By Nathaniel Jacobs, Financial Adviser, Cameron James
If you are a Hartley Pensions client, the Hartley Pensions administration that began in 2022 has probably left you with more questions than answers. Thousands of savers are affected, the process is moving slowly, and it has now been extended to at least July 2027.
This guide brings the whole picture together in one place. It explains what happened to Hartley Pensions, who is affected and how, where the administration stands right now, and what you should be doing depending on the type of account you hold. Because different clients are in very different situations, each specific case, SSAS, impaired assets, and restricted accounts, also has its own dedicated guide, linked throughout. If you want to understand where you stand, start here.
Affected by the Hartley Pensions administration?
Speak with a Cameron James adviser to understand where you stand and what your options are. The initial consultation is free.
What Happened to Hartley Pensions?
Hartley Pensions Limited entered administration on 29 July 2022, at the request of the Financial Conduct Authority. Peter Kubik and Brian Johnson of UHY Hacker Young LLP were appointed Joint Administrators.
In the years before its collapse, Hartley had acquired the client books of several other SIPP providers that had themselves run into difficulty. Many of those books contained high-risk, unregulated, or failed investments. When Hartley entered administration, the administrators inherited a business carrying a large number of toxic and impaired holdings, alongside serious operational and regulatory failures.
Among those failures was the discovery that approximately £37 million had been withdrawn from around 1,320 client accounts between January 2020 and April 2022, and transferred into companies within the wider Wilton group, the corporate structure behind Hartley. The director maintains that the money was returned to clients, but the Joint Administrators have not been able to verify the source of the funds used to make those repayments. That single unresolved question is at the heart of the restricted accounts situation covered later in this guide.
Together, these factors have made the Hartley administration one of the most complex pension insolvencies in recent UK history.
Who Is Affected, and How
Hartley administered around 16,000 SIPPs and a smaller number of SSAS schemes. To manage an orderly transfer, the Joint Administrators divided the SIPP clients into six groups, known as tranches, and prioritised them for transfer to new operators. In broad terms, the tranches run from white-label SIPP clients and small pots, through deceased clients and bulk transfers, to clients transferred individually, and finally to clients whose SIPPs contain impaired assets.
SSAS schemes sit outside that SIPP transfer process entirely and are being handled separately. Some clients, across different tranches, also have a restriction on their account because of the unauthorised withdrawals described above. Which group you fall into determines your timeline, your options, and the decisions in front of you. The four situations below each have a dedicated guide.
If You Hold a Hartley SSAS
SSAS members are in a slower, separate process. SSAS are occupational schemes that fall outside the FSCS protection funding the SIPP transfers, the records held were incomplete, and a Berkeley Applegate court order is required before the administrators can charge clients to fund a transfer. You can exit early for a fee held on trust, but that route is not right for everyone.
If Your SIPP Holds Impaired Assets
An impaired asset is a holding that is worthless, unrecoverable, or too illiquid to transfer in the normal way. Around 8,626 clients hold impaired assets and make up the final SIPP tranche, known as Tranche 6. No document pack has been issued to this group yet, because HMRC, the FCA, and the FSCS are still deciding how each category of asset should be treated.
If Your Account Has Been Restricted
If your account is restricted, it is because money was withdrawn from it without consent and later repaid, but the source of the repayment cannot be verified. That sum is held in cash and ring-fenced pending a forensic investigation and live court proceedings. Partial transfers are not currently available to restricted accounts, whether crystallised or uncrystallised.
The FSCS Funding and the Transfer Process
In January 2024, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) agreed to fund the cost of an orderly transfer of Hartley’s SIPP clients to new operators, providing £38.19 million. This funding covers the exit and administration charge that would otherwise have fallen on clients, and it is the reason standard SIPP transfers have been able to proceed. Transfers began in December 2024, with clients moving to receiving operators including Morgan Lloyd.
It is important to understand what this funding does not cover. It was designated for the SIPP transfer process. SSAS schemes have no equivalent lifeline and the separate work on impaired assets and on the forensic investigation into restricted funds sits outside it. That is a large part of why those groups are moving more slowly than standard SIPP clients.
Where Things Stand Right Now (June 2026)
The administration has been extended several times. A further 18-month extension was granted on 16 January 2026, taking it to at least 28 July 2027, and the Joint Administrators have stated that further extensions are likely. Standard SIPP transfers continue, but progress is slow, and the SSAS, impaired asset, and restricted account groups remain unresolved.
