You can manage a Royal London pension without an adviser, but Royal London does not give advice, and moving some guarantees needs it by law.

Royal London sells its personal pensions through advisers, so the question comes up when yours has retired, or when you never had one. Pension Wise gives free government-backed guidance on taking money. A personal recommendation has to come from an adviser, and an FCA-authorised one will ring you for nothing if the form on this page has your number. First, what you can do alone.

Can I have a Royal London pension without an adviser?

You can hold one and run it yourself. What differs is how a personal pension starts: Royal London says it chooses to distribute its personal pension products through financial advisers, and tells people who want to open one to speak to an adviser. Once the plan exists, an adviser is not what keeps it going; the plan is yours to manage through Royal London, whether or not anyone is paid to look after it.

Which plan you hold matters more than who sold it. The differences between Pension Portfolio and the workplace schemes are in Royal London pension plans, and whether the product is a good one is a separate question.

What can I do directly with Royal London?

Royal London's online service lets you view and manage your pension plan. Royal London lists which plans can register, among them those from Scottish Life, Friends Provident and Royal Liver. A few older plans, such as Scottish Provident and Scottish Mutual Assurance ones, cannot be managed online and need a contact to Royal London instead.

Through your account, or by contacting Royal London, you can:

Fund choices are in changing Royal London pension funds. If an old plan has dropped out of sight, finding a lost pension covers tracing it.

What will Royal London not do?

Give advice. Its guidance service page says plainly: "Royal London does not offer financial advice". Its customer line can explain your plan and the options, but Royal London says it cannot recommend which solution would work best for you. Royal London also runs a free, confidential guidance service. Its own page says it is for existing customers who may be struggling after a change of personal circumstances, such as bereavement, divorce or illness, and that it points to free organisations and charities rather than advising on your pensions. Royal London's find-an-adviser page adds that pension customers without an adviser can use it at no extra cost. The number is 0345 600 5631, open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays.

Royal London's September 2025 retirement options guide says it recommends talking to a professional financial adviser, and that advisers may charge but should agree fees with you up front. The same guide describes Pension Wise as free and impartial, with specialists who can help you understand your options but cannot give personalised advice. MoneyHelper says Pension Wise covers UK-based defined contribution pensions, with appointments from age 50 and online ones for ages 50 to 74.

When is advice required on a Royal London pension?

By law, in a narrower set of cases than many people expect. Under section 48 of the Pension Schemes Act 2015, trustees or managers must check that you have received appropriate independent advice before converting safeguarded benefits into flexible ones, transferring them to gain flexible benefits elsewhere, or taking a lump sum straight out of them as uncrystallised funds. Safeguarded benefits are benefits other than money purchase or cash balance benefits, so the rule is about guarantees, not the size of an ordinary investment pot.

Advice can also be sensible without being compulsory. Royal London's guide says anyone likely to exceed the tax-free cash or allowance limits it describes should speak to a financial adviser.

Back to the legal test: the check is not required if "the total value of the member's or survivor's subsisting rights in respect of safeguarded benefits under the pension scheme is £30,000 or less on the valuation date". Royal London's transfer page tells you to look in your current plan for valuable features, naming a Guaranteed Annuity Rate first, because they could be lost if you transfer. Your plan documents show whether yours has one, and when advice is required before a transfer has the detail.

My adviser has retired: what about their ongoing charge?

An advised plan may carry an ongoing adviser charge for a continuing service. The FCA's retirement income advice thematic review (TR24/1, March 2024) says that where customers pay for ongoing advice, firms should clearly confirm the service, its charges and how customers can cancel and stop paying; it also says firms should not charge for services that are not delivered. So start by reading the paperwork you were given, and ask the adviser's firm in writing to end the service.

Then ask Royal London, on 0370 850 1991, what it needs from you to stop any adviser charge being taken from your plan. The charges taken from a plan are in Royal London pension charges, and what ongoing advice normally costs is in pension advice cost. A call from an adviser, requested on this page, can explain how reviews and ongoing charges are usually set up, so you can decide whether you want that service again.

More questions about advice and a Royal London pension

Can I open a Royal London personal pension without an adviser?

Royal London says you can open one by speaking with a financial adviser, which is the route it describes. Whether other routes exist for your situation is a question for Royal London.

Which Royal London pensions work in the mobile app?

Royal London says its app covers its own and Scottish Life pensions begun from 2004 onwards, for tracking performance, viewing investments and transferring. Other plans use the online account or a call.

Which adviser directory does Royal London point to?

Its find-an-adviser page names directories including VouchedFor, and says some advisers may charge for their services. To check any firm, use the FCA Financial Services Register, or see finding a pension adviser and pension scams for the warning signs.

Must I use an adviser before cashing in a Royal London pension?

Royal London recommends one, but its pages set out the cash, flexible income and guaranteed income routes and offer online forms for Income Release plans. The legal duty above applies only where safeguarded benefits are involved; whether advisers are worth it weighs the rest.

Should this plan be one of several pots, a short enquiry form here can start a free talk with a regulated adviser about all of them together.