Record-keeping

While the scheme return asks whether you have measured data within the last three years we expect schemes to review their data at least once a year, so we recommend you take steps to put a data review process in place going forward if your scheme doesn't already have one.

Public Service Schemes

Please note that for the purpose of the scheme return, pension board data is out of scope.

Common data

These questions relate to the quality of your common data. Common data is data all schemes should hold for all members:

National Insurance number
Surname and either forename or initials
Gender
Date of birth
Date pensionable service started, membership/policy start date or first contribution date
Expected retirement/maturity date (target retirement age)
Membership status eg active, deferred, pensioner. This can be mixed where part but not all of the benefits are being taken.
Last status event: the date at which the membership status last changed eg from active to deferred. Where appropriate, you should also capture the reason for the change in status (eg retired or opted out)
Address including postcode.

For public service schemes, while scheme managers are required to keep specific data on members and beneficiaries, transactions and pension board meetings, we have standardised the breakdown of data into common and scheme specific (conditional) data to make it easier to compare all pension schemes. These questions relate to the quality of your common data – For public service schemes common data is a subset of the member and beneficiary data specified in the Public Service Pensions (Record Keeping and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2014:

National Insurance number
Surname and either forename or initials
Gender
Date of birth
Last status event: the date at which the membership status last changed eg from active to deferred. Where appropriate, you should also capture the reason for the change in status (eg retired or opted out)
Address including postcode.

If schemes currently measure their data based on the regulations (separate reviews for member/beneficiary and transaction data) we suggest that schemes use their member and beneficiary data score as the common data score (even if this may be lower than a common data score). We encourage scheme managers to update their processes to measure common data going forward to enable TPR and schemes to compare standards across the pensions landscape.

Further information about common data can be found in our Record-keeping guidance for trustees and public service schemes.

Have you measured your common data in the last three years?

You should confirm whether you have measured your common data in the last three years. ‘The last three years’ is defined as three years calendar prior to the completion of the scheme return.

When did you last measure your common data?

You should provide us with the month and year of when common data was last measured for your scheme. This information may be in administration reports or can be provided by your scheme administrator. You can find out more about measuring your data in our Record-keeping guidance.

What percentage of this data have you assessed to be present and accurate?

You should provide us with the percentage of your common data you assessed to be present and accurate at the date provided above. This information may be in administration reports or can be provided by your scheme administrator. In most cases you should be able to report based on your current processes. If you are unsure as to how to report, further information is available in our checklist. You should tick the box ‘Not available’ if:

You do not have this information; or
You have assessed presence, but not accuracy; or
You have assessed accuracy, but not presence

If you offer defined benefit and money purchase benefits (‘hybrid scheme’), you should complete the question in respect of the part of your scheme providing money purchase benefits (if measured separately).

Scheme-specific (conditional) data

In addition to common data, you will need to hold other data in order to operate your pension scheme. The nature of this data will vary from scheme to scheme, and will depend on many factors including scheme type, structure and the administration system in use. We have standardised the breakdown of data into common and scheme specific (conditional) data to make it easier to compare all pension schemes.

For Public Service pension schemes scheme, specific data will be made up of elements of member/beneficiary data and all transaction data. We suggest that schemes use the lower of their member/beneficiary and transaction data scores (if different) if scheme-specific data alone hasn’t been measured. We encourage scheme managers to update their processes to measure scheme-specific data going forward to enable the Regulator and schemes to compare standards across the pensions landscape.

You should work with your administrator to identify the content of your key scheme-specific (conditional) data but depending on the type of scheme this may include:

employment records such as employer name, salary records, service history
employee and employer contribution history
information on the value of the member’s pension, such as the last estimated value, the date of the estimate and how the pension benefit was calculated
any benefit specifics like GMP entitlement, HMRC protections or cash entitlements
investment decisions, units purchased, sold and held
specific data items set out in legislation such as the transaction records set out for public service pension schemes.

You can find out more about defining your scheme-specific (conditional) data in our Record-keeping guidance.

Have you measured your scheme-specific (conditional) data in the last three years?

You should confirm whether you have measured your scheme-specific (conditional) data in the last three years. ‘The last three years’ is defined as three calendar years prior to the completion of the scheme return.

When did you last measure your scheme-specific (conditional) data?

You should provide us with the month and year of when scheme-specific (conditional) data was last measured for your scheme. This information may be in administration reports or can be provided by your scheme administrator. You can find out more about measuring your data in our Record-keeping guidance.

What percentage of this data have you assessed to be present and accurate?

You should provide us with the percentage of your scheme-specific (conditional) data you assessed to be present and accurate at the date provided above. This information may be in administration reports or can be provided by your scheme administrator. In most cases, you should be able to report based on your current processes. If you’re not sure how to report, further information is available in our checklist.

You should tick the box ‘Not available’ if:

You do not have this information; or
You have assessed presence, but not accuracy; or
You have assessed accuracy, but not presence