Migrating your pension scheme to the Managing Pension Schemes service
How to migrate from the Pension Schemes Online service to the Managing Pensions Schemes service and manage and view your pension schemes.
This guidance is for pension scheme administrators who currently manage pension schemes registered on the Pension Schemes Online service.
Preparing to migrate pension schemes
Enrolling on the Managing Pension Schemes service
You can keep your current ID and enrol on the Managing Pension Schemes service if you’re a scheme administrator with an ID beginning with ‘A0’. You’ll need to:
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Use the user ID and password you use on the Pension Schemes Online service.
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Provide details as if you’re registering when you enrol.
If you do not know the credentials linked to your ID, you can check guidance on how reset them.
Find out what you’ll need to enter as a company, individual or partnership.
Non-trading companies or public sector organisations
You’ll need a Corporation Tax Unique Tax Reference (UTR) before you can enrol. If you do not have one, check guidance on non-trading companies and public sector organisations.
De-enrolling from the service
If you make a mistake when you enrol you’ll need to wait 24 hours before you can de-enrol, or you’ll receive an error message.
If you need to re-enrol using the same administrator ID, email migration.mps@hmrc.gov.uk and put ‘Incorrect enrolment’ in the subject line. You’ll also need to provide your scheme administrator ID.
Multiple scheme administrator IDs
You can only have one scheme administrator ID for each Corporation Tax UTR or National Insurance number on the Managing Pension Schemes service.
If you use multiple scheme administrator IDs on the Pension Schemes Online service, you’ll need to complete a process to map your current IDs on the system.
You’ll need to:
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Set one of your IDs as a ‘master’ ID.
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Use this ‘master’ ID to enrol on the Managing Pension Schemes service.
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Set all other scheme administrator IDs as ‘ancillary’ IDs.
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Check that all the pension schemes on the Pension Schemes Online service held under both your ‘master’ ID and ‘ancillary’ IDs are listed under your ‘master’ ID on the Managing Pension Schemes service.
On the Pension Schemes Online service, you’ll maintain your current multiple scheme administrator ID set up for any actions you still need to take on your schemes. On the Managing Pension Schemes service, you’ll only use your ‘master’ ID to sign in and use the service.
To set up your ‘master’ and ‘ancillary’ IDs, you’ll need to:
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Email migration.mps@hmrc.gov.uk with ‘Scheme administrator mapping’ in the subject line.
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Include your scheme administrator ID and all the scheme administrator IDs you or your organisation currently use on the Pension Schemes Online service.
HMRC will tell you what you’ll need to provide and the steps you’ll need to take.
If you’re using just one scheme administrator ID on the Pension Schemes Online service, you will not need to set this as the ‘master’ ID.
Viewing your list of pension schemes
You can view a list of pension schemes registered on the Pension Schemes Online service on the Managing Pension Schemes service, before you migrate.
You’ll need to enrol on the Managing Pension Schemes service before you can view the list of schemes. If you hold multiple IDs on the Pension Schemes Online service, you’ll need to set your ‘master’ ID and ‘ancillary’ IDs and enrol using your ‘master’ ID, before you can see the list of schemes.
Only schemes with a status of ‘open’ on the Pension Schemes Online service will be included on the list.
The pension schemes will be listed in Pension Scheme Tax Reference (PSTR) order. You can search for a scheme using the pension scheme name or Pension Scheme Tax Reference. If you’re searching by scheme name, you’ll need to use the full name.
Viewing retirement annuity contracts and deferred annuity contracts
If you’re an existing scheme administrator of any retirement and deferred annuity contracts on the Pension Schemes Online service, you’ll need to enrol on the Managing Pension Schemes service to be able to view these.
You can view any retirement and deferred annuity contracts on a separate list to other pension schemes that you’re an administrator for.
If there are inactive schemes on the list
For schemes that are inactive and should be wound up, you’ll need to either:
- submit an event report — check guidance on how to use an event report
- email migration.mps@hmrc.gov.uk using ‘Managing pension schemes — Wound Up Schemes’ in the subject line
You’ll need to include:
- the Pension Scheme Tax Reference
- the name of the pension scheme
- your scheme administrator ID
- the date of wind up
If you cannot see all open schemes you’ve registered
If you cannot see listed all the schemes that you have registered on the Pension Schemes Online service, you’ll need to email migration.mps@hmrc.gov.uk using ‘Managing pension schemes — Incorrect list of schemes’ in the subject line.
Migrating pension schemes
To migrate the pension scheme, you’ll need to select it from the list of schemes on the Managing Pension Schemes service and provide up to date information on it.
This information can include:
- the pension scheme structure
- current membership of the pension scheme
- how the scheme provides benefits
- country or territory of scheme establishment
- establisher details
- trustee details
Some fields may be pre-populated with information held on the Pension Schemes Online service. You may have the option to update some of this information as part of the migration process.
If you’re a scheme administrator listed for the pension scheme on the Pension Schemes Online service, you can complete the additional information using your ‘master’ ID.
Once the information has been submitted, the pension scheme will be migrated to the Managing Pension Schemes service under the ‘master’ ID. The pension scheme will be removed from the list of pension schemes available to migrate from the Pension Schemes Online service.
The scheme will still show on the Pension Schemes Online service after it’s been migrated.
You do not need to migrate all your pension schemes at the same time.
Migrating retirement annuity contracts and deferred annuity contracts
To migrate any retirement and deferred annuity contracts that you’re a scheme administrator for, you’ll only need to complete the declarations on the Managing Pension Schemes service. You will not be asked for any other information.
If you’re a scheme administrator for multiple retirement and deferred annuity contracts, you can migrate these all at the same time and you’ll only need to complete one set of declarations. It can take up to 48 hours for the retirement and deferred annuity contracts to be added to your list of schemes on the Managing Pension Schemes service.
After the pension scheme has been migrated
Recreation of existing relationships
If you’re a scheme administrator who has been added to the pension scheme or an authorised practitioner on the Pension Schemes Online service, you’ll need to be enrolled on the Managing Pension Schemes service.
If you’re enrolled for the Managing Pension Schemes service, the relationship will automatically be recreated when the pension scheme is migrated from the Pension Schemes Online service.
If you’re an administrator and you enrol after the scheme has been migrated, the relationships will be recreated at that point.
If you’re an authorised practitioner and you enrol after the scheme has been migrated, the authorising scheme administrators must have enrolled before the relationship with the scheme can be recreated.
Adding new scheme administrators and 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.
Adding team members
You can add team members using your business tax account.
You’ll need to give them access to the Managing Pension Schemes service, even if they already have access to the Pension Schemes Online service.
Check guidance on how to add new users and assign them access to the Managing Pension Schemes service.
Updating your scheme administrator details
If you’ve enrolled on the Managing Pension Schemes service, you’ll need to keep your scheme administrator details, including your address, up to date on both the Pension Schemes Online service and Managing Pension Schemes service.
If you do not keep your address up to date on the Managing Pension Schemes service, you may not be able to access your pension schemes until you have updated the address.
Updating scheme details
After a pension scheme has been migrated, you’ll need to keep scheme details up to date on both the Pension Schemes Online service and Managing Pension Schemes service.
Reporting
Check guidance on reporting for pension schemes that have a Pension Scheme Tax Reference beginning with ‘0’.
Last updated 11 April 2022 + show all updates
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Information about about how to migrate a pension scheme, what to do after the scheme has been migrated and how to update scheme details has been added.
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The link for you to enrol on the Managing Pension Schemes service has been updated.
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First published.