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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteUse the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Firm Checker or Financial Services Register before speaking to a pension adviser. Confirm that the firm is currently authorised, that its permissions cover the exact service you need, and that the register’s telephone number, email address and website match the details you were given. For a defined benefit transfer, look specifically for permission described as “advising on pension transfers and opt-outs.” Then compare the adviser’s scope, experience, written deliverables and total charges before agreeing to anything.
This guide covers UK consumers and reflects FCA information available to 13 October 2026. Register status, permissions, contact details, fees and personal suitability can change, so check them again immediately before engaging a firm.
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What a regulated pension adviser does
A regulated financial adviser can give a personalised recommendation about a pension decision, rather than only explaining general options. Depending on the firm’s permissions and service, that might include assessing whether to remain in a workplace pension, choosing how to take benefits, reviewing pension investments or advising on a transfer from a defined benefit scheme.
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Regulation does not mean every adviser offers every type of pension work. A firm can be authorised for some financial services but not the one you need. The key test is whether the firm’s current permission matches your particular question.
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The FCA’s 2025 financial advice firms survey page, published on 23 April 2026, reported 31,000 advisers serving 4.1 million retail clients. It said pensions and retirement were the main objective for 69% of advice-firm clients. In the FCA’s Financial Lives 2024 survey, 87% of consumers said the advice they received was clear and understandable. Those figures describe the market as a whole; they do not establish that any particular firm is suitable for you.
Step 1: Define the pension decision before searching
Write down the decision you expect the adviser to address. A precise question makes it easier to check permissions and compare like with like.
- Should I remain in my current workplace pension or move it?
- How should I take benefits from a defined contribution pension?
- Should I transfer a defined benefit pension?
- How should several pensions be combined, invested or drawn down?
- What information do I need before deciding when to retire?
Also list what you do not want. Some firms provide only one-off recommendations; others include implementation, investment management or continuing reviews. Ask whether the adviser will make a personal recommendation, provide limited guidance, or undertake administrative work without advising you.
Step 2: Check the firm on the FCA’s official register
Start with the FCA Firm Checker or Financial Services Register, not a search advert, social-media profile or unsolicited message. Search the firm’s legal name and any trading name it uses.
- Confirm the status. A firm shown as “No longer authorised” or “Revoked” cannot carry out regulated financial activities. Do not proceed merely because an old website or document says the firm was authorised.
- Read the permission details. Check that the listed activities cover the pension service you are considering. For a defined benefit transfer, look for the specific wording “advising on pension transfers and opt-outs.”
- Compare identity details. Match the register’s official name, trading names, telephone number, email address and website with the information supplied by the adviser.
- Review warnings and history. Note any FCA warning, restriction or relevant regulatory information attached to the firm or individual.
- Use the register’s contact details yourself. Call the number or use the email address shown on the register to confirm that you are dealing with the authorised firm. Do not rely on a phone number in an unexpected message.
The FCA warns that clone firms imitate genuine authorised businesses. A convincing logo, copied website or familiar company name is not proof of identity. Independent contact through the register is the practical safeguard.
Check the firm before the individual
Ask for the adviser’s full name and current role, then look for relevant information on the register. The FCA notes that not every person working at a firm needs approval or will appear there, so an absent individual entry does not by itself prove misconduct. The firm must still hold the correct permissions for the regulated activity.
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Ask for a Statement of Professional Standing
Request evidence of the adviser’s current Statement of Professional Standing (SPS). The FCA describes an SPS as evidence that an adviser meets relevant professionalism standards. It supports your checks, but it does not replace verifying the firm’s authorisation and pension permissions.
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Authorisation answers whether a firm may perform an activity; it does not tell you how much relevant experience the team has or what the engagement includes. Ask the firm to explain its experience with your type of pension and to identify work it does not undertake.
- Does the adviser regularly handle your pension type and the decision you face?
- Does the firm advise on defined benefit transfers, or only defined contribution pensions?
