you can find all the information that you’ll need to complete to migrate a pension scheme. This information will need to be completed for each scheme that you need to migrate. Some fields may be pre-populated with information held on the Pension schemes online service and you may have the option to update some of this information as part of the migration process.

All the details entered must reflect the current position of the pension scheme.

If you have any questions about providing establisher details for a registered pension scheme for migration, for example if your scheme is a self-invested personal pension scheme, email migration.mps@hmrc.gov.uk with the following information:

• the pension scheme name
• your pension scheme tax reference (PSTR)
• your scheme administrator ID
• details of the pension scheme establisher query

If there are multiple scheme administrators listed for a pension scheme on the Pension schemes online service, any of these administrators will be able to complete the additional information as long as they’re using their ‘master’ ID. If a scheme administrator starts entering scheme details, they can save their progress and it will be available for another scheme administrator to continue.

Once this information has been completed, the pension scheme will be migrated to the Managing pension schemes service under your ‘master’ ID. The scheme will then be removed from the list of schemes available to migrate from the Pension schemes online service and you’ll receive a registration certificate by post, containing the scheme’s PSTR and original date of registration.

The scheme will still exist on the Pension schemes online service after it’s been migrated.

You do not need to migrate all your pension schemes at once.

1c. Migrating your retirement annuity contracts and deferred annuity contracts

For retirement annuity contracts (RACs) and deferred annuity contracts (DACs), no further information will be requested. You’ll only need to complete the declarations on the Managing pension schemes service to migrate these pension schemes.

If you’re a scheme administrator for multiple RACs and DACs, you’ll be given the option to migrate these altogether, by completing one set of declarations. If you are using this feature, it can take up to 48 hours for the RACs and DACs to be added to your list of schemes on the Managing pension schemes service.

If you’re migrating a large number of RACs or DACs, and the migration of any scheme fails, it will reappear in the list of RACs and DACs available to migrate from the Pension schemes online service.

2. Recreation of existing relationships

Any other scheme administrators added to the pension scheme, or authorised practitioners, on the Pension schemes online service need to be enrolled on the Managing pension schemes service.

If they’ve enrolled for the Managing pension schemes service, their relationship with the scheme will automatically be recreated when the pension scheme is migrated.

If other scheme administrators added to the pension scheme enrol on the Managing pension schemes service after the scheme has been migrated, the relationship will be recreated at that point.

When practitioners enrol, their authorising scheme administrators must have enrolled before the relationship with the scheme can be recreated on the Managing pension schemes service.

3. Adding new scheme administrators or authorising new practitioners

If you need to add new scheme administrators, or authorise new practitioners after the pension scheme has migrated, you’ll need to do this on both the Pension schemes online service and the Managing pension schemes service.

4. Pension scheme practitioners

Only scheme administrators can migrate pension schemes.

If you’re a pension scheme practitioner who would normally file Accounting for Tax returns on behalf of a scheme administrator, you’ll need to be enrolled on the Managing pension schemes service before you can do this.

Your authorising scheme administrator will need to be enrolled on the Managing pension schemes service. Once your authorising scheme administrator has enrolled and the pension scheme has been migrated, as long as you’re enrolled, you’ll automatically be authorised to the pension scheme.

If you no longer act on behalf of a scheme administrator for a migrated pension scheme you’ll need to de-authorise yourself as a practitioner from the scheme on both the Pension schemes online service and the Managing pension schemes service.

5. Pension scheme reporting

5.1 Accounting for Tax (AFT) returns

You can no longer compile and submit any new AFT returns for any quarter from 1 April 2020 onwards, on the Pension schemes online service.

This means that if you need to submit any new AFT returns for any quarter starting 1 April 2020 onwards, you’ll need to migrate the pension scheme and submit the return on the Managing pension schemes service.

If you need to submit a return for the quarter 1 January 2022 to 31 March 2022, you must migrate your pension scheme in time to compile and submit the return by the filing deadline of 15 May 2022.

If you think this will cause issues for you, email migration.mps@hmrc.gov.uk using ’31 March 2022 AFT’ in the subject line. We’ll then contact you to discuss this further.

Find information on how to submit an AFT return using the Managing pension schemes service.

If you’ve compiled, but not yet submitted, a new return on the Pension schemes online service for any quarter from 1 April 2020, you won’t be able to submit it on that service. If you try to, you’ll receive an error message explaining that you’ll need to re-compile and submit the return on the Managing pension schemes service.

If you find that an AFT return should have been submitted for a quarter prior to 1 April 2020, you can submit that AFT return on the Pension schemes online service.

If you’ve already submitted an AFT return on the Pension schemes online service for any period up to 31 December 2021, you’ll still be able to view and amend them on the Pension schemes online service as normal.

You can no longer successfully submit any AFT returns for any period using third party software on the Pension schemes online service. You’ll need to compile and submit the return directly on the relevant service as explained in sub-section ‘5.1 Accounting for Tax Returns’.

If you try to submit a return using third party software, you’ll receive an error message signposting you to guidance on how to submit the return.

5.2 Pension Scheme Return

For pension schemes with a Pension Scheme Tax Reference (PSTR) beginning with ‘0’, you’ll continue to submit Pension Scheme Returns (if required) on the Pension schemes online service.

You only need to submit a Pension Scheme Return if you’ve received a Notice to File for your pension scheme.

5.3 Event reporting

For pension schemes with a PSTR beginning with ‘0’, you’ll continue to submit event reports on the Pension schemes online service.

