Teachers’ Pension Scheme (PO-2886)

Subject

Mr Hargreaves’ complaint is that he was incorrectly informed by his employer that he had been automatically entered into the Scheme in April 2008. They then deducted pension contributions from his pay between April 2008 and July 2012 when it was discovered that he had not actually been entered into the Scheme, having opted-out previously, and thus did not accrue any pension entitlement for that period. Mr Hargreaves asks to be compensated for the loss of pension benefits he says he has suffered.

The Pensions Ombudsman’s determination and short reasons

The complaint should be upheld against the University as they incorrectly informed Mr Hargreaves that he had been automatically entered into the Scheme. Mr Hargreaves was entitled to believe that he was a member of the Scheme based on the information that he was given and the deduction of contributions from his pay. The complaint should also be upheld against the DfE as they did not properly consider the matter when making a decision on whether to grant Mr Hargreaves retrospective admission to the Scheme.