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.
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If they do not respond to your invitation within 30 days, the invitation will be automatically withdrawn.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 ‘Add or delete a team member’ under ‘Manage account’.
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Check the email associated with your account as you’ll be sent the new user’s temporary password which you’ll need to give to them. The new user will be sent their user ID. They can use these credentials to access their own business tax account.
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Check the new user appears in the list of team members.
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Select ‘Give a team member access to a tax, duty or scheme’ under ‘Manage account’ in your business tax account to give the user access to the service.
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 form APSS578
- 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.
Use form APSS578 to tell HMRC within 30 days 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.
