Find a PODE
Once you know your case needs a pension on divorce expert (PODE), the next question is who is qualified to do the work. There is no single PODE qualification and no official register, so this page explains who can act as one, what the Pension Advisory Group’s guidance says, and what to check before you instruct anyone.
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General information, not advice on your own case.
It is a common and reasonable assumption that PODE is a protected title backed by an exam or a regulator, and it is not. The Pension Advisory Group’s guidance, A Guide to the Treatment of Pensions on Divorce (second edition, known as PAG2), records that there is no professional qualification or regulatory system specific to PODE work, and no course or accreditation built around the skills the role needs. PAG2 considered whether a dedicated accreditation or complaints body should be created, and concluded that with relatively few PODEs there was no practical way to fund or run one.
That makes the choice of expert more important rather than less, because the report can have a real effect on the outcome of a financial settlement.
PAG2 recognises that PODEs come from a range of professional backgrounds. In practice you will see:
A background is a starting point rather than a guarantee. What matters is whether the individual can show the right expertise for your type of case, because defined benefit (DB) and public sector pensions are considerably more technical than a couple of personal pensions.
PAG2 does not leave the question entirely open. It sets out good practice expectations, and they make sensible questions to ask before anyone is instructed.
Self-certification. PAG2 recommends that a PODE producing a report should certify, under a statement of truth, that they have the core competencies relevant to the case. Those competencies are listed in Appendix D of PAG2, and PAG2 suggests they are attached to, or referred to in, the letter of instruction.
Professional body membership. PAG2 was divided on whether PODEs should have to belong to a professional body, because membership cannot be a legal requirement if an expert can otherwise show their expertise to the court. It names three relevant bodies, the IFoA, the Chartered Insurance Institute and the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment, and notes the advantages of membership: recognition by peers, rules of professional conduct, and a disciplinary process if those rules are broken. Where a PODE is not a member of a recognised body, PAG2 says the report should make that clear. It also notes that a financial adviser’s calculations for a report may fall outside the scope of regulated advice, and that the report should say so where that applies.
Insurance, complaints, peer review and training. PAG2’s self-certification also covers a short checklist. You can reasonably expect a PODE to confirm that they:
PAG2 says that before a PODE is instructed, whoever is instructing them should make sure a statement covering all of this will form part of the report. They should also gather the expert’s qualifications, experience and professional body membership, so these can be put before the court before a single joint expert is appointed under Part 25 of the Family Procedure Rules.
In practice that means satisfying yourself that the individual has the right knowledge for your case, will self-certify, and can show their professional standing, insurance and the standards they work to. These are ordinary questions, and any PODE should be comfortable answering them.
If you are not yet sure your case needs a PODE at all, the free check takes about two minutes. If it does, the directory lists PODEs working in England and Wales, with their backgrounds, fees and timescales as each firm supplies them.
October 2026