Manage a registered pension scheme
How to manage a registered pension scheme if you're a scheme administrator.
Sign in to the Managing pension schemes service
To view and manage an existing pension scheme you’ll need the Government Gateway user ID and password linked to your scheme administrator ID.
Online services may be slow during busy times. Check if there are any problems with the online services for pension schemes.
Before you start
You’ll need:
- your Pension Scheme Tax Reference (PSTR) or submission reference number
- the Government Gateway user ID and password you used when you enrolled for the online services for pension schemes
Inviting other scheme administrators to your scheme
The administrator you’re inviting must be registered with HMRC as a scheme administrator. You’ll need:
- their scheme administrator ID
- the name they used when they registered as scheme administrator
After you’ve invited the new scheme administrator, they’ll have 30 days to accept your invitation.
If they do not respond to your invitation within 30 days, the invitation will be automatically withdrawn.
Only the first scheme administrator listed for a scheme will receive paper notifications (such as penalty notices, assessments and notices to file reports and returns) from HMRC by post.
Other administrators for the scheme can get copies of HMRC notifications by contacting HMRC.
If the pension scheme has a PSTR beginning with ‘0’, they’ll also need to be added as a scheme administrator on the Pension schemes online service. Find out how to do this in section 3.1 of the Pension schemes online user guide.
How to recover your enrolment details
As pension scheme administrator, if you’ve not logged on to either the Pension schemes online or Managing pension schemes service in the last 3 years, your Government Gateway details will have been deleted and you will not be able to access the services.
HMRC will still hold your pension scheme administrator ID and registration details but you will need to recover them.
If you try to access the services using deleted details you’ll receive a message as if the credentials are incorrect.
If you have multiple users under one scheme administrator ID, check if any other users still have access. If they do, the existing administrator user can allocate the relevant services to you and you will not need to complete the following steps.
Pension Schemes Online service
You can complete the following steps to recover your details for the Pension schemes online service if you have a scheme administrator ID beginning with ‘A0’.
-
On the sign in page enter your email address and select ‘Continue’. You’ll receive a confirmation code by email address.
-
Enter the code you received and select ‘Continue’.
-
If you enter this correctly, this will confirm your email address and you can select ‘Continue’ again.
-
Enter your full name and select ‘Continue’.
-
You’ll need to create a new password for your business tax account. This must be 10 or more characters. Select ‘Continue’.
-
You’ll see your new Government Gateway user ID, which will be sent to your email address. Select ‘Continue‘.
-
You will be asked to set up additional security for your Gateway User ID, and then select ‘Continue‘.
-
Enter your scheme administrator ID and the postcode that it’s registered under and select ‘Request access’. If you do not know your scheme administrator ID, you’ll need to contact HMRC.
You’ll get an activation code in the post within 7 days to the address that your pension scheme administrator ID is registered under. If you select ‘Continue’ this will take you to your business tax account homepage. If you do not get your activation code within 7 days, you can request a new one from this page.
Once you’ve received your activation code
-
Sign in to your business tax account and select ‘Access Pension schemes online for administrators’.
-
Enter the 12 character activation code and select ‘Get access’. You’ll then see on screen confirmation that you can access the service. If you select ‘Continue’, you’ll be taken to your business tax account homepage, where you can select the service.
If you have previously enrolled on the Managing pension schemes, you’ll also need to recover this enrolment. You can check how to do this in the ‘Managing pension schemes’ section.
Managing pension schemes service
Complete the following steps to recover your details for the Managing pension schemes service.
‘A0 Pension Scheme administrator ID’
If you have a scheme administrator ID beginning with ‘A0’, you’ll need to recover your Pension schemes online enrolment first, or you will receive an error message.
You can check how to do this in the ‘Pension schemes online service’ section of this guide.
Once you have done this, you’ll need to complete the following steps to recover your enrolment to the Managing pension schemes service.
-
Log into your government gateway linked to your scheme administrator ID and select ‘get online access to a tax, duty or scheme’.
-
Select ‘Other taxes or schemes’.
-
Select ‘Manage and register pension schemes’.
-
Select ‘register as an administrator or recover your administrator details’
-
You will be asked if you have previously registered on the Managing pension schemes service, and you’ll need to select ‘Yes, but I have not logged in to my account in the last 3 years’
-
Enter your Administrator ID, and an identifier option based on your type of enrolment on the Managing pension schemes service.
