What Is The Pensions Regulator?
The Pensions Regulator (TPR) is the body responsible for protecting workplace pensions in the UK. Established by the Pensions Act 2004, TPR oversees how pension schemes are run and ensures that employers meet their legal obligations to their employees’ retirement savings.
Unlike The Pensions Ombudsman, which resolves individual disputes, TPR takes a broader regulatory approach. Their role is to set standards, monitor compliance, and take enforcement action when things go wrong at a scheme or employer level. TPR has significant legal powers, including the ability to issue fines, remove trustees, and even pursue criminal prosecutions in the most serious cases.
TPR’s Key Responsibilities
The Pensions Regulator has a wide remit covering several core areas of pension regulation in the UK:
Auto-Enrolment Enforcement
One of TPR’s most visible roles is ensuring employers comply with automatic enrolment duties. Since auto-enrolment began rolling out in 2012, every eligible UK worker must be enrolled into a qualifying workplace pension scheme by their employer. TPR monitors compliance and takes action against employers who fail to:
- Enrol eligible jobholders into a qualifying pension scheme
- Pay the correct level of employer contributions (minimum 3% of qualifying earnings in 2026)
- Process opt-out requests correctly and within the legal timeframe
- Re-enrol eligible workers who previously opted out (every three years)
- Complete their declaration of compliance confirming they have met their duties
By 2026, TPR has issued thousands of compliance notices and escalating penalty notices to employers who breach their auto-enrolment obligations. The maximum daily escalating penalty is £50,000 for the largest employers.
Defined Benefit (DB) Scheme Regulation
TPR plays a critical role in protecting members of defined benefit pension schemes. DB schemes promise a specific retirement income, and TPR ensures these promises can be kept by:
- Reviewing scheme funding valuations to ensure they have enough assets to meet their liabilities
- Setting standards through the DB funding code, which from 2024 requires schemes to have a clear long-term funding strategy
- Monitoring covenant strength — the ability of the sponsoring employer to support the scheme financially
- Intervening when employers try to avoid their pension obligations through corporate transactions
- Using contribution notices and financial support directions to recover money owed to pension schemes
Scheme Governance and Trusteeship
TPR sets expectations for how pension scheme trustees manage their schemes. This includes:
- Requiring trustees to have appropriate knowledge and understanding of pension law, investment principles, and scheme management
- Publishing codes of practice that set standards for scheme governance
- Monitoring and assessing the effectiveness of scheme governance through annual scheme return data
- Taking action against trustees who fail to meet required standards, including appointing independent trustees or removing underperforming ones
Combating Pension Scams
TPR works alongside the FCA and other bodies to combat pension scams. Their role includes raising awareness through campaigns like Pledge to Combat Pension Scams, and requiring trustees and scheme administrators to carry out due diligence checks before processing transfers. Since the introduction of transfer regulations in November 2021, receiving schemes must meet specific conditions or the member must take guidance from MoneyHelper before a transfer can proceed.
TPR’s Enforcement Powers
The Pensions Regulator has a range of enforcement tools at their disposal, from informal guidance through to criminal prosecution:
| Power | What It Means | When Used |
|---|---|---|
| Improvement notice | Requires a person to take specific steps to comply | Technical breaches, governance failures |
| Fixed penalty notice | £400 fine for non-compliance | Failure to comply with auto-enrolment duties |
| Escalating penalty notice | Up to £50,000 per day | Continued non-compliance after fixed penalty |
| Contribution notice | Requires person to pay money to a DB scheme | Deliberate acts that damage a DB scheme’s funding |
| Financial support direction | Requires connected parties to support a scheme | Insufficiently resourced employer with group support |
| Appointment of trustees | TPR appoints independent trustees | Governance failures, conflicts of interest |
| Criminal prosecution | Criminal charges against individuals | Avoidance of employer debt, serious breaches |
Since April 2021, TPR has also had powers under the Pension Schemes Act 2021 to impose civil penalties of up to £1 million and pursue criminal sanctions (with potential prison sentences of up to seven years) for actions that deliberately or recklessly damage a DB pension scheme’s funding position.
