Southdown 2026 - Blog , General

Instant Fee Estimates for Pension on Divorce Reports

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 06:57:46 +0000

Obtaining a Pension on Divorce Report from a PODE is often a necessary step in financial remedy proceedings, but getting a fee estimate for one has traditionally involved an enquiry, a wait for a response, and sometimes further back-and-forth before a figure is confirmed. For solicitors and mediators working to court timetables or trying to keep a matter moving, that delay can be an unwelcome friction point in an otherwise straightforward request.

What Our Fee Estimate Tool Does

Our Instant Fee Estimate service for Pension on Divorce Reports is a way for solicitors, mediators and people acting in person to get a fee estimate for a report quickly, before or as part of instructing us to prepare a report.

It is a simple three step process:

Step One: Enter the relevant details for the report outcomes you seek
Step Two: Receive an instant fee estimate online
Step Three: If you require a formal written estimate by email, enter your name, (firm if appropriate) and email, and the estimate is sent straight to your inbox, for your file or for onward use with your client

All outputs are produced immediately, without needing to wait for a response from our administration team.

Why this matters

In financial remedy work, we appreciate timing matters. Court directions, client expectations, and the pace of negotiations all depend on information being available when it's needed. An instant estimate means you can give a client a cost indication in the same conversation in which a Pension on Divorce Report is first discussed, rather than waiting for a reply to an enquiry.

The formal written estimate serves a different but related purpose. Where you need something in writing — for your own records, for a costs discussion, or simply for certainty — it is generated and delivered automatically.

Try Our New Tool Now

Who can be instructed as a PODE ?

Thu, 02 Oct 2025 11:14:13 +0000

What does PAG 2 say ?

What Does PAG 2 Say?

If you're new to the term PAG 2, it refers to A Guide to the Treatment of Pensions on Divorce (Second Edition) — an invaluable resource designed to strengthen interprofessional working, establish a shared understanding of the law, and ultimately improve outcomes for individuals navigating pensions issues during divorce.

When it comes to understanding who qualifies as a PODE (Pensions on Divorce Expert), PAG 2 is the go-to reference. Appendix C of the guide sets out clearly that PODEs acting as a Single Joint Expert must bring high levels of technical knowledge and experience, alongside the ability to communicate complex information clearly to a wide range of readers.

PODEs come from a variety of professional backgrounds, including:

Actuaries who are members of and regulated by the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA)
Actuaries who sit outside the IFoA's regulatory framework
Independent Financial Advisers (IFAs) regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and approved by the Chartered Insurance Institute and/or the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment
Financial Planners and former Financial Advisers who are not FCA-regulated
Members of the Academy of Experts or the Expert Witness Institute, both of which maintain their own codes of practice and complaints procedures
Other practitioners who, while not fitting neatly into the above categories, can demonstrate the knowledge and expertise needed to carry out PODE work

It's worth noting that there is currently no formal professional qualification or regulatory system specifically for PODEs. That said, PAG 2 does offer thoughtful recommendations around regulation, indemnity insurance, standards, and competencies. It's also important to remember that not all PODEs produce expert reports for the courts — many provide other valuable support, such as acting as a shadow expert, serving as a Financial Neutral, or assisting with the implementation of Pension Sharing Orders.

Our PODEs

We're proud to have six PODEs at Southdown, each bringing a distinct professional background, breadth of experience, and range of affiliations. We genuinely believe this diversity is one of our greatest strengths — it allows us to draw on a rich mix of perspectives and apply our extensive combined knowledge when shaping the standards and processes that underpin every report we produce.

My background and also Ian's is rooted in financial planning, with us both having a particular focus on pensions on divorce related work. Both Scott and Steph have attained Chartered Actuary (Fellow) status with both coming from a pensions consultancy background. Since joining Southdown, Luke & Molly have gained the necessary knowledge and expertise to carry out PODE work.

Regulation, Indemnity, Standards & Competencies

PAG 2 makes clear recommendations in each of these areas, all of which we wholeheartedly endorse and have embedded into how we work:

Regulation: Every one of our PODEs holds membership with a recognised professional body — either the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries or the Chartered Insurance Institute — meaning we are all bound by formal rules of professional conduct.

Indemnity: We maintain Professional Indemnity Insurance specifically covering the nature of our work, with a limit of liability of £2 million.

Standards: We operate a 100% peer review process, ensuring that every report is reviewed by at least one other PODE before it is issued.

Competencies: All of our PODEs engage in ongoing, relevant Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to stay current with the latest developments in this specialist area.

Self Certification

We also endorse the recommendation in Appendix D of PAG2 that all PODEs are willing and consider themselves able to certify that they have the competencies relevant to each case they prepare a report for.

