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Blog New data obtained via a Freedom of Information request shows complaints submitted to the Pensions Ombudsman have jumped from 6,558 in 2023 to 8,709 in 2024 – a 33% year-on-year increase. The growing number of complaints underscores an industry struggling to meet growing member demands.
While complaints explicitly tied to administration issues declined slightly (701 to 660), the sustained volume points to persistent underlying inefficiencies within schemes’ operational systems.
In response, Mantle the global pensions software provider, is urging schemes, third-party administrators and insurers to urgently modernise their admin infrastructure.
The firm has dubbed this systemic challenge the “Admin Avalanche,” citing a systemic backlog of member servicing issues stemming from outdated technology and a shrinking talent pool of pension administrators creating critical bottlenecks to member service quality.
Risks for administration providers
As Ombudsman complaints increase, Mantle warns that overall service demand is rising – and manual operations can’t scale.
Going beyond the generalities of poor service as a result of inefficient systems, there are some rapidly emerging pinch points.
Take McCloud in the Public Sector
Systems providers have been playing catch up to deliver the required calculations resulting in delays to retirement estimates, payment of benefits and Transfer Value calculations. An inability to calculate TV’s is hitting some members in particular with reports of legal action against Schemes as members can’t divorce with a Transfer Value calculation.
Dashboards requirements are also exposing some platforms where manual calculation of Estimated Retirement Incomes is happening. Upgrading the underlying administration to a modern capable solution solves McCloud, Dashboards and a host of other problems.
James Whittingham, Managing Director of Mantle said:
“The combination of ageing populations, complex benefits structures, and analogue systems is creating a perfect storm. This data reinforces what we hear every day from clients: the volume and complexity of member requests is climbing, while the ability to respond in a timely, accurate manner is becoming harder. Real-time, automated admin infrastructure is no longer a luxury – it’s a necessity. Schemes pursuing consolidation or buyout need to show they can deliver seamless, high-quality member servicing.
Mantle’s cloud-based platform supports over 1,200 pension schemes and more than 1.76 million member records. It processes upwards of 20,000 valuation runs and approximately £1 billion in member payments annually, helping reduce errors, speed up service delivery and free up administrator time for high-impact tasks.”
James Whittingham
Managing Director, Mantle.
Ends
Research is based on a Freedom of Information request send to the Pensions Ombudsman submitted in May 2025.
For further information please contact:
Ged Brumby, Edelman Smithfield at ged.brumby@edelmansmithfield.com or on 07540 412301
Susan O’Neill at Susan_Oneill@mantleservices.com or on 02895 210 225
