Run a compliant insurance or pension business

Every business in this division — a general insurer, a life office, a reinsurer or a pension scheme operator — shares a set of duties that sit alongside its regulatory regime. Put these in place first, then follow the guides for what you carry or fund.

Protect personal data and pay the ICO fee

Insurance and pensions run on personal data — policyholder records, health and claims information, member benefits data. Much of it is special category data needing extra safeguards. You must handle it under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and unless exempt you must register with the Information Commissioner's Office and pay the annual data protection fee. This applies UK-wide.

For the operational work, see data protection for businesses and registering with the ICO.

Insure your employees

If you employ anyone — underwriters, claims handlers, call-centre or administrative staff — you must hold employers' liability insurance of at least £5 million from an authorised insurer. This is a duty in Great Britain. Equivalent rules apply in Northern Ireland.

Keep your workplace safe

You owe a general duty to protect employees and others affected by the business — offices, call centres and public-facing operations. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 applies in Great Britain. Northern Ireland has its own corresponding health and safety order.

Keep your premises fire-safe

The responsible person for non-domestic premises must carry out and maintain a fire risk assessment. This is devolved: the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 covers England and Wales, with the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 in Scotland and the Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 in Northern Ireland.

Do not discriminate

You must not discriminate against employees or in services to the public because of a protected characteristic — and for insurers that includes the Equality Act's specific rules on using risk factors in financial services. The Equality Act 2010 applies in England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has its own equality law enforced by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.

Next steps

With the shared duties in place, follow the guides for your regulated activity:

• Insurer authorisation and prudential rules — Part 4A permission, Solvency UK, operational resilience
• Insurer conduct and accountability rules — SM&CR, Consumer Duty, promotions, complaints, pricing, FSCS
• Run an occupational pension scheme — TPR registration, funding, trustees, dashboards

Then confirm everything with the insurance and pension compliance checklist.