Trustees

Under the Pensions Act, 1990, as amended (the Act), trustees have the main responsibility for the administration of funded occupational pension schemes and trust RACs and for compliance with any statutory requirements. Under the Act, the Authority is responsible for:

• providing guidance for trustees in relation to scheme administration and other duties and responsibilities of trustees, and
• issuing codes of practice on specific aspects of trustees' responsibilities.

The Trustee Handbook (currently under review) provides guidance for trustees on how to achieve compliance with the Act and other relevant legislation. The handbook also promotes good practice generally in relation to scheme administration. The Trustee Handbook is available below. 

The Code of Practice for trustees sets out the Authority’s expectations for the conduct and practice of trustees of funded occupational pension schemes and trust RACs.

Registered Administrators

Registered Administrators

Trustees of every scheme and trust RAC must appoint a registered administrator to carry out certain duties on their behalf. These duties are known as 'core administration functions', namely, the preparation of annual reports and annual benefit statements, the maintenance of sufficient and accurate member records and the submission of Annual Scheme Information (ASI) to the Authority.

Previously, small trust RACs were exempt from the requirement to appoint a registered administrator. The European Union (Occupational Pension Schemes) Regulations, 2021, removed this exemption.

Registered administrators must apply to the Authority to renew their registration annually, at least 30 days before their renewal date. Applications for renewal as a registered administrator must be completed through the Authority's Pensions Data Register (PDR).

A list of current registered administrators is available below.

The Authority has published frequently asked questions on registered administrators.  These can be found under FAQs on pensions.