A pension deduction appears on your payslip every month. It is easy to assume that your retirement fund has received the money.

But your payslip records what your employer deducted. To check whether contributions reached the fund, you also need the fund’s records.

In its July 2026 announcement, the Financial Sector Conduct Authority reported estimated contribution arrears of R8.33 billion, affecting approximately 590,000 retirement fund members. The figures reflected reporting to February 2026 and included late-payment interest.

Which records should you check?

Start by asking HR or payroll for your fund’s name, membership number and administrator’s contact details.

Then keep these records together:

• Your payslips: check the retirement deduction each payday.

• Your latest personal benefit statement: request your annual statement and ask whether more frequent updates are available online or through an app.

• Your contribution history: ask for a monthly breakdown of payments received and allocated to your membership.

• Your member guide: use it to check contribution rates, applicable costs, benefits and contact details.

A benefit statement provides a snapshot at a particular date. Always check the period it covers before assuming that recent payments are missing. Administrators such as Sanlam and Alexforbes provide member statements and online access, although arrangements differ between funds.

What should raise a question?

Look for:

• Missing months where your payslip shows a deduction but the fund’s contribution history shows no corresponding payment.

• Unexpected changes in contribution amounts without an explanation.

• Incorrect details, particularly your membership start date or the salary used to calculate contributions.

• Outstanding corrections that remain unresolved after you have reported them.

A missing entry needs an explanation. Ask whether the contribution is unpaid, has been received but is awaiting allocation, or falls outside the statement’s reporting period.

Here is a request you can copy:

Please confirm up to which month my retirement contributions are fully paid and allocated. Please send me a monthly contribution history showing employee contributions and any employer contributions due under the fund’s rules, and identify any outstanding payments.

 

Why the amounts can differ

Contribution rates and benefits depend on your fund’s rules. The salary used to calculate contributions, often called pensionable salary, may differ from your total pay.

Also, the full contribution does not necessarily become retirement savings. Depending on the arrangement, some may cover administration and insurance benefits.

In a defined-contribution fund, investment gains or losses also affect your balance. A lower balance does not, on its own, prove that your employer failed to pay. Check the contribution entries and ask for a breakdown of any deductions.

Defined-benefit funds work differently. The GEPF, for example, calculates benefits under its own law and rules rather than simply using an individual investment balance. Members should also check their recorded pensionable service and salary information.

If contributions appear to be missing

Write to your employer and the fund, identifying the months in question. Attach relevant payslips and ask for a written explanation and confirmation of how the problem will be corrected.

Keep the correspondence, contribution statements and any reference numbers. Regularly checking is a useful habit, but the employer remains responsible for payment.

For an unresolved complaint, the Office of the Pension Funds Adjudicator requires you to complain to the relevant party in writing first. If you receive no response after 30 days, or the response is unsatisfactory, you can follow its formal complaints process.

Its jurisdiction covers funds registered under the Pension Funds Act, so check whether your fund falls within that system. Complaints must be submitted in writing.

Useful links:

• How to lodge a complaint with the Pension Funds Adjudicator.

• Check the Adjudicator’s frequently asked questions.

• Alexforbes’ guide to understanding a benefit statement.

The Bottom Line

You do not have to wait until retirement or resignation to ask whether contributions are up to date. Get confirmation from the fund while you still have easy access to payroll, payslips and the people responsible for resolving a discrepancy.