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Boots Pension Scheme

Boots Pension Scheme

TPO is currently taking a lead case approach to complaints raised against Boots Pension Scheme, concerning the ability to take an unreduced pension at age 60. 

This page contains the latest updates on those complaints, as well as information about the process being followed and what happens next. This is to allow all interested members and other parties to track the progress of these cases. If you want to know if you should complain, please see the question 'Do I need to complain?' at the bottom of this page.

What is the dispute about?

In 2023, the Boots Pension Scheme was “bought in” with Legal & General – this means that the Trustee used the scheme assets to purchase an insurance contract which covers the benefits payable from the scheme.

As part of the buy-in, the ability to take an unreduced pension at age 60 was removed from the scheme. The dispute concerns whether this was possible.

TPO and the relevant parties have agreed that two lead cases will be submitted to TPO, which between them cover all the core issues identified. These are known as the Mr F case and the Ms A case.

What has happened so far?

  • Mr F’s complaint was submitted to TPO on 14 March 2025.
  • Mr F’s complaint was passed to our Jurisdiction Assessment Team on 7 April.
  • Our Jurisdiction Assessment Team completed a jurisdiction test on Mr F’s complaint, and confirmed to the parties that it is within our jurisdiction on 16 May 2025. This ensures we have the right to formally investigate the complaint and that any Determination we make is enforceable.
  • The substantive complaint for Ms A is expected to be submitted shortly.

What are we doing now?

  • The Trustee of the Scheme and Boots Company Plc will be asked to submit their formal response to Mr F’s complaint, and the complaint will move to our Adjudication Team to be allocated to an Adjudicator.

Last updated: 16 May 2025 

What happens next?

Once Mr F’s complaint is allocated, the Adjudicator will begin the investigation. 

Once the details of Ms A’s complaint are submitted, the complaint will be passed to our Jurisdiction Assessment Team to complete a jurisdiction test.

Further information

The lead complaints will progress through TPO’s casework process.

This is likely to include the following stages:

  • The lead complaint applications are made to TPO.
  • The lead complaints are assessed to confirm they are within TPO’s jurisdiction to investigate.
  • Relevant documents are requested by TPO and provided by the parties.
  • An Adjudicator investigates the lead complaints and presents their findings to the Ombudsman or Deputy Ombudsman.
  • The relevant Ombudsman issues a Preliminary Decision for each lead complaint, setting out their views.
  • All parties have the opportunity to comment on the Preliminary Decision.
  • The relevant Ombudsman issues a Determination for each lead complaint.

Once issued to the parties, the Determinations will be published on our website and will be publicly available. 

Each Determination will be final and binding only on the parties to that complaint. 

Any member who is not the applicant in a lead case is not a party to that complaint. This means they are not bound by the Determination, and will not receive any details of the case or copies of any documents submitted, even once our investigation is complete.

Nonetheless, the lead complaint Determinations will inform the Trustee and Company of TPO’s views on the issues that affect members generally, and how other complaints would likely be determined if they were to reach TPO.

The amount of time each stage of the process takes will depend on a number of factors, including the amount and timeliness of information provided by the parties, and the complexity of the facts and legal issues.

Therefore, it is not possible to provide an estimate of how long the whole process will take, though we will update this page so that all parties are aware of the current status of the lead complaints. 

There are many hundreds of members affected by this issue who have indicated in some way that they object to the change made in the scheme. 

Lead complaints are an efficient way of dealing with a significant volume of potential complaints of a similar nature relating to the same issue, reducing the time and cost to all parties. Lead complaints can be accelerated through our processes, providing clarity for all parties as early as possible.

Lead cases can be managed in different ways, in this instance it has been agreed that two lead complaints will be submitted to TPO, which between them cover all the core issues identified by the relevant parties. It is expected that the Determinations in the two lead complaints will cover all issues for the vast majority of potentially affected members.

If you may want to make a complaint to TPO about this issue in the future, we expect you to make a complaint to the Trustee under the scheme’s internal dispute resolution procedure (IDRP) now. You can contact the Trustee for details of how to do this.

Although complaints should be submitted under the scheme’s IDRP, we understand that the Trustee will not be providing a substantive response to those complaints until the lead complaints are determined by the Ombudsman or otherwise concluded, so as not to undermine the ongoing lead complaints. 

Once the lead complaints are determined, our expectation is that these Determinations will inform how the Trustee responds to all IDRP complaints. 

At that stage, any members whose situation is not covered by the lead complaint Determinations may apply to TPO.

Complaining about other issues

If you have a complaint about the Boots Pension Scheme which does not relate to the removal of the option to retire on an unreduced pension at age 60, you can raise this through the scheme’s IDRP in the usual way (making it clear your complaint is different to the lead cases), and then with TPO if you are not satisfied with the outcome of the IDRP.

There are time limits for making a complaint to TPO.

TPO has agreed that it will make an allowance for the time a member’s IDRP complaint is paused whilst the lead complaints are investigated, so that any pause does not prejudice a potential complainant when we are applying our time limits (which are set out in Regulation 5 of The Personal and Occupational Pension Schemes (Pensions Ombudsman) Regulations 1996). However, TPO cannot give any assurance concerning time limits in respect of the Limitation Act 1980.

See the question ‘Do I need to complain?’ for details about making a complaint under the scheme’s IDRP.