A Final Word

Before instructing a PODE, we would encourage those making that instruction to take a little time to gather enough information to feel confident that the firm and individual being instructed has the appropriate knowledge, is willing to self-certify, and can provide evidence — where needed — of professional body membership, indemnity cover, and the standards and processes they follow.

I hope this overview has been helpful in clarifying who can be instructed as a PODE. If anything here has prompted further questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch — I'd be very happy to help.

What is a PODE ?

Wed, 13 Aug 2025 08:46:29 +0000

"Two Out of Three Ain't Bad"

The vast majority of the instructions we receive come to us from family lawyers. We also, and are happy to do so, receive instructions directly from the respective parties going through a divorce - many of which have been recommended to contact us via a mediator or financial professional.

The term PODE is not one that I expect a divorcing couple will have been familiar with prior to entering financial discussions on how to deal with their pensions and while for those working with a family law professional will have received an explanation, it is the norm these days for us all to use the power of AI, Google or some other search engine to find out more, seek clarity or get a further opinion. So, I thought I would do just that for the term PODE to see what turned up.

A search on Google in AI mode:

In the context of divorce proceedings in the UK, a PODE stands for Pension on Divorce Expert

Here's a breakdown of what that means:

Pensions are often a significant asset in a marriage, and dividing them fairly upon divorce can be incredibly complex.
A PODE is a specialist financial expert, often an actuary or pension consultant, who provides impartial analysis and advice specifically related to the valuation and division of pensions in family law cases.
Their role is to assist solicitors, mediators, and the courts in understanding the true value and long-term impact of pension assets, especially when dealing with different types of schemes or when a simple split might not be equitable.
PODEs provide reports that outline various options for dividing pension benefits (like pension sharing or offsetting) and the potential impact of those options on each party's long-term financial security.
They do not provide financial advice to either party but rather offer a neutral assessment to help in reaching a fair settlement.
The Pension Advisory Group (PAG) provides guidance on when a PODE is necessary, generally recommending their involvement in cases where pensions are significant or complex.
Their expertise is crucial for ensuring that pension assets are properly valued, considering factors like inflation, retirement age, and the complexities of different pension schemes like defined benefit vs. defined contribution plans.

Asking ChatGPT:

The term PODE can have different meanings depending on the context. Here are a few common interpretations:

1. Planned Order of Development and Execution (in project management or defense)

Used in military or defense contexts.
Describes the sequence in which capabilities or systems will be developed and deployed.
Helps in managing complex programs with multiple components.

2. Polyoxymethylene Dimethyl Ether (in chemistry/fuels)

A class of compounds also known as oxymethylene ethers (OMEs).
Used as clean synthetic fuels, especially in diesel engines, because they produce lower soot emissions.

3. Point of Departure Estimate (in policy or planning)

A starting assumption or estimate used for planning or modeling.
Often found in economic forecasts, climate models, or policy analysis.

4. Podé (in Portuguese)

In informal Brazilian Portuguese, "pode" means "can" or "may" (from the verb poder).
Example: "Ele pode ir." = "He can go."

Asking CoPilot:

A PODE stands for Pension on Divorce Expert. It's a specialist role in family law proceedings in England and Wales, particularly when dealing with the division of pension assets during divorce or the dissolution of a civil partnership.

What Does a PODE Do?

Provides independent analysis of pension assets in divorce cases.
Helps the court and solicitors understand the true value and long-term impact of pensions.
Prepares expert reports to guide fair pension-sharing outcomes.
Compares different types of pensions, such as defined benefit vs. defined contribution schemes.

Why Is a PODE Important?

Pensions can be complex and vary widely in value and benefits.
Cash Equivalent Values (CEVs) don’t always reflect the actual retirement income.
A PODE ensures both parties receive a fair share, especially in needs-based cases where retirement income equality is the goal.

Who Can Be a PODE?

Often actuaries or pension consultants.
No single qualification or professional body governs PODEs.
Must remain impartial and report to the court, not advise either party directly

Top marks go to Google and Copilot. With ChatGPT listing common interpretations, it should come as no surprised that none of the meanings listed match what we do. After all, our work is rather niche with only a relative small number of firms focusing in this area of work.

