Nest

Company Overview

What customers complain about

Complaint categories

1. 1
   Contributions problems

   Missing, delayed or wrongly allocated contributions are a core category Nest names in its own complaints guidance. Because contributions are paid in by employers, resolving them can involve both Nest and the employer.

   Nest's 'How we handle complaints' leaflet cites 'problems with your contributions' as a typical issue to raise about the scheme.
2. 2
   Employer set-up and auto-enrolment duties

   Employers use Nest to meet their automatic-enrolment obligations, and Nest specifically flags difficulties setting up the scheme and meeting those duties as a common complaint area, which is why it runs a separate employer contact line.

   Nest's complaints leaflet names 'difficulties you might have as an employer setting up the scheme and meeting your duties'.
3. 3
   Third-party (employer) issues Nest cannot resolve

   Nest states some complaints are actually against a third party such as the member's employer; in those cases Nest cannot handle the complaint and will explain why, which can leave members needing to pursue the employer or the regulator instead.

   Nest's complaints leaflet: 'We'll also let you know if your complaint is actually with a third party, such as your employer. In this case we'll be unable to handle it.'

Latest statistics

We could not identify publicly available official complaint statistics for this company.

Contact methods

• Nest members – complaints and support0300 020 0090
• Participating employers – complaints0300 020 0393
• Nest – complaints in writingNest Pensions, Nene Hall, Lynch Wood Business Park, Peterborough, PE2 6FY.
• Complaints about how Nest Corporation is runsecretariat@nestcorporation.org.uk

Complaint journey

1. 1

   Raise a complaint with Nest

   Contact Nest online, by phone or in writing to report the problem.

   Typical responseAcknowledged within 2 working days
   What happens

   Members can raise a complaint by logging in at nestpensions.org.uk and using the 'Support' > 'Complaints' option, by phoning 0300 020 0090, or in writing to Nest Pensions, Nene Hall, Lynch Wood Business Park, Peterborough, PE2 6FY. Employers use 0300 020 0393 or 'Organisation details' > 'Raise a complaint'. Nest aims to acknowledge your complaint within 2 working days and give you a complaint reference number.

2. 2

   Nest investigates and responds

   Nest looks into your complaint and gives you an answer.

   Typical responseWithin 10 working days
   What happens

   Nest investigates and tries to resolve the complaint as quickly as possible, aiming to do so within 10 working days. If it will take longer, or the complaint is actually against a third party such as your employer, Nest will tell you and explain why.

3. 3

   Ask for a formal dispute – IDRP stage 1

   Escalate to Nest's statutory dispute procedure, handled by a complaints manager.

   Typical response20 working days
   What happens

   If you are still dissatisfied, you can ask Nest to handle the matter as a formal dispute under its Internal Dispute Resolution Procedure. Stage 1 is handled by a complaints manager, who aims to resolve it within 20 working days, explaining what was investigated and what action will be taken to put things right. This route is open to members, certain dependants/beneficiaries, employers and their authorised delegates.

4. 4

   Appeal to the Trustee – IDRP stage 2

   If still unresolved, appeal in writing to Nest Corporation, the Trustee.

   Typical responseDecision within 4 months
   What happens

   If you remain dissatisfied, you can ask the Trustee (Nest Corporation) to consider your dispute – the second and final internal stage. You must request this in writing within 6 months of the stage 1 decision, explaining why you disagree and what you want the Trustee to do. The Trustee decides as soon as possible and in any case within 4 months of receiving your request, and tells you the decision within 15 working days of making it.

5. 5

   Refer to The Pensions Ombudsman

   Take an unresolved administration/maladministration dispute to the independent ombudsman.

   Typical responseGenerally within 3 years of the event
   What happens

   If your dispute about the administration or management of the scheme is still unresolved, you can refer it to The Pensions Ombudsman (TPO), whose decisions are legally binding. You normally need to contact TPO within 3 years of when the event happened, or of when you first knew (or ought to have known) about it, though this can be extended at TPO's discretion. Contact: 0800 917 4487, enquiries@pensionsombudsman.org.uk, or the online form at pensions-ombudsman.org.uk. MoneyHelper (0800 678 1648) offers free impartial guidance but does not resolve complaints.

Response times

If your complaint isn’t resolved

If Nest can’t put things right, you can escalate — free of charge — to an independent body:

• The Pensions Ombudsman

Recent news

• 11 July 2025

  Nest's 2024/25 Annual Report and Accounts reported the scheme's first-ever operating profit of £11.9 million, growth to about 13.8 million members and roughly £49.7 billion invested, and its first repayment on the government establishment loan (on track for full repayment by 2038).

  Read more

Know your rights

• Pensions Act 2008 (automatic enrolment)

  Nest exists to help employers meet their automatic-enrolment duties under this Act. If a complaint is really about an employer failing to enrol you or pay contributions, that may be an employer duty enforced by The Pensions Regulator rather than something Nest can resolve. This is general information, not legal advice.

• Statutory Internal Dispute Resolution Procedure (occupational pensions)

  Trust-based occupational schemes such as Nest must by law offer an internal dispute resolution procedure; Nest's two-stage dispute process is how it meets that requirement, and completing it is normally expected before The Pensions Ombudsman will consider a case. This is general information, not legal advice.

• The Pensions Ombudsman jurisdiction

  The Pensions Ombudsman can investigate complaints of maladministration and disputes of fact or law about occupational and personal pension schemes, and can make legally binding determinations. This is the binding route for Nest scheme-administration disputes, not the Financial Ombudsman Service. This is general information, not legal advice.

Frequently asked questions