Every retirement fund claim runs on the same three things: the fund’s name, your member number, and complete certified documents. Missing any one of them is what stalls a claim.
ContactDetails.co.za is an independent directory. We are not any of the companies listed here and cannot act on your behalf. Everything on this page is a routing aid so you reach the right official channel with the right information in hand.
Who actually handles this
The fund, through its administrator. Your employer’s role is to certify your exit and pass contributions over; the administrator processes the claim; the fund pays. Knowing which of the three you are waiting on tells you who to chase.
What to do, in order
- Identify the fund by name from your benefit statement, and find your member number.
- Establish what kind of claim it is: withdrawal on leaving, retirement, disability, or a death benefit. They follow different routes and different timeframes.
- Check that the employer has submitted whatever it must submit. For a withdrawal this is the exit certificate.
- Submit certified copies of identity and banking proof, and keep a copy of everything you send.
- Get a claim reference and follow up on it rather than starting again.
What to have ready before you make contact
- The fund’s name and your member number.
- Certified ID and proof of banking.
- Your tax number.
- The employer and the dates of employment.
- For a death or disability claim, the supporting certificates and medical reports.
Verified fund routes
Every route in this table was taken from the organisation’s own official contact page and checked on 21 August 2026. Contact details change, so confirm on the official site before relying on one for anything urgent.
| What it is for | Contact |
|---|---|
| GEPF toll free call centre | 0800 117 669 |
| GEPF general email | [email protected] |
| Private Security Sector Provident Fund | 010 600 1750 |
| Metal and Engineering Industries Bargaining Council | 011 639 8000 |
If a claim is not paid
| What it is for | Contact |
|---|---|
| Pension Funds Adjudicator, toll free | 080 074 4444 |
| Pension Funds Adjudicator switchboard | 012 748 4000 |
| Pension Funds Adjudicator, alternate | 012 346 1738 |
| Pension Funds Adjudicator enquiries email | [email protected] |
Fund, administrator, employer: who holds what
- The fund holds your money. It is a separate legal entity registered under the Pension Funds Act and run by a board of trustees, and it survives the employer closing, being sold or being renamed.
- The administrator runs the fund’s day-to-day work under contract: member records, claims and the call centre. GEPF is administered by the GPAA; many private funds are administered by Alexforbes, Sanlam or Momentum. One administrator services many funds, which is why it needs the fund’s name to find you, not just your ID number.
- Your employer pays contributions over and certifies your exit. This is where most delayed claims actually sit, and it is the cheapest thing to check first.
- The trustees make the decisions the law reserves for them, including how a death benefit is distributed. Neither the administrator nor the employer makes that call.
- The Pension Funds Adjudicator resolves complaints against funds free of charge, and its determinations bind the fund. The FSCA regulates funds and runs a free public search for unclaimed benefits.
Your benefit statement names both the fund and the administrator, and carries your member number. Those three pieces of information answer most of what follows, and without the fund’s name an administrator often cannot locate you at all.
Common mistakes that cost time
- Not knowing which fund you belong to. The administrator’s name is not the fund’s name.
- Assuming the fund has your current address and banking details. It usually does not, and it cannot pay into an account it cannot verify.
- Lodging a second claim when the first goes quiet, which splits the record.
- Waiting months before asking. Reference numbers and follow-up dates are what an escalation rests on.
If it is not resolved
The Office of the Pension Funds Adjudicator resolves complaints against retirement funds, free of charge to the complainant, and its determinations are legally binding on the fund. It will not take a complaint that has not been put to the fund first, so lodge with the fund, keep the reference number, and give it a reasonable opportunity to respond before approaching the Adjudicator.
Escalation works on evidence. Keep a short written log of every contact: the date, the channel you used, the name of the person you spoke to and the reference number you were given. Every formal complaints process asks for exactly that history, and having it ready is usually the difference between a fast resolution and starting over.
Related contact pages
- Outsurance Claims Contact Details
- Sanlam Claims Contact Details
- Miway Claims Contact Details
- Hollard Claims Contact Details
- Pension Fund Complaints Contact Details
- Retirement Funds
- Insurance Medical Aid Retirement Contact Details
- Pension Fund Death Benefit Contact Details
- How to verify a contact number before you use it
Frequently asked questions
How long should a claim take?
It varies by claim type. A withdrawal is usually the quickest once the employer’s paperwork is in; a death benefit takes months because the trustees must identify dependants.
Who do I chase, the fund or the employer?
Ask the fund what it is waiting on. If the answer is the exit certificate, that is the employer’s to send.
What does the Adjudicator cost?
Nothing. Complaints are free, and determinations are binding on the fund.
The contact routes on this page were checked against each organisation’s official source on 21 August 2026. Where a detail has changed, the official source is always the authority.