Complaints

At Civil Service Pensions, we strive to resolve issues promptly. If you have a problem or can't find what you need, contact us and explain your concerns, often a quick conversation settles matters. Sometimes, we need your employer for information to complete pension details.

Complaints we’re unable to help with:

  • employment issues – you should contact your employer in the usual way
  • Government legislation, regulation or pension policy – should be raised via www.gov.uk/guidance/contact-the-cabinet-office
  • proceedings that have begun in a court or tribunal about the same disagreement
  • a complaint that the Pensions Ombudsman has agreed to investigate
  • State benefits – you should contact DWP
  • Your own personal tax issues – you should contact HMRC
  • Scheme Medical Adviser – you should complete the Med 9 form on the Civil Service Pension scheme website.

Complaints we can help with:

We can deal with any complaint about the way in which we have carried out, or failed to carry out, our role.

This can include, for example,

  • complaints about mistakes
  • misunderstandings
  • lack of information or delays
  • request for Internal Dispute Resolution form.

If you need to complain

We will do everything we can to resolve your complaint as quickly as possible including:

  • acknowledge your complaint within two working days
  • assign a dedicated member of the customer service team to manage your complaint
  • provide a full response to your complaint, or an update on progress within 20 working days
  • continue to manage your complaint and update you on progress until your issues have been resolved

Please contact us to submit your complaint.

Contact us

If you remain dissatisfied

We are committed to resolving your complaint. If it can’t be settled, you may follow the two-stage Internal Dispute Resolution (IDR) process, which all occupational pension schemes are required to offer by law. For further details, visit the IDR procedure.

If you’ve gone through both Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the IDR process and your complaint is still not resolved, you have the option to appeal to The Pensions Ombudsman.

Read more on the IDR process

The Pensions Ombudsman

Tel: 0800 917 4487

Email: enquiries@pensions-ombudsman.org.uk

​Website: www.pensions-ombudsman.org.uk

The Pensions Ombudsman deals with complaints and disputes which concern the administration and/or management of occupational and personal pension schemes.

You can submit a complaint form online:

​www.pensions-ombudsman.org.uk/our-service/make-a-complaint/

Contact with The Pensions Ombudsman about a complaint needs to be made within three years of when the event(s) you are complaining about happened – or, if later, within three years of you becoming aware of the event. There is discretion for those time limits to be extended.