How to Complain to the Pension Funds Adjudicator

If your retirement fund has not paid your benefit, paid it late, calculated it wrongly or made a decision you think is unfair, you do not need a lawyer to challenge it. The Pension Funds Adjudicator investigates complaints against retirement funds, and it costs nothing to lodge one. The process is simple, but it runs on time limits, and the 2026 rules have changed some of the detail. This guide gives you the steps, the clocks and what to expect.

What You Will Learn

• What the Adjudicator can and cannot handle
• The five steps, starting with a complaint to your fund
• The time limits that decide whether your complaint survives
• What changed with the Adjudicator’s new rules in 2026
• What the Adjudicator’s figures say about who complains and why

What the Adjudicator Handles

What the Adjudicator Handles

The Pension Funds Adjudicator is an independent authority. According to the Adjudicator’s own February 2026 article, you can complain about:

• Benefits that were not paid or were unnecessarily delayed
• Incorrect benefit calculations
• Employers who did not pay contributions into the fund
• Poor fund management or unclear communication by trustees
• Decisions the fund made outside its powers

It cannot handle matters outside pension funds, such as medical aid, or matters a court has already decided. Insurer-underwritten benefits that are not part of the fund’s rules can also fall outside its jurisdiction. In a 2025 Financial Services Tribunal case, reported by Adams and Adams, the Adjudicator correctly declined a complaint about an unapproved disability policy held by an employer, which belonged with the National Financial Ombud. Under the 2026 rules, members, former members, beneficiaries, dependants, nominees and their representatives can all lodge complaints.

The Five Steps

• Step 1: Complain to your fund in writing. Address your letter to the fund’s principal officer or board of trustees. The board must consider and respond to your complaint within 30 days.
• Step 2: Gather your documents. Include your personal details, your fund name and membership number, a clear explanation, and supporting papers such as payslips, fund statements or letters.
• Step 3: Lodge your complaint with the Adjudicator if the fund has not resolved it within 30 days. You can do this online, by email, fax, post or in person. The website is www.pfa.org.za, and the telephone numbers are 012 346 1738 and 0800 74 4444.
• Step 4: Wait for the investigation. The Adjudicator contacts the fund, the employer and other parties, and may ask you for more information. Resolution usually takes between one and six months.
• Step 5: Receive the outcome. A determination carries the same weight as a court judgment and is binding and enforceable.

If you skip step 1, the Adjudicator can decline the complaint. In a case reported in 2021, a complaint about a death benefit was dismissed because the member had not first complained to the board.

The Clocks That Matter

• 30 days: the fund’s time to consider and respond to your first complaint.
• Three years: under section 30I of the Pension Funds Act, members generally have three years to lodge a complaint, counted from when you knew, or should reasonably have known, what went wrong and who was responsible.
• One to six months: the usual time for the Adjudicator to resolve a complaint.
• 30 or 60 days: the time to apply to the Financial Services Tribunal to reconsider a determination. It is 30 days from receiving the Adjudicator’s reasons if you asked for them in writing, and 60 days from being notified of the decision if you did not.

The three-year limit matters most for unpaid contributions. According to a September 2026 report on an industry conference, many awards are only partial because part of the claim has prescribed. Do not wait.

What the 2026 Rules Changed

The Ombud Council published the Rules for the Pension Funds Adjudicator, 2026, on 4 March 2026. According to ENS, the rules mostly formalise existing practice. They do not materially expand the Adjudicator’s jurisdiction. The main changes:

• The Adjudicator must publish an official complaint form. It may decline incomplete forms, but can accept other forms for vulnerable or urgent cases.
• A complaint made to the Adjudicator before the fund can be sent to the fund on your behalf.
• The Adjudicator can dismiss complaints that are frivolous, vexatious or lacking in substance.
• Default determinations require clear timelines and a warning about the consequences of not responding.
• From 1 October 2026: stronger duties on communication and disclosure, better support for enforcing employers’ duty to pay contributions, and the power to award costs for improper or unreasonable conduct. ENS expects costs awards to be rare.
• From 1 April 2027: a settlement and conciliation framework with written settlement recommendations.

