LEI for a pension scheme

Data as of 13 November 2026 Source: GLEIF

A pension scheme that holds investments in its own name needs an LEI before a broker or investment manager can trade for it. This covers occupational schemes and small self-administered schemes (SSAS) alike.

15,604 UK pension schemes and pension funds have been issued an LEI and 45% of them are active.

  • 15,604Entities with an LEI
  • 45%Active LEIs
  • 570New in the last 12 months
  • 6.7%Share of the country’s LEIs

When an LEI is required

The scheme is the client, so the LEI belongs to the scheme and not to the sponsoring employer or the trustees. A SSAS that buys listed shares, a defined benefit scheme with segregated mandates and a scheme that hedges with derivatives all need one.

With a personal pension or SIPP, the provider or its trustee company normally holds the investments, so the member is not usually asked for an LEI. Your provider will tell you if it needs one.

Legal basis

  • Under UK MiFIR, an investment firm cannot execute a trade in shares, bonds, ETFs or other reportable instruments for a client that is eligible for an LEI and does not have one. The FCA names companies, charities and trusts among the clients this covers. FCA: UK MiFIR legal entity identifiers
  • The rule itself is short: a firm shall not provide a service that triggers a transaction report before it has the client’s LEI. RTS 22, Article 13(2), as kept in UK law
  • Under UK EMIR, both sides of a derivative contract are reported, so every UK counterparty to a derivative needs an LEI. FCA: UK EMIR reporting obligation
  • A private individual investing in their own name does not need an LEI and is identified by a national identifier instead. RTS 22, Article 6, as kept in UK law

What the application needs

Register
The Pensions Regulator’s register where the scheme is listed there; otherwise the scheme is verified from its own documents
Evidence
Typically the scheme’s registration details and its trust deed; we tell you exactly what is needed once the application is in
Who can apply
A trustee or the scheme administrator, or anyone the trustees authorise with a signed letter of authorisation
Name on the record
The full name of the scheme

How to apply

  1. Enter the name or registration number in the application form. Where the register is connected, the details are filled in for you.
  2. Check the name, registration number and address, and state whether a parent company consolidates the entity.
  3. Confirm that you may act for the entity, then pay. If a signed authorisation is needed, you sign it online.
  4. The details are checked against the register. Once they are confirmed, the LEI is issued and sent to you by email.

An entity can only have one LEI. Check whether it already has one

Apply for an LEI

In numbers

  • Active 7,096 (45%)
  • Lapsed 8,140 (52%)
  • Other 368 (2.4%)

First LEI registrations per year

YearLEIs
201542
201639
20175,779
20183,853
2019784
2020858
2021782
2022562
2023595
2024726
2025589
2026*510

* 2026 is counted up to 13 November 2026.

Registers these entities are recorded in

Registration authorityLEIs
HM Revenue & Customs5,063
The Pensions Regulator2,759
Companies Register (Companies House), England and Wales4
Financial Services Register (Financial Conduct Authority)1
Register of Learning Providers1
No register recorded7,776

UK LEI statistics

Frequently asked questions

Does a SSAS need its own LEI?

Yes, if it holds investments that are traded on a market. The LEI is issued to the scheme, separately from the sponsoring company’s LEI.

The employer already has an LEI. Can the scheme use it?

No. The employer and the scheme are different clients, and each is identified by its own LEI.

Does the LEI need renewing if the scheme rarely trades?

The LEI has to be renewed each year to stay active. 8,140 UK pension scheme LEIs are lapsed today. Check your investment manager’s policy before letting it lapse, especially if the scheme uses derivatives.

Sources

Other entity types