The scale of the task is reflected in the cost. The total anticipated costs of the administration now stand at approximately £36.9 million. For most clients, the practical message is the same. This is a multi-year process, and you should not assume it will resolve on a timeline that suits your own plans.
Watch Out for Scams
The Joint Administrators have warned that Hartley clients are being targeted by fraudulent third parties claiming to recover assets, unblock funds, or accelerate the process, often for an upfront fee. These are scams. Legitimate communication comes only from UHY Hacker Young via the official administration webpage, the email admin@hartleypensions.com, or the published telephone numbers. If you receive a suspicious approach, do not engage, and report it to the Hartley team and to Action Fraud.
What Hartley Clients Should Be Doing Now
- Work out which situation you are in. Standard SIPP, SSAS, impaired assets, and restricted accounts each follow different rules. Confirm your position with Hartley, then read the dedicated guide for your situation.
- Respond promptly to any document pack. Where a pack has been issued, delays in responding delay your transfer or payment. Read it carefully and take advice before agreeing to anything with lasting consequences.
- Do not assume a quick resolution. With the administration now running to at least July 2027, and further extensions likely, factor a long timeline into your wider retirement planning.
- Take independent advice before making decisions. Whether it is an early SSAS exit or an impaired asset write-off, these choices carry tax and value consequences that are worth understanding first.
- Stay alert to scams. No legitimate party will ask you for an upfront fee to release or recover your pension. When in doubt, contact the Hartley team through the official channels only.
How Cameron James Can Help
We work with clients affected by Hartley Pensions on a fee-only, conflict-free basis, across every one of the situations described in this guide. We can:
- Help you confirm which type of Hartley client you are and what that means for your options and timeline.
- Advise on the specific decisions in front of you, whether that is an early SSAS transfer or the treatment of impaired assets.
- Identify suitable receiving operators and pension structures once a transfer becomes possible.
- Make sure any move is structured to protect your tax position and your long-term retirement planning, so that your wider plan does not stall while the administration runs its course.
Speak to a Cameron James adviser
Whatever your situation with Hartley Pensions, our advisers can confirm where you stand, talk you through the decisions ahead, and help you keep your wider retirement plan on track. The initial consultation is free and there is no obligation.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is the formal insolvency process that Hartley Pensions Limited entered on 29 July 2022, at the request of the Financial Conduct Authority. Joint Administrators from UHY Hacker Young LLP were appointed to run the company, investigate what went wrong, and arrange an orderly transfer of clients to new pension operators or the return of their funds.
Peter Kubik and Brian Johnson of UHY Hacker Young LLP. They are responsible for managing the administration, communicating with clients, and dealing with the various court and regulatory matters connected to the case. All official communication about your Hartley account comes from them.
In most cases your underlying pension assets are held separately from Hartley itself, so they are not part of the company’s own estate. The complications relate to failed or illiquid investments, to a court process around charges, and to funds withdrawn without consent that are now ring-fenced. Which of these affects you depends on your situation, which is why identifying your group is the first step.
There is no firm end date. The administration currently runs to at least 28 July 2027, and the Joint Administrators have said that further extensions are likely. Some client groups, particularly those with impaired assets or restricted accounts, are unlikely to be resolved before that date.
Your client communications and asset statement will indicate whether you hold a SIPP or a SSAS, whether any of your assets are flagged as impaired, and whether a restriction has been placed on your account. If you are unsure, contact the Hartley team directly, or speak with an adviser who can help you interpret your position.
The FSCS agreed funding in January 2024 to cover the cost of transferring SIPP clients to new operators, which is why standard transfers have been able to proceed without clients paying the exit charge themselves. That funding does not extend to SSAS schemes, and compensation for impaired assets is being considered separately, case by case.
Do not engage, and do not share bank details or pay any fee. Scammers are actively targeting Hartley clients. Legitimate communication comes only from UHY Hacker Young through the official administration channels. If you receive a suspicious approach, report it to the Hartley team and to Action Fraud.
Related Reading
Hartley Pensions SSAS: Why Your Pension Is Still Frozen
Hartley Pensions Impaired Assets: What Happens Next and What to Do Now
Hartley Pensions Restricted Accounts: Why Your Money Is Frozen
Nathaniel Jacobs, DipFA
Independent Financial Adviser, Cameron James
“What these three clients have in common is not the type of account they hold or the specific issue they face. It is that none of this was their fault. None of them has been given a clear timeline and all are living with the consequences of decisions they had no part in making. As their IFA, that is incredibly frustrating. While I can't change what has happened, I can make sure they have someone in their corner to guide them through the uncertainty, allowing them to focus on their lives rather than navigating it alone.”