Guidance

September 2023 Managing pension schemes service newsletter

Published 19 September 2023

1. Event reporting launch on the Managing pension schemes service

1.1 Create, compile and view event reports for the tax year 2023 to 2024 onwards

The Managing pension schemes service allows you to quickly and easily self-serve and provides you with more financial information compared to the Pensions Schemes Online service.

Pension scheme administrators and practitioners can now use the Managing pension schemes service to create, compile and view event reports in-year, for the tax year 2023 to 2024 onwards.

If your pension scheme has a Pension Scheme Tax Reference (PSTR) beginning with 0, and you have not already done so, you will need to migrate the pension scheme to the Managing pension schemes service to be able to compile and submit your event report. You can only submit your event report once the tax year has ended, unless you’re reporting that the pension scheme has:

• wound up, you must report this on the event report within 3 months of the scheme wind up completing
• become or ceased to be a Master Trust, you must report this on the event report within 30 days of the event

Find out more about sending pension scheme reports to HMRC.

1.2 Reporting events for the tax year 2022 to 2023 or earlier

If you need to submit a new event report or amend an existing event report for the tax year 2022 to 2023 or earlier, you still need to do this on the Pension schemes online service.

You can no longer submit any event reports on the Pension schemes online service, for any period, using third-party software. You’ll need to compile and submit the report directly onto the service.

Find out more in section 4 of pension schemes newsletter 148.

1.3 Bulk reporting for event report

When compiling an event report on the Managing pension schemes service, you’ll be able to bulk import data from a spreadsheet, directly on to the service to populate the report.

This feature will be available for importing the details for:

• Event 1
• Event 6
• Event 22
• Event 23

You’ll need to upload a different spreadsheet for each event. If you upload more than one spreadsheet for the same event, the original upload will be overwritten.

All spreadsheets will need to be uploaded as CSV files. The CSV templates and instructions will be available on the service.

1.4 Submitting your event report

You can only submit your event report once the tax year has ended, unless you’re reporting that the pension scheme has wound up, or that it has become or ceased to be a Master Trust.

Once you have successfully submitted your event report, you’ll see a confirmation screen on the service that you can print out for your records. You’ll also receive an email confirming your submission.

You’ll be able to make amendments to an event report that you’ve submitted. This will save as a new version of the event report for that tax year, on the scheme record. You’ll only ever be able to amend the latest version you submitted.

1.5 Viewing and searching a submitted event report

Once you’ve submitted an event report, you’ll be able to view this on your pension scheme record.

On the Managing pension schemes service you’ll be able to see each tax year you’ve submitted an event report for, and you can select the tax year you want to view. You’ll then see a list of all versions of the event report that you submitted for that tax year.

Once you’re in your chosen version of the event report, you’ll also be able to search using a member’s name or National Insurance number to see the information you submitted regarding that member.

1.6 Reporting unauthorised payments (Event 1)

From 2023 to 2024, there will be 3 new questions asked for each payment you report:

1. ‘Do you hold a signed mandate from the member to deduct tax from their unauthorised payment? (Yes/No)’
   

2. ‘Is the value of the unauthorised payment more than 25% of the pension fund for the individual? (Yes/No)’
   

3. If you answer ‘yes’ to this question, you’ll be asked ‘Is the scheme paying the surcharge on behalf of the member? (Yes/No)’
   

When you submit an event report that includes unauthorised payments, a charge will be created. The type of charge and the amount will depend on your answers to these new questions.

1.7 Financial Information

Once you submit an event report, the financial information will be updated to reflect any charges, interest or penalties due.

If a Scheme Sanction Charge is due, this will appear on the scheme financial information as ‘Scheme Sanction Charge’ and will include a charge reference.

If you use the mandate procedure, charge type ‘Member Unauthorised Payments’ will also appear on the scheme financial information and will include a charge reference.

All charges will normally appear within a few days of submitting an event report. Payment is due within 30 days from when the charge is raised with interest accruing from 1 February following the end of the tax year.