If the incorrect information is provided you will receive an error message.
If the correct details have been entered, you will be redirected back into the Managing pension schemes service, where you will be taken to your dashboard page containing the correct enrolment details.
‘A2 Pension Scheme administrator ID’
If you have a scheme administrator ID beginning with ‘A2’ you’ll need to complete the following steps to recover your enrolment to the Managing pension schemes service.
-
Set up a new Business Account or log in to an existing business tax account that does not have a Managing pension schemes service enrolment.
-
Select ‘get online access to a tax, duty or scheme’.
-
Next select ‘Other taxes or schemes’.
-
Select ‘Manage and register pension schemes’
-
Select ‘register as an administrator or recover your administrator details’.
-
You will be asked if you have previously registered on the Managing pension schemes service, and you’ll need to select ‘Yes, but I have not logged in to my account in the last 3 years’
-
You will then be asked to enter your Administrator ID, and an identifier option based on your type of enrolment on the Managing pension schemes service.
If the incorrect information is provided you will receive an error message.
If the correct details have been entered, you will be redirected back into the Managing pension schemes service, where you will be taken to your dashboard page containing the correct enrolment details.
Updating your scheme information
You’ll only be able to update a scheme’s details if it has a status of ‘open’. You can save and return to the changes you made to your scheme details but they will not be updated on the online services for pension schemes until you have completed a declaration.
If you do not make and submit the declaration within 30 days of changing the scheme details, the changes will be lost, and you’ll have to make them again.
You should add the updated details as a new record and delete the previous information if you need to change the name of the scheme:
- establisher
- trustee
- partner
- director
If there is more than one pension scheme administrator for your scheme and another scheme administrator has made amendments to the scheme’s details, you’ll not be able to view these changes until they’ve made and submitted a declaration.
You’ll have to wait to make any additional changes until the pending changes have been made or have timed out.
If you’re making changes to more than one scheme that you’re the administrator of, you must submit the change and declaration for the first scheme before you can make changes to another scheme.
Changing the scheme name
If you need to change the scheme name that has a status of ‘open’ you must tell HMRC in writing at:
Pension Schemes Services
HM Revenue and Customs
BX9 1GH
United Kingdom
You’ll need to include the:
- Pension Scheme Tax Reference number of the scheme you want to make changes to
- current name of scheme
- new name of scheme
- reason for change
- contact name, address and telephone number
- copy of new trust deed
Changing scheme administrator details
You can save and return to the changes for your scheme administrator details but they will not be updated until you have completed a declaration.
If you do not make and submit the declaration within 30 days of changing your scheme administrator details, the changes will be lost and you’ll have to make them again.
If your scheme administrator ID starts with ‘A0’, you’ll also need to update your scheme administrator details on the Pension schemes online service. Find out how to do this in section 6.11 of the Pension schemes online user guide.
Removing yourself as an administrator of a registered pension scheme
You’ll only be able to remove yourself as the scheme administrator if there is another scheme administrator for that scheme on the online services for pension schemes.
When you have removed yourself as scheme administrator, you’ll see confirmation of this on the online service and the scheme will no longer be on your list.
Any authority you have given to HMRC to deal with or provide information to a practitioner ends when you have removed yourself as scheme administrator. The practitioner will be told when this happens.
If the pension scheme has a PSTR beginning with ‘0’, you’ll also need to remove yourself as a pension scheme administrator on the Pension schemes online service. Find out how to do this in section 6.13 of the Pension schemes online user guide.
Authorise or de-authorise a pension scheme practitioner
To authorise a practitioner to a pension scheme you’re a scheme administrator for, the practitioner must be registered with the service. You can find out how to register as a pension scheme practitioner in the Find out about the pension scheme practitioner role guide.
You need to tell us the practitioner’s name and ID.
You can also tell us the client reference you’ve agreed with the practitioner.
After you’ve authorised the scheme practitioner, they’ll have immediate access to the pension scheme.
To de-authorise a practitioner, you’ll need to provide the date that they stopped being a scheme practitioner for the scheme.
If the pension scheme has a PSTR beginning with ‘0’, you’ll also need to authorise or de-authorise the practitioner on the Pension schemes online service. Find out how to do this in section 4.0 of the Pension schemes online user guide.
Lost user ID or password
If you’ve lost your user ID or password associated with your scheme administrator ID, you’ll need to contact HMRC. You’ll need your scheme administrator ID when you contact us.