When Should You Contact TPR?
While TPR does not resolve individual complaints, there are several situations where you should report concerns directly to them:
Report Your Employer
You should contact TPR if your employer is:
- Not enrolling you into a workplace pension when you are eligible
- Deducting pension contributions from your pay but not paying them into your pension scheme
- Trying to encourage or force you to opt out of your workplace pension
- Dismissing you or treating you unfairly because you are in a pension scheme (this is unlawful)
- Not paying the correct level of employer contributions
Report Scheme Concerns
You should also contact TPR if you have concerns about how a pension scheme is being managed:
- Trustees are not managing the scheme in members’ interests
- The scheme appears to be poorly governed or administered
- You believe the scheme is being used for fraudulent purposes
- The sponsoring employer of a DB scheme appears to be in financial difficulty and the scheme may be at risk
- You suspect a pension scam or liberation fraud
How to Report to TPR
You can report concerns to TPR through several channels:
- Online: Use the reporting form on the TPR website (thepensionsregulator.gov.uk)
- By phone: Call the TPR contact centre
- Whistleblowing: TPR has a dedicated whistleblowing team that handles confidential reports from scheme insiders
When reporting, provide as much detail as possible including the scheme name, employer details, and specific concerns. TPR treats all reports confidentially and will not reveal your identity to the employer or scheme without your consent.
TPR vs TPO vs FCA: Who Does What?
The UK pension regulatory landscape involves several bodies, each with different responsibilities. Understanding which body to contact depends on your specific concern:
| Body | Role | Contact When |
|---|---|---|
| The Pensions Regulator (TPR) | Regulates workplace pension schemes and employer duties | Employer not paying contributions, scheme governance concerns, suspected scams |
| The Pensions Ombudsman (TPO) | Resolves individual pension disputes and complaints | Personal complaint about maladministration, errors, delays, or poor service by a scheme or provider |
| Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) | Regulates financial advisers and pension providers | Concerns about a financial adviser’s conduct or an FCA-regulated provider |
| Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) | Resolves complaints about financial products and advice | Pension mis-selling, bad advice from a financial adviser |
| FSCS | Compensation scheme for failed regulated firms | Your pension provider or adviser has gone bust and you have suffered a loss. See our FSCS protection guide |
TPR’s Recent Focus Areas
In 2025–2026, TPR has been particularly focused on several key priorities:
Value for Money
TPR has been working with the FCA and DWP on the Value for Money framework for defined contribution (DC) schemes. This aims to ensure pension savers get good outcomes from their workplace pensions by measuring schemes not just on cost, but on investment returns and quality of service. Schemes that consistently deliver poor value may face regulatory action.
Consolidation of Small Schemes
TPR has been encouraging the consolidation of small DC pension schemes into larger, better-governed arrangements. The small pots auto-consolidation initiative is part of this broader push to improve outcomes for members stuck in multiple small pension pots with high charges.
Climate and ESG Reporting
Large pension schemes are now required to report on climate-related risks and opportunities in line with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) framework. TPR monitors compliance with these reporting requirements and has taken action against schemes that fail to publish their reports.
The Pensions Dashboard
TPR is overseeing the connection of pension schemes to the Pensions Dashboard Programme. Schemes must connect by their staging deadline, and TPR will enforce compliance for schemes that fail to meet their obligations.
What TPR Cannot Do
It is important to understand the limits of TPR’s role:
- Cannot resolve individual complaints: Personal disputes about errors or poor service should go to The Pensions Ombudsman
- Cannot provide financial advice: TPR regulates schemes, not individual pension decisions. For guidance, see Pension Wise vs financial adviser
- Cannot compensate you directly: TPR can fine employers and enforce compliance, but does not pay compensation to individual members. For compensation after a firm failure, contact the FSCS
- Does not regulate the State Pension: The State Pension is managed by the DWP, not TPR
- Does not regulate individual financial advisers: That is the FCA’s role