An independent organisation set up by law to investigate complaints about pension administration.

There service is free and the legal powers is has are final, binding and enforceable in court.

They will consider complaints about the actions and decisions of the Pension Protection Fund and about some decisions made by the Financial Assistance Scheme.

In general they will deal with complaints on how pension schemes are run, for example:

• taking too long to do something without good reason;
• failing to do something it should have;
• not following its own rules or the law;
• breaking a promise;
• giving incorrect or misleading information; or
• not making a decision in the right way.

It cannot investigate complaints about:

• State Pensions;
• tracing a lost pension;
• sales or marketing (mis-selling) of pensions;
• the type of benefits a pension scheme offers; or
• a decision made by a tribunal, court or another Ombudsman.

They will investigate claims from:

• current or former members of a pension scheme;
• the widow, widower, surviving civil partner or dependant of a member who has died;
• people with a pension credit in respect of a current or former member of a pension scheme; or
• someone nominated by a member or their estate to take the complaint to the Pensions Ombudsman.

It can also help with complaints or disputes between:

• trustees or managers of different pension schemes;
• trustees (or managers) and an employer of the same scheme;
• trustees of the same scheme
• independent trustees and other trustees of the same scheme; or
• an employer and the trustees (or managers) of the same scheme.