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What we do and who we are

The Pensions Regulator (TPR) is the public body that protects workplace pensions in the UK.

We:

  • protect savers’ money by making schemes and employers comply with their duties 
  • enhance the system through effective market oversight, influencing better practices
  • support innovation in savers’ interests so that new products and services deliver good outcomes

On this page

  • What we do
  • Our priorities
  • Who we are
  • What we don't do
  • Vision and values
  • Our corporate information

What we do

We are responsible for:

  • making sure employers put their staff into a pension scheme and pay money into it (known as ‘automatic enrolment’)
  • protecting people’s savings in workplace pensions
  • improving the way that workplace pension schemes are run
  • reducing the risk of pension schemes ending up in the Pension Protection Fund (PPF)
  • making sure employers balance the needs of their defined benefit pension scheme with growing their business

Our priorities

In our Corporate Strategy we have set five high-level priorities, each with a strategic goal, which indicate our core areas of focus:

  1. Security: Savers’ money is secure.
  2. Value for money: Savers get good value for their money.
  3. Scrutiny of decision-making: Decisions made on behalf of savers are in their best interests.
  4. Embracing innovation: The market innovates to meet savers’ needs.
  5. Bold and effective regulation: TPR is a bold and effective regulator.

The detail behind our day-to-day work is set out in our Corporate Plan.

To deliver our priorities we will set clear expectations, identify risk early, drive compliance through supervision and enforcement, and work with others. Read more about our approach to regulating.

Who we are

We are a public body sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). We’re based in Brighton and have around 900 staff.

We work closely with the Financial Conduct Authority who regulate personal pension schemes. We also work closely with other public bodies including:

  • DWP
  • PPF
  • Money and Pensions Service

Our board members oversee what we do and make sure that TPR is well run.

We are a member of the Pension Scams Action Group, a multi-agency taskforce that tackles pension scams and fraud.

Together with the Financial Ombudsman Service, the Financial Conduct Authority, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme and the Money and Pensions Service, we have produced the Wider Implications Framework. The Framework is a formal agreement for closer working on financial issues.

What we don't do

We are not responsible for:

  • dealing with queries or complaints from scheme members about their pension benefits
  • providing scheme members with help on how to access their pension savings
  • finding lost pensions
  • dealing with State Pension or tax queries

The Money and Pensions Service provides MoneyHelper which can assist with issues like these.

Vision and values

Our vision is to be a strong, agile, fair and efficient regulator. Through this we seek to gain the respect of employers, trustees and other stakeholders.

Together with our partners, we will drive up standards of trusteeship and improve savers’ understanding of their situation to create better outcomes in their later life.

We are committed to making TPR a great place to work and doing all we can to support our people to reach their full potential.

We believe certain values are central to delivering this vision. These include being:

  • committed to the pursuit of good outcomes for workplace savers
  • bold and impartial in our decision-making
  • alert and responsive to emerging risks and opportunities
  • supportive of our people
  • united as one team

Our corporate information

  • Annual reports
  • Corporate Strategy and Corporate Plan
  • Board information
  • Diversity and inclusion
  • Gender pay
  • Memoranda of understanding
  • Contracts we have awarded
  • Spend over £25,000
  • Climate change and environment
  • Welsh language scheme