Increasingly, we rely heavily on the power of AI and other search options and in the context of my quick search, the power ballad from the 1970's sums things up quite nicely. In the words of Meat Loaf "now don't be sad, cause two out of three ain't bad"

Options available for Pensions on Divorce

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 08:34:05 +0000

Options available for Pensions on Divorce

There are typically three options open to consideration when looking at how to deal with pensions on divorce. These are pension sharing, pension attachment or offsetting. Below, we take a brief look at each in turn and highlight the main pro's and con's

Pension Sharing Orders:

Pension sharing is one of the options available on divorce or the dissolution of a civil partnership. It provides a clean break between the parties as the pension assets are split immediately upon implementation of a pension sharing order. This means that each party can decide what to do with their share independently

How do they work?

The Court will issue a pension sharing order (PSO) which states how much of the pension, the ex-spouse or partner is entitled to receive. The amount is expressed as a percentage of the cash equivalent value(s) of the pension(s) that are to be split.

For example, if the value of the pension was £100,000, a 50% share would give each person £50,000 each.

A Defined Benefit pension arrangements may offer two options for sharing: -

An Internal Share – where the ex-spouse has benefits established within the same scheme that the share is coming from.

An External Share – where the ex-spouse has to transfer the value awarded by a Pension Sharing Order into a pension in their own name – this will be a defined contribution arrangement.

Public Sector schemes offer an Internal Share and most Private Sector schemes will only offer an external share.

A Defined Contribution schemes will typically only offer an external share.

Pros and cons of pension sharing

Pros

· It achieves a clean break as far as pensions are concerned.

· It can help to make sure that both parties have some pension provision in retirement.

· Remarriage, death, or other change in circumstances will not affect the order.

Cons

· There will usually be a fee to pay to the pension scheme provider to implement an order.

· It might be difficult to split some pensions e.g. those that contain illiquid assets like commercial property.

· There may be additional complications with tax and the Lifetime Allowance.

Attachment Orders:

A pension attachment order redirect’s part or all of the member’s pension benefits to the ex-spouse or civil partner when it comes to be paid.

This doesn’t provide a clean break, as an ongoing link with your ex-spouse or civil partner will remain.

How do they work?

Pension attachment allows the courts to make an order stating that part, or all, of the member’s pension benefits (excluding state pension benefits) must be paid to their ex-partner when they become payable. The pension still belongs to the scheme member, but the scheme must make some form of payment to the ex-partner when the member’s benefits become payable.

The court can order that the ex-partner receives one, or a combination, of the following benefits:

· all or part of the member’s pension income (this doesn’t apply in Scotland)

· all or part of the member’s tax-free cash sum

· all or part of any lump sum paid in when the member dies.

Taxable income payable to an ex-partner still belongs to the member, so will be taxed as if it’s being paid to the member. Payments won’t count as taxable income for the ex-partner and shouldn’t need to be declared as income for tax purposes to HMRC.

Pros and cons

Pros

· It allows for both the tax-free cash benefit and the pension income benefit to be earmarked.

· Death-in-service benefits can also be earmarked.

· If the member transfers pension rights, the earmarking order will follow the member’s rights to the new arrangement.

· The ex-partner will have some provision in retirement.

Cons

· It doesn’t allow a clean break between the couple, and the couple might need to keep in touch for many years after the divorce/dissolution.

· There’s uncertainty about the eventual payment of the benefits. If the scheme member dies before retiring, or if the ex-partner marries or forms a civil partnership, any earmarking/attachment order (other than for lump sum death benefits) usually falls away.

· The earmarked payments don’t start being paid until the member retires. And there’s no particular date they have to start taking income. If the ex-partner is older than the member or if the member delays their retirement, this might have financial implications for the ex-partner.

· The payments stop on the member’s death, leaving the ex-partner without that income for the last years of their life.

The drawbacks of this option has meant that attachment orders are rarely used.

Offsetting

When divorcing or dissolving your civil partnership, all your assets and those of your ex-partner are taken into account. If you decide to opt for pension offsetting, each party keeps their pension assets. But these are then offset against the other assets – for example, if one person has a large pension pot, the other might retain the house.

An offsetting calculation may be deemed necessary to help put a fair value on pension assets not shared.

Pros and Cons

Pros

· It keeps things simple.

· One party might need to use other assets (for example, a home). It can be hard to value some assets as their values might change at different rates.

· If the pension is small, making a pension sharing order could be expensive and might not be cost-effective. It can be difficult in some situations to divide assets fairly using pension offsetting, especially as the value of a person’s pension schemes might, in the long run, be their most valuable asset.

· Offsetting is not affected by remarriage or death.

· This might be a good option if there are overseas pension assets that need to be split, as these cannot be shared via a UK court order.

Cons

· One person might be left with little or no provision for retirement.

· It can be hard to value some assets as their values might change at different rates.

· It can be difficult in some situations to divide assets fairly using pension offsetting, especially as the value of a person’s pension schemes might, in the long run, be their most valuable asset.