ROPS vs QROPS
HMRC maintains a list of Recognised Overseas Pension Schemes (ROPS) — overseas schemes that meet its rules for receiving a UK pension transfer. "QROPS" is the term commonly used for a ROPS specifically being used to receive a qualifying transfer. In practice, people use the terms interchangeably, but the list itself is what actually matters.
The list changes — check it directly
HMRC republishes its ROPS notification list on the 1st and 15th of every month. Schemes are added and removed. Whatever you're told about a specific fund's status, the live list is the only authoritative source, and it's worth checking yourself rather than relying on secondhand information — including this page's.
Why most everyday Australian super funds aren't QROPS
Mainstream Australian retail and industry super funds — the well-known, everyday names most Australians use — are generally not on the ROPS list. That's not a flaw in those funds; they were never built to receive UK transfers, and being a QROPS carries specific ongoing reporting obligations to HMRC that most funds haven't taken on.
What can actually receive a UK transfer
Two paths are common:
- A dedicated retail QROPS fund — a scheme purpose-built to receive UK transfers and maintain HMRC-required reporting (for example, funds marketed specifically as an "Australian Expatriate Superannuation Fund" or similar).
- A self-managed super fund (SMSF) that has individually notified HMRC — SMSFs can qualify, but each one must notify HMRC itself; one SMSF being QROPS-registered says nothing about any other SMSF.
A history worth knowing about
The QROPS list has, at times in the past, included schemes later found not to meet HMRC's rules, with real consequences for the people who'd transferred into them. This is exactly why checking the live list yourself — not a scheme's marketing material, not a secondhand claim — is worth the five minutes it takes.
Not sure about your specific fund?
The assessment on this site includes a quick check against known cases, and points you to HMRC's live list either way.
Check your fund →