Manage a registered pension scheme
Find out 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If they do not respond to your invitation within 30 days, the invitation will be automatically withdrawn.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 the Pension Schemes Services.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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:
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Select ‘Manage Account’ above ‘Business tax summary’.
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Select ‘You can give permission to others to access your business tax account’ under ‘Team member account access’.
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Select ‘Add a team member’.
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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’.
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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:
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Select ‘Manage Account’ above ‘Business tax summary’.
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Select ‘Give a team member access to a tax, duty or scheme’ under ‘Team member account access’.
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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 on 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 from The Pensions Regulator.
Last updated 19 September 2023 + show all updates
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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.
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Guidance on how to set up a new user and give them access to the Managing Pension Schemes service has been updated.
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More information has been added about updating your scheme information and inviting a new scheme administrator.
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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.
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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.
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Information about enrolling on the Managing pension schemes service has been added.
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Information about what you can do if you're registered as a pension scheme administrator has been updated.
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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.
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This guidance has been updated with information about updating pension scheme details using the online service.
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The sections on 'Update your scheme information' and 'Change scheme administrator details' have been updated with more information on amending details.
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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.
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The 'Manage and register Pension Schemes' service has been renamed 'Managing Pension Schemes'.
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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.
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Information about the status of your pension scheme and administration details have been added.
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A new section master trusts has been added.
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First published.