Key points
- The scheme manager must keep records of member and beneficiary information, transactions, and pension board meetings and decisions.
- Your scheme should have effective record-keeping processes and regularly evaluated member data.
- You should work with employers to ensure they understand what information they’re required to provide and when they need to do this.
How long to hold data
Maintaining data
Your scheme should have policies and processes in place to ensure member data is monitored on an ongoing basis.
You should carry out a data review at least annually and put in place a data improvement plan to address poor quality data.
Download our guides to producing a data improvement plan (PDF, 45kb, 6 pages) and measuring data (PDF, 418kb, 3 pages).
Public Service toolkit online learning
You can learn more about keeping and maintaining records in the ‘Maintaining accurate member data’ course. You must log in or sign up to use the Public Service toolkit.
Working with employers
You should work with participating employers to seek to ensure they understand the key events and information they need to provide, and have processes in place to provide timely and accurate data.
If an employer fails to provide the required information (meaning that they and/or the scheme manager may not be complying with legal requirements), you should consider whether you need to report the breach to us. Go to reporting breaches of the law.
Types of records to keep
The scheme manager must keep records relating to:
- member and beneficiary information
- transactions
- pension board meetings and decisions
Member and beneficiary information
Type of data | Information to include |
Member and beneficiary data |
|
Benefits that aren’t money purchase benefits, injury benefits or compensation benefits under the scheme |
|
Money purchase benefits under the scheme |
|
Pension credit (under the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999) |
|
Pension debit (under the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999) |
|
Transactions
Transaction |
Information to include |
Employer or member contributions paid in relation to each active member |
|
Pension and benefits payments |
|
Payments made by or on behalf of the scheme manager to any person – except pension and benefits payments, and payments made to members who leave the scheme (other than on a transfer) |
|
Any movement or transfer of assets from the scheme to any person |
|
Receipt or payment of money or assets relating to the transfer of members into or out of the scheme |
|
Payments made to any member who leaves the scheme, other than on a transfer |
|
Payments made to any employer participating in the scheme |
|
Any amount due to the scheme that has been written off in the scheme’s accounts |
|
Any other payment to the scheme |
|
Pension board meetings and decisions
Type of meeting or decision | Information to include |
Records relating to any pension board meeting |
|
Records relating to any other decision made by pension board members while carrying out their role as pension board members |
|
Records relating to any decision made by a committee or sub-committee of the pension board not ratified by the pension board |
|
Record-keeping guide
Detailed guidance
- 'Scheme record-keeping' section of the public service code of practice.
- Public Service Pensions (Record Keeping and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2014 on Legislation.gov.uk.