Accessibility statement

Published: 23 September 2019

Last updated: 12 November 2024

We want our online services to be inclusive so as many people as possible are able to use them. For example, that means you should be able to:

change colours, contrast levels and fonts
zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
navigate most of our services using just a keyboard
navigate most of our services using speech recognition software
listen to most of our services using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

We’re also working to make the text on our services as simple as possible to understand.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

This statement applies to the following domains:

thepensionsregulator.gov.uk
blog.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk
exchange.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk
automation.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk

Information about our online services and accessibility

TPR is committed to making its online services accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Our online services are partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard.

How accessible our online services are

We know some parts of our online services are not fully accessible. Here are the main issues which could have an impact on some users:

some PDF documents are not accessible
some SVG images receive focus twice in Microsoft Internet Explorer 11
some error identifications on validations are not immediately clear

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

In addition to ongoing testing of new forms, pages and components to ensure they are accessible, we are archiving older documents in PDF format and converting popular and newer ones to HTML format, making them more accessible.
We are aware that some areas of our website remain non-compliant with previous accessibility guidelines. However, we are currently in the process of migrating our website platform to a new one that will be fully compliant with the latest WCAG 2.2 guidelines by end 2025 at the latest.
We will continue to monitor pages and fix problems on our current platform while migration takes place and will ensure the new website is independently audited by an accessibility expert as soon as it is live.

What to do if you cannot access parts of our online services

If you need information on our online services in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille contact us.

We will acknowledge your request within five working days and respond to you within 20 working days.

Reporting accessibility problems

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of our online services. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements contact us.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Non accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non compliance with the accessibility regulations

Main page sections are missing landmarks. This fails WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria 1.3.1 (info and relationships).
Sortable table buttons must convey how data is sorted. WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria 1.3.1 (info and relationships).
Use required and invalid attributes to convey information. WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria 1.3.1 (info and relationships).
When the sequence in which content is presented affects its meaning, a correct reading sequence can be programmatically determined. This fails WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria 1.3.2 (meaningful sequence).
The purpose of input elements collecting personal information cannot be programmatically determined. This fails WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria 1.3.5 (identify input purpose).
Information is only conveyed by colour. This fails WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria 1.4.11 (non-text contrast).
Some components do not supply enough colour contrast. This fails WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria (1.4.3 colour contrast).
SVG images receive keyboard focus in Internet Explorer 11. This fails WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria (2.4.3 focus order).
Some links are not clear when read out using screen reader software. This fails WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria (2.4.4 link purpose).
HTML non-compliances may have an impact on the accessibility of the page. This fails WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria (4.1.1 parsing).
Error messages must be conveyed automatically to screen reader software users. This fails WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria (4.1.3 status messages).
Search ahead functionality on TPR’s help site is not accessible to screen reader users, but the same results will be shown on the subsequent page after submitting a query. This fails WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria (2.4.5 multiple ways).

Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

Many of our older PDFs and Word documents do not meet accessibility standards - for example, they may not be structured so they’re accessible to a screen reader. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (name, role value).

The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services. For example, we do not plan to fix older research documents.

Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.

How we tested this website

Our online services were last tested between 22 July and 26 August 2021. The testing was carried out by a company called CIVIC.

We audited a selection of 18 pages (and associated documents) from across TPR’s website and blog. We chose this sample of pages to include as many different types of content and audiences as possible.

We tested the following services and content:

Homepage

TPR homepage

Automatic enrolment

Automatic enrolment - employing staff for the first time: Step 2
Employer Contributions

Business advisers

Business advisers landing page
Automatic enrolment earnings threshold

Trustees

DB and mixed benefit (hybrid) scheme return

Document library

TPR Strategy: Pensions of the future
Automatic enrolment detailed guidance
Employer duties and defining the workforce: An introduction to the employer duties