NOW: Pensions has been the subject of significant complaints from both employers and employees over a number of years. If you're struggling with NOW:, you're in good company — and you can move.
NOW: Pensions is a Danish-owned mastertrust that launched in the UK to compete in the auto-enrolment market. It built a significant employer base, particularly among small businesses. However, it has faced persistent criticism from employers and, more concerningly, from the Pensions Regulator itself.
In 2019, The Pensions Regulator issued an improvement notice to NOW: Pensions following failures in data administration that resulted in some members not receiving the correct contributions. The issues have been addressed to varying degrees, but employer and member complaints have continued.
Trustpilot and Smart Money People reviews from 2024 and 2025 reflect ongoing frustrations. Employers considering NOW: as a new provider should think carefully. Those already with NOW: have options.
These are the issues employers raise most frequently when they contact us about switching away from NOW:.
NOW: Pensions was formally cited for data administration failures by TPR. Employers report errors in member records, incorrect contribution allocations, and contributions that take unusually long to appear in member accounts.
Consistent complaints about long waits for responses, queries going unresolved for weeks, and difficulty getting through to anyone who can actually fix the problem.
Employees reporting that contributions don't appear in their accounts, or appear late. This causes significant anxiety among staff and creates HR problems for you as an employer.
Some employers report confusion around charges, including admin fees that weren't clearly communicated at the outset. NOW: charges an administration fee to members on top of the fund charge — something worth scrutinising.
The NOW: employer portal is widely described as difficult to navigate. Basic tasks like submitting contributions or managing leavers require more effort than they should.
Member-facing tools that don't work as expected, with limited support available when employees run into problems — pushing the issue back onto you as employer.
In 2019, The Pensions Regulator (TPR) issued NOW: Pensions with an Improvement Notice following an investigation into data administration failures. The notice required NOW: to address specific failures in ensuring members' data was accurate and contributions were correctly attributed.
TPR's involvement was significant — it's not something the regulator does lightly. While NOW: took steps to address the issues identified, the fact that regulatory intervention was required is a relevant consideration for any employer reviewing their options.
It is worth noting that NOW: Pensions is still a legitimate, operating mastertrust and contributions made to it are held in members' pension pots. The concerns are operational, not about the security of members' funds.
If you have a specific unresolved issue, put it in writing. A formal complaint starts the clock — NOW: must respond within eight weeks, after which you can escalate to the Pensions Ombudsman.
If your complaint isn't resolved, the Pensions Ombudsman is free to use and independent. For member-level issues, members can contact them directly. For employer-level disputes, you can raise a complaint on your own behalf.
For most small employers, the cleanest solution is to move. You can switch pension provider at any time. Existing member pots remain with NOW: (members can transfer individually if they wish); you simply start a new scheme and enrol employees going forward.
Nest has a different set of issues — but the complaints are just as consistent. Here's what employers say.
Read the guide →Less complicated than you might think. Here's the full switching process explained for small employers.
Learn more →