Missing or unpaid pension contributions: how to check and act

If your employer has not paid your pension contributions, compare your payslip with your pension statement, raise it with them, then tell the Pensions Regulator.

Missing money in a workplace pension can be a late payment or something more serious, and spotting it early gives you more time to act. This page covers how to check, when the law says the money must arrive, who to tell and what protects you if the employer fails. A gap of a few months may be small beside your whole pension picture, and an FCA-authorised adviser can put it in proportion. You can ask for that conversation on the form on this page.

How do I check that my employer has paid my pension contributions?

Put your latest payslips next to the statement from your pension provider. Under GOV.UK's guide, your provider sends a statement each year showing how much is in your pot.

The two documents will not always show the same figure. GOV.UK explains that it depends on how tax relief is handled: under a "net pay" arrangement, "the amount you’ll see on your payslip is your contribution plus the tax relief", whereas with "relief at source", "the amount you see on your payslip is only your contributions, not the tax relief." Your employer or provider can tell you which one your scheme uses, so a statement that looks a little higher than your payslip may be perfectly normal.

Look for three things: a payment for each pay period, an amount that matches the rate you and your employer should be paying, and an employer share as well as your own. For the legal minimums, see the workplace pension minimum; pension tax relief explains the relief part. If money left your pay but you cannot find it in the scheme, note down the dates and amounts.

When must my employer pay pension contributions in?

For the part taken from your pay, the deadline is set in law. TPR tells employers that "when you take contributions from your staff's pay you must pay these to your pension scheme by the 22nd (19th if you pay by cheque) day of the next month." So a deduction from March pay should reach the scheme by 22 April if it is paid electronically.

TPR's code of practice says the scheme rules can set a shorter period than that, and that the employer's own share is due by the date in the scheme rules, regulations or documentation. For the first deduction there is a special rule: some schemes allow the first three months to be paid together on the 22nd of the fourth month. So a brand-new joiner may not see the first payments straight away.

What should I do first if contributions are late or missing?

Ask your employer, in writing if you can. TPR says "You should speak to your employer first", and the question can be as simple as asking the payroll or HR team to confirm the date and amount of the last payment sent to the provider. A written reply gives you a record if you later need one.

If you have a workplace scheme with a named provider, tell the provider too. TPR says providers need employers' information so they can "report any missing amounts to The Pensions Regulator", and a letter from your provider saying your employer has been reported means you have nothing more to report yourself.

If a shortfall has dented your plans, an adviser can weigh it against your State Pension and other pots, at no charge, when the enquiry form here reaches them.

How do I report missing pension contributions to the Pensions Regulator?

TPR has an online form for this. It asks you to report when:

• your contributions have not been paid in for 90 days or more,
• your employer is unwilling to pay them, or
• they are being paid late again and again.

TPR also says "Please wait 90 days before you report missing payments to us. It can take up to three months for money to be paid into your pension." You must be ordinarily working in the UK. Have ready your employer's name and address, their PAYE number if they have one (on payslips, P60s, P45s and P11Ds), how much you think is missing and when, and any evidence you want to send.

You can leave your name off: TPR says "you can choose to be anonymous when reporting concerns to us", though it may contact you to clarify what you sent. After you report, it says "We will investigate your concern if we think there is a cause to do so", and it also says it is "unable to give feedback on the outcome of our assessment or investigation (if one is conducted) for legal reasons". So silence afterwards does not tell you whether anything happened. If the problem is that your employer never enrolled you, TPR has a separate form, covered in the auto-enrolment rules.

For a complaint about how your employer or scheme has dealt with your situation, TPR points to The Pension Ombudsman. What the Pensions Regulator does explains how its role differs from the Ombudsman's, and free pension help lists where else to turn for guidance.

Can missing contributions be paid back or backdated?

The answer turns on your scheme and your employer's position. What the Regulator can do is press the employer: TPR warns employers they "may be fined by The Pensions Regulator if you don't pay by the time you've agreed with your scheme provider", and says that failing to keep up the correct contributions can lead to penalties. Whether your missed months can be made up, and how, is a fair point for an adviser to explain without charge once the form here is sent.

A refund is a separate matter. GOV.UK says that leaving the scheme in the first month after your employer adds you gets back what you have paid in, while money paid in before a later opt-out usually stays in the pension until you retire.

What if my employer goes bust or is in financial trouble?

Contributions still owed when the business fails have their own route. The Insolvency Service's guide to redundancy payments (last updated 30 September 2026) says that if your employer "did not pay all of the pension contributions that were due in the year before the insolvency, we may be able to pay some or all of the shortfall." It adds that only the pension scheme's trustees can make that claim and that it cannot make pension payments to individuals, so any money goes into the scheme and the claim is not one you make yourself.

The pension already built up depends on the type of scheme. GOV.UK says "You will not lose your pension pot if your employer goes bust" in a defined contribution scheme, while a defined benefit scheme is usually protected by the Pension Protection Fund. Are pensions protected in the UK? covers the trust-based caveat, the Pension Protection Fund's compensation levels and the Fraud Compensation Fund.

Quick answers on unpaid workplace pension money

Can my employer keep my pension contributions?

Taking contributions from your pay and not passing them to the scheme is something TPR says to report. Start with a written question to the employer, then use TPR's form if 90 days pass.

Why does my pension statement show more than my payslip?

Often because tax relief has been added by the provider. GOV.UK says that under relief at source the payslip shows only your own contributions.

Does the 22nd deadline apply to my employer's share?

Not in the same way. The 22nd (19th by cheque) rule is for contributions taken from your pay, while TPR's code says employer contributions are due by the date in the scheme rules or documents.

Do I have to wait 90 days before reporting?

TPR asks for it, because payments can take up to three months to arrive. If your provider has already told you your employer was reported, you need not report as well.

Will my employer be told it was me?

You can report anonymously, and TPR says it seeks to protect the identity of those who do, with limited exceptions. That does not remove the chance an employer guesses, so think about how you want to handle it before you report.

Chasing a slow-paying employer is tiring enough, so let an FCA-authorised adviser look into the retirement side; asking for a call-back takes a minute on the form here.