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Moving or combining pensions can simplify things, but some pensions carry valuable guarantees. These guides explain how transfers work, what they cost, how to find lost pensions and how to avoid transfer scams.
Talk to an adviser before you choose →A pension block transfer moves two or more members between schemes in one go, and can keep protections a one-person transfer would lose.
Can PensionBee find my pensions? Not by itself: it says it cannot trace old pensions for you, so you start by finding out who your provider was.
You cannot merge pensions from different countries into one pot as of right, but some overseas pensions can transfer to a UK scheme.
Yes, you can often take 25% of your pension tax-free and transfer the rest, but it depends on how the cash is taken and what each scheme allows.
HMRC says a QROPS can transfer back into a UK registered pension scheme, but the receiving provider has to agree. Here is what to check first.
Yes, you can transfer your Teachers' Pension, but once qualified only to another defined benefit scheme, not a SIPP. Short service has an exception.
A UK pension transfer to Ireland must go to an Irish scheme that counts as a QROPS, and it is taxed at 25% unless an exclusion applies, such as living in I…
To transfer a UK pension to another country, the receiving scheme must be a QROPS: on HMRC's list as updated on 2 November 2026, India had 37 such schemes…
Yes, you can transfer a drawdown pension to another provider, but the whole drawdown fund must move and the transfer adds no new tax-free cash.
Yes, you can usually transfer a pension after age 75: HMRC sets no upper age limit, though your scheme's rules and the receiving provider decide.
A SSAS pension transfer can come from a personal pension or SIPP if the SSAS's rules accept it, but anti-scam checks apply before any money moves.
A police pension cannot normally be transferred out to a SIPP or other flexible pension, but it can move to another public scheme, and other pensions can c…
You can transfer a pension into the NHS Pension Scheme from an HMRC-registered scheme if you apply within 12 months of first becoming eligible to join.
Can I transfer my NHS pension? Not to a SIPP or other flexible scheme with two or more years' qualifying membership, NHS Pensions' table says.
You can usually transfer a USS pension to another HMRC-registered scheme that accepts it, but the guaranteed part and savings pot follow different rules.
Should you combine LGPS pensions from different jobs? It turns on your dates, pay and plans; joining is usually automatic unless you opt out within a year.
Is a protected pension age lost on transfer? Under the 2006 rules, usually, unless it is a block transfer; the 2028 protection can travel with the money.
Pension transfer tax: a move between registered UK schemes is not taxed, but a transfer abroad or to an unregistered scheme can be taxed at 25% to 55%.
HMRC's QROPS list is a GOV.UK page of overseas schemes that told HMRC they qualify, refreshed on the 1st and 15th of each month.
HMRC's QROPS rules set the tests an overseas scheme must meet, a 25% charge on some transfers, a period of five-plus years after it, and reporting duties.
Your NHS pension value is on your annual benefit statement, which may be part of your Total Reward Statement. A transfer value (CETV) is a separate request.
A pension transfer often takes a few weeks, but the law gives a scheme up to six months, and safety checks or paper forms can make the wait much longer.
Pension transfer fees depend on the pension: exit charges, lost guarantees, the new plan's charges and, for final salary pensions, advice can all cost you.
To combine pensions with Aviva, you move old pots into an Aviva pension; Aviva says it does not charge to transfer, but some pensions cannot come in.
The GOV.UK Pension Tracing Service can find contact details for a deceased person's pension schemes, though not whether a pension exists or its value.
To find a lost SERPS pension, check your State Pension forecast for the State part, then trace any contracted-out scheme through your old employers.
To find a lost pension, list your past employers, use the GOV.UK Pension Tracing Service for contact details, then ask each provider.
To find a lost NHS pension, work out which part of the UK you worked in, then contact that scheme's administrator with your name, date of birth and Nationa…
To find a lost civil service pension, check you qualified, then give the scheme your details. The Pension Tracing Service covers other employers.
In the UK, a pension transfer specialist gives or checks advice on moving a defined benefit pension. Here is how to find one and check the firm.
Prudential pension tracing starts with Prudential, which now describes itself as part of M&G, or the free Pension Tracing Service if you are unsure.
The QROPS form is HMRC's APSS263, handed to your UK scheme administrator within 60 days of asking to transfer. The steps around it run in a set order.
To transfer a pension to a Vanguard SIPP, you apply online and Vanguard requests it from your old provider, taking 10 working days to 10 weeks or more.
