What to do if…
your workplace retirement contributions have not been paid into your plan

What to do now

1. Save the evidence first.
   Download or screenshot your pension account showing the missing periods. Save the payslips for those pay periods, any pension enrolment letters, payroll emails, and your pension member number if you have one.

2. Check the dates before assuming the money is gone.
   Write down the pay dates, the pension deductions on each payslip, and the months missing from the pension account. After you are paid, your employer must usually pass your contribution to the pension scheme by the 22nd of the following month, or the 19th if they pay by cheque. Employer contributions and salary-sacrifice contributions may have an agreed payment date, so ask payroll or the provider what date applies.

3. Email payroll or HR today.
   Keep it neutral and specific. Ask them to confirm:

   • the pension scheme or provider name and your member ID;
   • the employee pension deductions taken from your pay for each missing period;
   • the employer contributions due for each missing period;
   • the date each payment was sent to the scheme or provider;
   • any payment reference used;
   • what correction will be made, and by what date, if anything is outstanding.

4. Contact the pension scheme, administrator, or provider today.
   Ask whether the listed contributions were received, whether any payment is waiting to be allocated to your account, and whether they need payslips or payroll references to trace it. Ask for their formal complaint route in case the missing money is not quickly explained.

5. Use the 90-day point for escalation, not silence.
   The Pensions Regulator asks members to wait 90 days before reporting missing payments because it can take up to three months for money to be paid into a pension. You can still gather evidence, ask payroll for written answers, and ask the pension provider to trace the money before then.

6. Escalate in writing if the money is confirmed missing or nobody gives a clear answer.
   Raise a formal complaint with the party or parties that may be at fault, such as your employer, the pension scheme, the administrator, or the provider. If the payments are 90 days late or more and you have not been told the provider or trustees have already reported the employer, report the missing payments to The Pensions Regulator. If the complaint is not being resolved after you have tried the relevant complaint route, contact The Pensions Ombudsman.

7. Keep the work conversation factual.
   Use wording like “please confirm the contribution dates and amounts” rather than accusations. Keep copies of emails and documents somewhere you can still access outside work.