Guidance

Newsletter 178 — February 2026

Published 27 February 2026

Transfers to qualifying recognised overseas pension schemes (QROPS)

In pension schemes newsletter 176 – December 2025, we advised you must now report a transfer to a qualifying recognised overseas pension scheme (QROPS) on the Managing pension schemes service.

The APSS262 print and post form has been removed from GOV.UK and we will no longer accept the form as a submission, if received after 5 April 2026. You must make sure all transfers to QROPS are reported on the Managing pension schemes service from 6 April 2026 onwards.

We have now released some enhancements to the new functionality. You can:

• search any previously compiled or submitted reports on the Managing pension schemes service
• print a copy of a submitted report for your records

We will send an email confirmation upon successful submission.

Inheritance Tax on Pensions

Legislation introducing Inheritance Tax on pensions is currently progressing through Parliament as part of the Finance Bill. Further information will be shared in due course to support scheme administrators and industry stakeholders in understanding the new requirements. This will include HMRC publishing detailed guidance on GOV.UK.

Normal Minimum Pension Age (NMPA)

Pension scheme administrators will be aware that the normal minimum pension age is scheduled to increase from age 55 to age 57 from 6 April 2028. Legislation for this change, includes the associated 2028 protection framework, introduced in the Finance Bill (No.2) 2021–22.

Work on the transitional regulations that will support the implementation of the normal minimum pension age increase is ongoing. These regulations are intended to ensure that individuals who are entitled to and have already begun receiving their pension benefits can continue to do so without interruption. Pension schemes should be aware that although the legislation sets the minimum age at which benefits can be taken, this must be considered alongside the rules of the member’s pension scheme, which determine what benefits can be taken and from what age. For example, the age specified in a scheme’s rules may be higher than the normal minimum pension age. We will share further details in a future newsletter as soon as the draft transitional regulations are ready for technical consultation.

We would also like to remind pension scheme administrators of the rules governing when members may retain a protected pension age following a transfer to another pension scheme, and the circumstances in which this protection may be lost.

Guidance on retaining a protected pension age after an individual transfer or a block transfer is available in the Pension Tax Manual:

• PTM062240 - Member benefits: pensions: protected pension age: right to keep a protected pension age after transfers or winding-ups
• PTM062215 - Member benefits: pensions: protected pension age: right to take benefits before age 57

This guidance covers both members who have a right to take benefits before age 55 and those entitled to take benefits before age 57.

While the sharing of information between schemes, including information on protected pension age, remains the responsibility of individual schemes, it is helpful for members to be informed of any potential considerations associated with transferring their benefits. Where protected pension age details attached to previous transfers have not been shared with receiving schemes, consideration should also be given to sharing this information retrospectively. This would support schemes and members in holding accurate protected pension age information ahead of 6 April 2028.

Digitisation of Relief at Source (DigiRAS)

Deconsolidated claims and payments for the tax year 2026 to 2027

In pension schemes newsletter 170 – May 2025 we outlined HMRC’s work to improve the payment process for pension schemes that claim relief at source by introducing a system designed to enable faster payment processing.

Our aim was to start processing claims through the Strategic payment service from April 2026. Unfortunately, this has been delayed because the full development and testing of the changes is behind our planned delivery date. We are aiming to deliver the changes in summer 2026 and will provide further update as soon as we can.

We are sorry for any inconvenience this causes you.

Until we can introduce the changes to the Strategic payment service the time it takes from submitting a claim to receiving a payment will remain the same as it is now. If HMRC receives the claim by the last working day of the month and is satisfied with the claim, it will normally be paid on the 21st of the following month or the next working day after the 21st.

We will provide further updates on the changes to the system and improved payment timelines in future pension schemes newsletters.

In pension scheme newsletter 172 – August 2025, we explained that HMRC had worked with schemes that currently submit consolidated claims and issued new relief at source references to be used for the 2026 to 2027 tax year onwards.

We would remind all pension scheme administrators who currently make consolidated relief at source claims that you must use the new relief at source references for all claims relating to contributions made from 6 April 2026 onwards.

The process for submitting claims remains unchanged and you should continue to send HMRC forms APSS105 and APSS106 as usual but use the new relief at source references.

If you have a consolidated claim but have not yet heard from us, please email reliefatsource.administration@hmrc.gov.uk with ‘consolidated claim’ in the subject line.

Update on digitisation of relief at source

In pension schemes newsletter 167 – March 2025, we explained that this service would not be operative until April 2028 at the earliest. We now expect this to be not before April 2029, which gives us more time to work with stakeholders on the design of the new service.

We will continue to engage with you during the next stages of this project and provide updates in future newsletters.

Members protections and enhancements

Launch of a new functionality on the Managing pension schemes service

In pension schemes newsletter 176 – December 2025, we told you the protection look up service was moving onto the Managing pension schemes service.

The previous unauthenticated look up service is no longer available.

You can now use the authenticated look up service, ‘Check a pension scheme member’s protections and enhancements’ within the Managing pension schemes service.

To use the look up service and complete a search you will need your member’s:

• full name
• date of birth
• National Insurance number
• pension scheme administrator check reference

Where to get the pension scheme administrator check reference

Ask the member for the reference if you do not already have it.

They can find the reference:

• on their protection certificate or confirmation letter
• when they check the protected allowances on their pension savings
• by contacting HMRC if their protection or enhancement is from before 2014

Further guidance is available at Check a pension scheme member’s protected allowance and enhanced protection.