- Will you receive a personal recommendation, a written analysis, or general guidance?
- Is the service independent or restricted? If restricted, which products, providers or solutions are within its selection?
- Will the firm implement a recommendation, arrange a transfer, manage investments or provide only the advice report?
- What records and scheme information must you supply, and who will obtain missing documents?
For a transfer case, ask whether the firm has permission for pension transfers and opt-outs and whether it will explain the benefits you would give up, not just the potential investment outcome.
Defined benefit transfers need extra caution
The FCA says, “We believe most people would be best advised not to transfer their DB pension.” A defined benefit pension normally promises benefits based on scheme rules, salary and service. Transferring generally exchanges that promise for a cash equivalent and personal investment responsibility, so the decision involves risks that do not arise in the same way when reviewing a defined contribution pot.
Where a defined benefit scheme is worth more than £30,000, the FCA says regulated financial advice is legally required before the transfer. That legal requirement does not make a transfer appropriate; it means you must obtain advice from a firm with the relevant permission.
Order the information carefully
The FCA recommends reading available guidance and making a shortlist before requesting a transfer value. A transfer value is guaranteed for three months and may change if recalculated. Requesting a value can therefore start a time-limited decision window; it is not a commitment to transfer.
Expect a documented recommendation
If an adviser recommends a transfer, the suitability report should explain the recommendation and the reasoning behind it, including the risks and benefits. Read the report for the assumptions about income needs, inflation, investment returns, longevity, charges, tax and your ability to tolerate losses. Ask questions in writing if the report does not explain why giving up the scheme’s benefits is suitable for your circumstances.
Free guidance is not the same as regulated advice
MoneyHelper provides comprehensive defined benefit transfer guidance and free impartial help by phone and webchat. People aged 50 or over can book a free Pension Wise appointment. These services can help you understand choices and prepare questions, but they are guidance routes rather than a personal recommendation to take a particular pension action.
If you want an individual recommendation, establish whether you need regulated advice and verify the adviser’s permissions. Be cautious if a business presents a free review as though it were personalised professional advice. The FCA states that professional pension advice is not free.
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The FCA does not set a single fee level or a “typical” pension-advice price. Where practical, speak to at least two authorised firms and give each the same facts and questions. Compare the substance of the service, not just the headline fee.
| Comparison point | What to verify |
|---|---|
| Permission and fit | Current FCA status, the precise pension permissions required, and demonstrated experience with your decision. |
| Advice scope | Independent or restricted status; advice included; exclusions; implementation; and whether the firm gives guidance or a personal recommendation. |
| Written output | The analysis, recommendation or suitability report you will receive, and when it will be delivered. |
| Initial cost | Total charge in pounds, calculation method, what work is included, payment timing and circumstances that could increase it. |
| Ongoing cost | Cash amount or calculation method, service frequency, precise benefits of continuing, payment method and cancellation process. |
| Identity and record | Register name and contact details, current role information and any relevant warnings or regulatory history. |
Do not treat a directory listing, testimonial or professional-looking presentation as proof of suitable permissions. A listing cannot establish that a firm is authorised for your specific pension service.
Step 5: Get charges and deliverables in writing
Before advice begins, ask for the total initial charge in pounds and how it was calculated. FCA examples of charging methods include hourly, fixed, percentage-based or a combination. The adviser must disclose the charging structure upfront and in writing and agree and disclose the specific total charge as soon as it is known.
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Questions about the initial fee
- What exact work does the fee cover?
- Will you provide a written recommendation or suitability report?
- What is the total charge in cash terms?
- Is the fee payable regardless of whether I proceed with the recommendation?
- What would be charged extra, such as additional meetings, missing records, implementation or specialist tax work?
- When and how must I pay?
Questions about ongoing service
If the firm proposes an ongoing charge, ask what recurring service you receive, how often it is delivered, the cash cost, the payment method and how to cancel. FCA rules require an ongoing charge to be linked to an ongoing service or regular-payment product, with the service, charge and cancellation method confirmed.