For example:

• On 1 September 2024, you submit an event report for 2023 to 2024, including some entries for Event 1
• A Scheme Sanction Charge is created on 4 September 2024. Payment is due by 4 October 2024 — payment is received on 1 November 2024 (28 days later), so you will not be charged interest

1.8 Payment allocation rules

Payments will be allocated against the charge reference shown on the payment.

Any credits created by amending an event report will only be used to clear an outstanding charge of the same charge type within the same charge period​.

If all charges of that type in that period have already been fully cleared, the credit will sit on the scheme’s account awaiting instruction or a request for repayment.

For example, if you amend an event report that reduces the Scheme Sanction Charge assessment value, that credit will only be used to clear a Scheme Sanction Charge assessment in the same tax year. If these are already fully cleared, the credit will sit on the scheme’s account.

2. Filing Accounting for Tax (AFT) returns

If you need to submit an AFT return for the quarter 1 July 2023 to 30 September 2023, you’ll need to do this by the filing deadline of 14 November 2023 to avoid interest and penalties.

If the pension scheme has a PSTR beginning with ‘0’, and you have not already done so, you will need to migrate your pension scheme to the Managing pension schemes service to be able to file your return.

Find out more about how to submit an AFT return using the Managing pension schemes service.

3. Pension scheme return

From April 2024, we’ll introduce a new function that allows you to submit a pension scheme return on the Managing pension schemes service. When you receive a notice to file a pension scheme return for the tax year ending 5 April 2024, you’ll therefore submit the return on the Managing pension schemes service.

For schemes migrated or registered using the Managing pension schemes service, you (or a practitioner acting on your behalf) will need to compile and submit the pension scheme return on the Managing pension schemes service by the relevant due date.

Once you’ve submitted the return through the Managing pension schemes service, you’ll be able to amend the return, if necessary.

The questions on the pension scheme return will change and you’ll need to provide more details. In some cases, this will include details of your members and certain transactions that have taken place during the period of the return.

You’ll only need to submit a pension scheme return if we send you a notice to file. Whether or not you’ve previously received a notice to file has no bearing on whether we’ll send you one in future.

3.1 Migrating to ensure you have enough time

To give you enough time to complete your pension scheme return on the Managing pension schemes service, you’ll need to make sure you’ve migrated your scheme by April 2024. From this date, when a scheme is migrated, we’ll automatically issue notices to file for any applicable years, backdated to the 2023 to 2024 tax year.

If you’ve migrated your scheme before April 2024, you’ll receive a notice to file a pension scheme return for tax year 2023 to 2024, with a filing deadline of 31 January 2025.

If you migrate your pension scheme after 31 October 2024, notices to file for the 2023 to 2024 tax year will have a filing deadline of 3 months from the date of issue.

If you further delay migrating your schemes, notices to file for any applicable years will automatically be issued and backdated to the 2023 to 2024 tax year.

For example, if you choose not to migrate your pension schemes to the Managing pension schemes service until 1 August 2026, you’ll receive:

• a notice to file a pension scheme return for the 2023 to 2024 tax year, with a filing deadline of 1 November 2026
• a notice to file a pension scheme return for the 2024 to 2025 tax year, with a filing deadline of 1 November 2026
• a notice to file a pension scheme return for the 2025 to 2026 tax year, with a filing deadline of 31 January 2027

If we do not receive a pension scheme return by the specified filing deadline, we’ll charge you a £100 penalty. If you still do not submit the return, we may also charge daily penalties of up to £60.

Find out about reporting to HMRC.

4. Two-steps to migrating your schemes – enrol and migrate

Take action to migrate your pension schemes now.

As a scheme administrator, you must first enrol on the Managing pension schemes service, using the Government Gateway username and password for your existing ‘A0’ administrator ID. If you have multiple scheme administrator IDs, you must enrol on the Managing pension schemes service using the username and password for your ‘Master’ ID.

You can find more information on ‘Master’ and ‘Ancillary’ IDs in migrating your pension schemes to the Managing pension schemes service.

After you’ve enrolled, you must migrate your pension schemes. To do this:

1. Sign in to the Managing pension schemes service.

2. Select ‘Add a pension scheme from the Pension Schemes Online service’.

3. Select each scheme you need to migrate and provide the information requested.