An AJ Bell SIPP transfer in starts with listing your old pension in the application; AJ Bell says it then handles the admin, free of charge.
Transfers into Royal London usually start online and most take 4 to 12 weeks; leaving starts with the new provider. Royal London charges nothing either way.
To transfer a Nest pension, stop contributions, have the new provider start it or request a pack; Nest usually processes it in 5 to 10 working days.
To move a pension out of Aegon, contact Aegon and the new provider, which must accept the transfer. Aegon's estimates run from days to up to eight weeks.
To transfer out of PensionBee, your new provider sends the request; the firm says it charges no exit fee and aims for 14 days on its electronic route.
To transfer a pension, check your old scheme allows it, pick a scheme that will accept the money, then apply to the old provider in writing.
Whether a QROPS is a good idea depends on where you live, what pension you hold and whether the UK's 25% charge applies to your transfer.
Pension transfer bonuses exist: a SIPP provider may pay cashback to move a pension in, with conditions. Here is how they work and whether one is worth it.
QROPS vs international SIPP: a QROPS is a scheme abroad that can trigger a 25% charge on the way in, while a SIPP stays with a UK provider.
QROPS vs QNUPS: QROPS status governs tax-free transfers of UK pensions abroad; QNUPS status sets an overseas scheme's inheritance tax treatment.
QROPS vs ROPS: every QROPS is a ROPS, but a ROPS becomes a QROPS only once its manager notifies HMRC and gives undertakings.
Whether to transfer small pension pots comes down to what each one carries: a tidier set of pensions is a fair reason, but guarantees and exit fees can out…
Should you merge your pensions? Combining can mean fewer pots and perhaps lower charges, but it can cost valuable guarantees, so it depends on each pot.
Should I transfer my with-profits pension? Check four things first: market value reductions, guarantees, a final bonus and exit charges.
A pension transfer to a new employer's scheme is often possible, but only if both schemes allow it and you would not lose benefits by moving.
Whether to transfer a UK pension to Australia turns on the type of pension, where you are tax resident and what the fund accepts. The UK rules to weigh.
Yes, the Pension Tracing Service is free. It is run by DWP and gives you a scheme's contact details, not your pension balance.
A Phoenix Life pension transfer needs the right form for your plan and a current transfer value, but check first for any guarantee you could give up.
A Prudential pension transfer starts with a request, a quote and forms; check exit fees, with-profits reductions and guarantees before you move it.
A Zurich pension transfer, in or out, starts with which kind of Zurich plan you hold, because the rules, charges and guarantees differ between plans.
A civil service pension transfer out usually has to go to another defined benefit scheme; the law bars moving a preserved pension into a SIPP.
You can transfer a pension into Nest if it meets Nest's criteria: from a UK registered scheme, of a type Nest accepts and worth more than £50.
You may be able to transfer a pension into the LGPS, but you generally have 12 months from joining to ask, and your pension fund decides whether to accept.
A NOW: Pensions transfer out moves your whole pot, because NOW does not let part of it stay behind, and you need to stop paying in before the money can go.
Smart Pension says it won't charge you to transfer a pot out, but the scheme you move to might, and your membership of the scheme has to end before the mon…
Under UK pension transfer rules you have a legal right to ask to move a pension, but your scheme must run scam checks first and some transfers need advice.
A UK pension usually stays with you when you move abroad, but State Pension increases, tax and how you are paid can change. Here is what to check.
A QROPS, or qualifying recognised overseas pension scheme, is a pension scheme outside the UK that meets HMRC's conditions to take UK pension transfers.
A market value reduction (MVR) is a cut some providers make to a with-profits pension payout when you leave at a time the policy does not protect.
An in specie pension transfer moves your investments to a new provider as they are, without selling them first; a cash transfer sells them and moves the pr…
The pensions dashboard is meant to show your pensions in one place online. Schemes must connect by 31 October 2026; public use starts on a date still to be…
HMRC publishes no list of countries that can host a QROPS, only a list of schemes. This guide covers what that list shows and the 25% charge to check.
Where to transfer a pension comes down to two things: which registered UK schemes will take the money, and what the move would cost you or take away.
Three short questions, no financial details to start. One FCA-authorised adviser firm can talk through your pension or equity release questions and explain your options, and how it is paid. Free to enquire, no obligation.