Creative Pension Trust is a nationally recognized multi-employer Master Trust pension scheme. It was specifically established to help UK employers meet their auto-enrolment duties while providing employees with a secure, low-cost way to save for retirement.
However, as of 2026, many members are seeking a review of their Creative Pension Trust pots due to recent changes in the scheme's governance and widely reported service delays. Understanding how to manage, review, or transfer your funds is more important now than ever.
Get 100% independent pensions advice today
Our independent financial advisers have a deep working relationship with pension providers across the UK, including Creative Pension Trust.
Whether you want to transfer your pension to Creative Pension Trust or have an existing pension with then that you want to get the most out of, we can help.
The IFA's we work with can provide independent advice about pension transfers, reviews, drawdown, annuities and much more. Book your free initial consultation with them below:
What is Creative Pension Trust?
Creative Pension Trust is an authorized Master Trust regulated by The Pensions Regulator . It is designed to be a ‘plug-and-play’ solution for businesses of all sizes, from SMEs to large national corporations.
The scheme’s investments are primarily managed by Scottish Widows, one of the UK’s most established financial brands, providing members with access to diversified portfolios designed for long-term growth.
Creative Pension Products
Creative Pension Trust focuses primarily on the workplace market:
1. The Creative Workplace Pension
This is the core auto-enrolment product. It features a Strategic Pension Approach (the default investment strategy) that automatically adjusts your risk level as you get closer to retirement.
2. Member Investment Selection
For those who do not want the default option, Creative offers a range of alternative funds. These allow members to tailor their exposure to specific sectors, such as ethical/ESG investments or higher-equity growth funds.
Putting a Creative Pension into Drawdown
If you are at least 55 (rising to 57 in 2028), Creative Pension Trust offers several Retirement Income options:
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Flexi-Access Drawdown: You can take up to 25% of your pot as a tax-free lump sum, with the remaining 75% moved into a drawdown account to provide a regular taxable income. Creative typically requires a minimum pot size of £10,000 to initiate drawdown and a minimum remaining balance of £5,000
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UFPLS (Uncrystallised Funds Pension Lump Sum): This allows you to take one-off payments directly from your pot without moving it into a separate drawdown account. Like drawdown, 25% of each payment is tax-free
Alternatives to Drawdown
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Annuities: You can use your pot to purchase a guaranteed income for life. Creative can facilitate the transfer of your funds to an annuity provider
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Full Encashment: Taking your entire pension as a single payment. Note that 75% of this will be taxed as income, which could push you into a higher tax bracket
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Phased Retirement: Accessing only small portions of your tax-free cash while leaving the rest to continue growing
Reviewing an Existing Creative Pension
Many members have recently expressed concerns regarding changes in the scheme's management. A professional review is essential to determine:
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Fee Impact: Creative uses a combination of an Annual Management Charge (AMC) and a flat monthly membership fee. For smaller frozen pots from previous employers, the flat fee can significantly reduce your savings over time
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Investment Performance: Are the Scottish Widows-managed funds still meeting your growth expectations compared to other market-leading portfolios?
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Governance Status: With the Master Trust market consolidating, a review can help you understand if your money is still in the most stable and efficient environment for 2026 and beyond
Transferring To and From Creative Pension Trust
Transferring into Creative
Creative offers a ‘Track, Trace, and Transfer’ tool within their member portal. This helps you find old pension pots from previous jobs and consolidate them into your current Creative account.
Consolidating can simplify your admin, but you should always check that you aren't losing any valuable benefits from your older schemes.
Transferring out of Creative
If you have left your employer or want a provider with more investment choice (like a SIPP), you can transfer out.
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The Process: Once your employer has sent the final contribution, you can generate a Transfer Out Pack via the Creative Member Portal
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Delays: As of 2025/2026, some members have reported significant delays in the manual pension transfer process. It is often helpful to have an IFA oversee the transfer to ensure it remains a priority for the provider
Pros, Cons, and Customer Reviews
The Pros
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Low Cost for Employers: Free setup and low monthly fees make it accessible for small businesses
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Strong Investment Partners: Leveraging the scale and expertise of Scottish Widows
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Member Portal: A relatively modern dashboard for tracking contributions and tracing old pots
The Cons
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Minimum Limits: Higher minimums for drawdown (£10k) than some other providers
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Customer Service Issues: Significant reports of long wait times and delays in processing withdrawals or transfers (2025/26)
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Flat Fees: Monthly membership fees can be disproportionately high for members with very small pension balances
What Customers are Saying
"The portal is easy to use for checking my balance, but when it came time to transfer my money to my new employer, it took months of chasing." — Review, January 2026
"Trying to speak to a human is nearly impossible. I've been waiting for my withdrawal to be processed for over eight weeks with no update." — Review, October 2025
How Our IFA Service Can Help
At Money Help Desk, we connect you with Independent Financial Advisers (IFAs) who can provide an objective, third-party review of your Creative Pension Trust holdings. Given the current service challenges, professional oversight can be invaluable.
Our IFA service helps you by:
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Forensic Fee Review: We calculate if the flat monthly fees are eating your pot and if a move to a percentage-only provider would save you money
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Transfer Advocacy: If you are struggling to move your money out of Creative, our IFAs can manage the communication and ensure the correct Transfer Out Pack is processed
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Retirement Modeling: We help you decide if drawdown or an annuity is better for your personal health and financial situation
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Market Search: Comparing Creative’s performance against other major Master Trusts like Nest, People's Pension, or Aviva
Get started today to speak with an IFA to get an independent review of your Creative Pension Trust account