‘Admin’ users of a business tax account can reset the user ID and password for any other users on the same account, under the ‘Manage account’ section.
Managing user access
If you’re a scheme administrator with multiple users under your scheme administrator ID, you can set up and assign them services through your business tax account.
Each user will have their own set of credentials to sign in to the service.
To set up a new user, you’ll need to:
-
Select ‘Manage Account’ above ‘Business tax summary’.
-
Select ‘You can give permission to others to access your business tax account’ under ‘Team member account access’.
-
Select ‘Add a team member’.
-
Check the email address associated with your account, as you’ll be sent the new user’s temporary password which you’ll need to give to them. If the email address associated with your account is wrong you should go to ‘Manage Account’ and select ‘View or change your business tax account details’ under ‘Account details’.
-
Check the new user appears in the list of team members. If they do not, you should check that all of these steps have been followed correctly.
The new user will then be sent an email containing their user ID. They can use it and the temporary password you have been given to access their own business tax account.
To give a new user access, you’ll need to:
-
Select ‘Manage Account’ above ‘Business tax summary’.
-
Select ‘Give a team member access to a tax, duty or scheme’ under ‘Team member account access’.
-
Select ‘Manage taxes and schemes’.
You’ll need to assign the Pension schemes online service and Managing pension schemes service separately.
To assign them separately you’ll need to do the following:
- Pension schemes online service — select ‘Pension Schemes for Administrators’ from the assign services page
- Managing pension schemes service — select ‘Pensions Online Digital Service HMRC-PODS-ORG’ from the assign services page
There is no limit on the number of users that can be set up under a scheme administrator ID.
If you’re a practitioner and have lost your user ID and password or need to manage user accesses, you can check guidance about the pension scheme practitioner role.
Request a refund or reallocation of payments
You can ask for a refund or reallocation of charges paid relating to returns and reports submitted using the Managing pension schemes service.
Master trusts
If you’re a pension scheme administrator of an existing registered pension scheme and your scheme structure changes to become a master trust you must:
- tell HMRC within 30 days of this on the event report
- apply for authorisation from The Pensions Regulator
If your pension scheme becomes a master trust and does not get authorisation from The Pensions Regulator, you’ll not be able to operate as a master trust.
HMRC can de-register a master trust scheme which does not receive or loses its authorisation from The Pensions Regulator.
Tell HMRC within 30 days on the event report if your scheme structure changes and your pension scheme is no longer a master trust. You may also need to tell The Pensions Regulator.
Get more information on reporting events on the The Pensions Regulator website.
Updates to this page
-
The link for signing in to your business tax account has been updated.
-
You no longer need to set up a recovery word when recovering your credentials for the Pension schemes online service.
-
Guidance has been added on how to recover your enrolments details for the Pension schemes online service and Managing pension schemes service.
-
Guidance has been added about using an event report to tell us if your scheme structure changes and your scheme becomes a master trust or is no longer a master trust. Instructions to use form APSS578 have been removed.
-
Guidance on how to set up a new user and give them access to the Managing Pension Schemes service has been updated.
-
More information has been added about updating your scheme information and inviting a new scheme administrator.
-
We have updated the page with guidance on what to do if you've lost a user ID or password and how to manage user access.
-
Declare yourself as a scheme administrator for a retirement annuity or deferred annuity contract has been added to the list of what you can do if you're registered as a pension scheme administrator.
-
Information about enrolling on the Managing pension schemes service has been added.
-
Information about what you can do if you're registered as a pension scheme administrator has been updated.
-
Updated to say that only first scheme administrator listed for a scheme will receive paper notifications from HMRC by post, other administrators of the scheme can get copies of HMRC notifications by contacting the Pension Schemes Services.
-
This guidance has been updated with information about updating pension scheme details using the online service.
-
The sections on 'Update your scheme information' and 'Change scheme administrator details' have been updated with more information on amending details.
-
Guidance on changing scheme administrator details has been updated. Sections headed 'amend or change the scheme name or scheme establisher name' and 'de-enrol as an administrator from the Managing Pension Schemes service' have been added.
-
The 'Manage and register Pension Schemes' service has been renamed 'Managing Pension Schemes'.
-
Instructions of how to remove yourself as the scheme administrator of a registered pension scheme have been added to the 'Update your scheme information' section.
-
Information about the status of your pension scheme and administration details have been added.
-
A new section master trusts has been added.
-
First published.