If you’ve migrated the scheme you are submitting the event report for, you’ll also need to email pensions.businessdelivery@hmrc.gov.uk and put ‘MPS event report’ in the subject line if you’ve reported any of the following:

• event 10
• event 11
• event 12
• event 13
• event 14
• event 19
• event 20
• winding up of the pension scheme

In your email, you’ll need to include:

• the pension scheme tax reference (PSTR)
• the name of the pension scheme
• your pension scheme administrator ID
• details of the event type that you’ve reported on the Pension schemes online service

6. Bulk reporting for Accounting for Tax returns

When this feature becomes available on the Managing pensions scheme service, you’ll be able to choose to upload a file directly on to the service to populate an AFT return.

The function will be available for uploading the details of:

• Annual Allowance charges
• Lifetime Allowance charges
• Overseas Transfer charges

For all other charges, you’ll need to enter the details manually.

You’ll need to upload a different file for each charge. If more than one file is uploaded for the same charge whilst compiling your return, the original file will be overwritten.

All files will need to be uploaded as CSV files. The CSV file templates and instructions are available on the service.

You can manually add more entries for the same charge type after you’ve uploaded a file for a particular charge. You cannot manually enter members details first and then upload a file, as the manual entries will be overwritten for that charge type.

It’s only possible to upload a file for a specific charge once, in any quarter. For any subsequent amendments to that charge on the return, you’ll only have the option to manually enter the data, directly on to the Managing pension schemes service.

Example 1: If you reported a Lifetime Allowance charge on the first submission of the event report for a quarter, manually or by uploading a file, any subsequent amendments will need to be done manually.

Example 2 : If you did not report a Lifetime Allowance charge in the first submission of the event report for a quarter, you could bulk upload a file to report a Lifetime Allowance charge in the second submission for that quarter.

If there’s a validation error with the file you’ve uploaded, a message will be displayed explaining what the problem is and how to rectify this. You’ll need to correct any errors and upload the file again before you can submit the return.

The maximum file size is 2MB for any of the charges. There is no limit on the number of individuals you can include on the file, as long as the file size is no bigger than 2MB.

Find information on how to compile and amend an AFT return using the Managing pension schemes service.

7. Payments relating to charges

For a short period of time, you’ll be unable to make a payment for a charge using the Pension Scheme Tax Reference (PSTR) as the reference.

If you need to make a payment, you must use the relevant charge reference so that your payment is allocated correctly.

If you do not know what the correct charge reference is, you should email pensions.administration@hmrc.gov.uk and put ‘unknown charge reference’ in the subject line of the email.

We’ll confirm when you can start making payments using the PSTR as the reference in a future newsletter.

8. Financial Information

When we release the updated financial information available on the Managing pension schemes service, it will include information about payments made, where they’ve been allocated and your overall account balance.

Where there is an overall credit balance displayed on the record, pension scheme administrators and practitioners will have the option of requesting a refund through the service.

Once you’ve requested a refund, the credit balance will only change once the refund has been made. We’ll aim to process your request within 15 working days. You’ll be able to see when the refund has been made as the credit balance will be reduced accordingly . You’ll also receive confirmation of the refund, and any repayment interest, by post.

Find information on how to request a refund through the Managing pension schemes service.

9. Updating details

9a. Updating scheme information

Once a pension scheme has been migrated to the Managing pension schemes service, you’ll need to update your scheme information on the Pension schemes online service and the Managing pension schemes service.

9b. Updating your details

If you’re enrolled on the Managing pension schemes service, you’ll need to keep your scheme administrator and practitioner details, up to date on both the Pension schemes online service and Managing pension schemes service.

10. Schemes without a Pension Scheme Tax Reference (PSTR)

Some pension scheme administrators do not currently have access to a number of pension schemes that were registered before 6 April 2006.

For many of these schemes, you may only hold the superannuation fund (SF) reference number, rather than a PSTR.

If you’re a scheme administrator for a pension scheme that you do not currently have access to, you’ll need to tell us that you’re the scheme administrator, to make sure that the pension scheme appears on your list of pension schemes available to migrate.

If you have 5 or less of these pension schemes

If you have 5 or less of these pension schemes, complete Appendix D of the March 2021 newsletter and email this to migration.mps@hmrc.gov.uk and put ‘Pre-A Day pension schemes’ in the subject line.

If you have more than 5 of these pension schemes

If you have more than 5 of these pension schemes, send an email with ‘Multiple Pre-A Day schemes’ in the subject line, to migration.mps@hmrc.gov.uk. We’ll provide further instructions on how to tell us about these pension schemes.

Inactive pension schemes

If you’re a scheme administrator for a pension scheme that you do not currently have access to, but the scheme is inactive and should be wound up, you’ll need to send an email with ‘Managing pension schemes – wound up schemes’ in the subject line to migration.mps@hmrc.gov.uk.

In your email, you’ll need to include:

• the PSTR or superannuation fund reference number (if held)
• the name of the pension scheme
• your scheme administrator ID
• the date of wind up

11. How you can help us

We’re still looking for people to help us improve the Managing pension schemes service.

You can take part in user research and give us feedback by joining the Managing Pension Schemes user panel. As a member of the panel, we’ll only contact you about the Managing pension schemes service.

This is your chance to give feedback and help inform the future design and development of the service.

You can also email feedback to pensions.businessdelivery@hmrc.gov.uk using ‘Managing pension schemes service – feedback’ in the subject line.

12. Further guidance

If you have any questions or concerns about the Managing pension schemes service, you can email migration.mps@hmrc.gov.uk using ‘Managing pension schemes service’ in the subject line.