Guidance

Countdown bulletin 43 - March 2019

Published 1 March 2019

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Pension Scheme Administrator (PSA) queries

HMRC appreciates that PSAs will continue to have questions and issues to raise around the Scheme Reconciliation Service (SRS) now that the submission date for queries has passed.

It is expected that the Countdown Bulletin will continue to provide important messages and guidance until all SRS and scheme financial reconciliation activity is complete.

However, to allow us to best categorise and prioritise individual PSA queries, you should email the Customer Relationship Team at: CRM.schemereconciliationservice@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk in all instances.

All queries submitted using an alternative route will be returned to the PSA for re-submission.

PSA guidance about the end of contracting-out

Guidance is now available for trustees and administrators of defined benefit pension schemes who are responsible for contracted-out pension rights that were built up before 6 April 2016.

You can read more about how pension scheme administration is affected by the ending of contracting-out.

SRS process improvements

HMRC has introduced 2 SRS process changes which should result in significantly reduced effort and to help us to increase our rate of production.

  1. We have worked closely with our IT provider to categorise similar types of queries from multiple file submissions so that they can be worked clerically on a bulk basis. This will not affect the content of files you have sent, but you may see the return of those files outside of the usual ‘first in, first out’ basis.

  2. As the final outputs you will receive after SRS ends will confirm individual Guaranteed Minimum Pension (GMP) amounts, no GMP amounts will be provided on returned clerical query templates.

If you have any issues or concerns, you should email the Customer Relationship Team at: CRM.schemereconciliationservice@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk.

Reminder of deadlines

The deadline for the submission of SRS queries also applied to Contracted-out Contribution Service (COCIS) requests. COCIS data will not be provided for any requests received after 31 October 2018.

The deadline for refreshed SRS data was 31 January 2019, requests received after this date will not be actioned. However, final data will be provided when SRS ends.

Contracted-out statements

As the Guaranteed Minimum Pension (GMP) Checker is available at any time for schemes to check their members GMP amounts, HMRC will stop sending paper GMP statements from April 2019.

The only exceptions are the CA1629 and the RD614 for which there will be a continued need.

Some schemes have elected to receive statements electronically. These will also be stopped in April or soon after.

Read HMRC: pension schemes reconciliation services for more information.

Earlier editions of the National Insurance Services to Pension industry: countdown bulletins.

Guidance on the end of contracting-out for scheme administrators and trustees HMRC: pension schemes end of contracting-out guidance.

Contact details

For general queries about contracted-out pensions, contact the contracted-out pensions helpline.

General queries about the Scheme Reconciliation Service or Scheme Cessation should be made to the Customer Relationship Team at email: CRM.schemereconciliationservice@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk.

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