What the Numbers Say

• In 2024/25 the Adjudicator received 10,331 new complaints, up from 9,177, and finalised 10,100.
• Of those, 54 percent ended in a determination, 12 percent in a settlement, 19 percent were out of jurisdiction and 15 percent were abandoned, withdrawn or duplicates. The figures do not say how many determinations favoured the complainant.
• 93 percent of determinations, out-of-jurisdiction and settlement outcomes were closed within six months.
• Employers not paying contributions (44 percent) and withdrawal benefits (39 percent) made up most closed complaints.
• In 2025/26 the Adjudicator received a record 13,041 complaints, about 26 percent more than the year before (my calculation). About 51 percent concerned employers not paying contributions.

The two-pot system drove the earlier rise in complaints. Our guide to leaving a retirement fund explains the withdrawal rules behind many of them.

After the Determination

If you or the fund believe the determination does not follow the law, you can apply to the Financial Services Tribunal for reconsideration or go to the High Court for a review. The Tribunal can only review the decision the Adjudicator actually made. It cannot take up a new issue.

The Tribunal clock depends on one step. If you ask the Adjudicator in writing for reasons for the determination (a request under section 229 of the Financial Sector Regulation Act), you have 30 days from receiving those reasons to apply for reconsideration. If you do not ask for reasons, you have 60 days from the date you were notified of the decision. Miss the deadline and you must apply for condonation, which means showing good cause, a full and honest explanation for every day of the delay, and reasonable prospects of success. The Tribunal applies this standard strictly and regularly dismisses late applications. Get legal advice before you appeal, and ask for reasons early.

Key Takeaways

• Complain to your fund in writing first. It has 30 days to respond.
• Lodging a complaint with the Adjudicator costs nothing, and you do not need a lawyer.
• You generally have three years from when you knew, or should have known, what went wrong.
• Most complaints are resolved within six months, but the Adjudicator says that is still too long.
• New rules from March 2026 formalise the process, with more changes from 1 October 2026 and 1 April 2027.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Pension Funds Adjudicator do?

It investigates complaints about retirement funds, such as unpaid or delayed benefits, wrong calculations, employers who do not pay contributions and decisions outside a fund’s powers. Its determinations are binding and enforceable like a court judgment.

How do I complain to the Pension Funds Adjudicator?

Complain to your fund in writing first. If it does not resolve the matter within 30 days, lodge a complaint with the Adjudicator online, by email, fax, post or in person, with your details and supporting documents.

Does it cost money to complain to the Pension Funds Adjudicator?

No. Lodging a complaint costs nothing. The Adjudicator may award costs only where a party’s conduct is improper or unreasonable, and this is expected to be rare.

How long do I have to complain?

Generally three years under section 30I of the Pension Funds Act, counted from when you knew, or should reasonably have known, what went wrong and who was responsible.

How long does the Adjudicator take?

Usually between one and six months, depending on how complex the matter is and how well the parties cooperate.

Can I appeal a determination?

Yes. You can apply to the Financial Services Tribunal for reconsideration within 30 days of receiving the Adjudicator’s reasons (if you requested them) or within 60 days of being notified of the decision (if you did not). You can also ask the High Court to review it. Late applications need condonation, which is hard to get, so get legal advice quickly.

Can the Adjudicator help with medical aid or insurance disputes?

No. It handles retirement funds only. Medical aid and insurer-underwritten products fall under other bodies, such as the National Financial Ombud.

Get Help With Your Complaint

Use our retirement annuity calculator to see what a delayed benefit could cost you in lost growth. If you are unsure whether you have a case, request a portfolio review.

This article is general information and not legal advice. Each complaint depends on its facts, and time limits can end your right to complain. For help with your own situation, request a portfolio review, and speak to an attorney before you appeal a determination.