PENSIONS AUDIT

Our award-winning specialist Pensions Audit team works with pension trustees, administrators and advisers, delivering hassle-free, pragmatic audits

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A PASSION FOR PENSIONS AUDIT

As a pension trustee, administrator or adviser, whether your scheme has 13 members or 13,000, you need to make sure everything is running smoothly so you can sign off your accounts within seven months of the scheme’s year-end.

That means you need a hassle-free pensions audit; delivered by a tight-knit team of industry experts who can drive the process, tailor it to your specific needs and advise you on any key risk areas, such as unauthorised investment transactions, fictitious pensions and incorrect benefit payments.

As the Pensions Age Awards’ ‘Pensions Accountancy Firm of the Year’ for 2020, 2021 and 2024, we cut the mustard.

Because even with the tighter turnarounds, the most schemes we’ve ever worked on, and all the other challenges the last few years have thrown at us, we’ve still never missed a deadline. And when we asked our clients, “How are we doing?”, they scored us 4.8 / 5.

BUT ONE THING’S GOT US PUZZLED

Pension scheme audits are a niche area. They require specific training and a strong understanding of the sector and the terminology. And that’s why we can’t understand why so many accountancy firms don’t have a team dedicated to them.

Our specialist pensions audit team are one of the four UK accountancy firms on the Pension Protection Fund’s (PPF) Audit Services Panel.

That means we’ve got the technical knowledge to flex our approach to your specific needs, with proactive advice that will keep you ahead of the curve on legislative changes, guaranteeing compliance and future-proofing as the regulator gets tougher.

In September 2023, we were also awarded the PPF’s prestigious Trustmark. One of the industry’s biggest signifiers of excellence, it recognises specialist knowledge, collaborative working with the PPF, and a commitment to delivering the highest standards of service.

A PAINLESS PROCESS. STEP BY STEP

We’ll be getting in touch with you regularly. We form partnerships with our clients and their advisers. And we’re different because one of our guarantees is continuity. At least one person from your previous year’s audit team will work with you in subsequent years. You won’t be asked the same question twice and we’ll always be working closely together to create a seamless service.

Step 1

Before the pensions audit kicks off, we’ll outline our fee, discuss a timetable that works for you, and make sure you’re aware of all your deadlines in advance. We get everybody’s buy-in, including administrators and investment advisers, and keep everyone on the same page throughout the whole process.

Step 2

During the pensions audit, we’ll keep you updated on our progress and let you know straight away about any issues we’ve identified. This includes outlining any risk areas and advising you on control measures and other ways to improve your management process going forward. We’ll talk you through the draft accounts, answer any questions, and work with you to make sure the trustee report reflects the scheme’s yearly activities.

Step 3

After the pensions audit, we’ll make sure you’re kept in the loop about any pension legislation changes, and we’ll always be on hand to answer any queries you may have. Feedback is massively important to us. So, we’ll send you an advocacy questionnaire to ask how we’re doing and what we can do differently.

WHAT’S HOT IN OUR WORLD?

Here’s Helen Scothern, our Pensions Audit Associate Partner, with a video update on everything that’s been happening in the team over the last year.

Helen Scothern
Pensions Audit Associate Partner

Get in touch with Helen Scothern

“We’ve recently completed our first audit with Cooper Parry. From the day we appointed them to audit end, Helen and her team have been excellent. They do what they say, on time, with incredible attention to detail, and they’re nice folks too. They communicated right through the process, and we felt valued and informed. The team finished everything early and certainly under-promised and over-delivered. We’re delighted we selected Cooper Parry. A real breath of fresh air.”

Carlsberg

“The whole team have continued the excellent work reported at mid-year. You consistently deliver on time and are flexible in your approach with both the PPF, Trustees and Administrators.”

Pension Protection Fund

“As a first year audit, it went as smoothly as we could have possibly hoped. CP were the standout choice for our new auditors due to the speed of response and their less “formal approach” to the tender document and our initial call. It caught our eye and made us feel that CP was a firm with good people to work with, which has proven to be the case. The level of client service has been really good and certainly a large improvement from our previous auditors. The audit was seamless and I look forward to the audits in the coming years as we continue to build a strong relationship.”

University of Southampton Pension & Assurance Scheme

“Very approachable and friendly team. They adopt a robust and pragmatic approach to pension scheme audits.”

The Park Lane Hotel Retirement Fund

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CP EVENTS

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STRATEGIC FINANCE: OPTIMISING PERFORMANCE & GROWTH

  • Tuesday 22nd October
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BUDGET ’24 – THE LOWDOWN

  • Tuesday 5th November
  • 12pm-1pm
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PROFESSIONAL SERVICES ROUNDTABLE

  • Thursday 14th November
  • 12.00pm - 15.00pm
  • Ember Yard - Soho, London
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TECH CFO DRINKS

  • Thursday 28th November
  • 6pm onwards
  • Curve Club, nr Old Street, London
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LATEST NEWS

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REVIEWS

ADRIAN, JULY 24

“Very approachable and friendly team. The team adopts a robust and pragmatic approach to Pension Scheme Audits.”

PETER, JULY 24

“Managed a difficult audit given the in-house changes.”

TRICIA, MAY 24

“Accounts prepared within deadline with minimal changes.”

CHRIS, MAY 24

“Got the job done, well ahead of time and without any fuss.”

MARK, MAY 24

“Always work with us on any queries and happy to discuss context to particular changes to the pension scheme.“

MIKE, MAY 24

“Audit ran smoothly. Expensive.”

TONY, MAY 24

“Always responsive and proactive.”

NICK, MARCH 24

“Service is fine, fees are creeping up to level that is slightly concerning.”

BRADLEY, MAR 24

“As a first year audit, it went as smoothly as we could have possibly hoped. Cooper Parry were the standout choice for our new auditors due to the speed of response and the, what I would call a less “formal approach” to the tender document and our initial call than we would usually expect – it caught our eye and made us feel that Cooper Parry was a firm with good people to work with which has proven to be the case. The level of client service has been really good and certainly a large improvement from our previous auditors. The audit was seamless and I hope that it can stay at this level for the foreseeable future and look forward to the audits in the coming years and to continue to build a strong relationship.”

CAROL, JAN 24

“The audit went extremely well, John was very communicative. However, my name was spelt incorrectly in this survey request.”

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