Ask for an illustration in pounds rather than accepting only a percentage. A percentage charge can rise or fall with the pension value, so request examples of the amount at realistic balances and the date on which it will be reviewed.
Questions to ask before signing an engagement
Take the answers in writing, preferably in the firm’s engagement letter or fee disclosure.
- What pension decisions are within the scope of your advice, and which are excluded?
- Is the firm authorised for the precise service I need?
- If my question involves a defined benefit transfer, is “advising on pension transfers and opt-outs” shown in the FCA Register?
- Are you independent or restricted, and how does that affect the options you will consider?
- What information and scheme records will you need from me?
- What work is included in the initial fee, and what written output will I receive?
- What is the total initial charge in pounds, how is it calculated and how do I pay?
- Is there an ongoing charge? If so, what service will I receive, how often, how much will it cost and how can I cancel?
- Can you show me your current Statement of Professional Standing?
Recognise pension-scam warning signs
Unsolicited contact is a reason to stop, not a shortcut to finding advice. The FCA says unsolicited free pension reviews are likely to be scams and advises consumers to hang up on pension cold calls and ignore unsolicited email or text offers.
- A caller, email or message contacts you unexpectedly about releasing, reviewing or transferring your pension.
- The service is described as a free professional pension review.
- You are pressured to act immediately, pay before receiving clear documents or keep the opportunity confidential.
- The firm refuses to let you verify its details independently on the FCA Register.
- The contact details differ from those shown for the authorised firm.
- You are urged to transfer before receiving a suitability report or a clear explanation of what you would give up.
Do not take advice from the company that initiated unexpected contact. End the conversation, find the firm independently and verify it through the FCA’s own register details. If you have already shared information or paid money, contact your pension provider and relevant authorities promptly and preserve the messages and payment records.
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How to decide between shortlisted advisers
Choose permission before price
Remove any firm whose register entry does not cover your service. A lower fee cannot compensate for a permission mismatch.
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Then assess the quality of the scope
Prefer a proposal that states what will be analysed, what will be delivered, what assumptions will be used and what the adviser will not do. For a transfer, the explanation of benefits given up and risks should be central, rather than an afterthought.
Compare the complete cost
Put each firm’s initial and ongoing charges into the same pounds-based comparison. Include implementation or extra-work charges and the cost of stopping an ongoing service where applicable. Avoid inventing a market “average”: the FCA does not prescribe one fee level or charging structure.
Check communication and independence claims
Ask each adviser to explain “independent” or “restricted” in practical terms. A restricted firm may still be appropriate, but you need to understand which products or providers it can consider and which it cannot.
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A practical pre-engagement checklist
- My pension question is written down clearly.
- I searched the firm on the FCA Firm Checker or Financial Services Register.
- The firm is currently authorised, and its permission matches my service.
- I independently matched the register contact details.
- I checked the specific transfer permission where a defined benefit transfer is involved.
- I asked about independence, restrictions, relevant experience and service limits.
- I requested evidence of the adviser’s Statement of Professional Standing.
- I have a written scope and a named deliverable.
- I have the initial charge in pounds and understand the calculation and payment method.
- I understand any ongoing service, charge and cancellation method.
- I have not relied on an unsolicited approach or a “free” review.
- For a transfer recommendation, I will read the suitability report’s reasoning, risks and benefits before acting.
What the FCA checks do—and do not—tell you
The FCA Register is the authoritative starting point for authorisation, permissions, identity and warnings. It does not make a personal recommendation, guarantee investment performance or prove that a firm is the right fit for your finances. You remain responsible for checking the proposal, fees, assumptions and consequences of the recommended action.
Firm permissions, contact details, regulatory status, costs and individual circumstances are time-sensitive. Repeat the register check immediately before you sign an engagement and again before transferring money or pension benefits.
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