Do I need a PODE report?

Settlements which appear fair today can create unexpected financial consequences years later

If you’re likely to receive a pension share

Small differences can have a big impact. A £100k difference in pensions could mean.

  • Working around four years longer before retiring

  • Retiring with around £7,700 less income each year

You may get a PODE report and still choose an offset against property or other assets. But you do so knowing the trade offs you’re making.

If you’re likely to share your pension

Understanding the true vale true of your pension matters just as much.

Without proper analysis, it can be very difficult to know whether a proposed settlement is genuinely fair, especially where Defined Benefit pensions or offsetting are involved.

In some cases, such as Lin v Par (2025), agreed settlements have later been challenged where pensions were not properly understood or valued.

You may still decide to offset against other assets or not pursue pension sharing at all. But with a PODE report you clearly understand the trade offs.

Is a PODE report right for my circumstances?

Take our assessment

What others say

  • What a mistake not getting one would have been. I would have been £238k worse off in retirement than I will be now.

    — Full PODE Client Feb 2026

  • The clarity of your report really felt like a lightbulb moment which started to make things feel better.

    — Full PODE Client - March 2026

  • It helped reduce the conflict between us. I'm no legal expert so I really appreciated how accessible the final report was.

    — PODE Lite Client March 2026

You’ll benefit most from a PODE report if…

  • One or both of you have a Defined Benefit (final salary) pension

  • There are multiple pensions across different providers

  • Pension values are significantly different between you

  • You are considering pension offsetting in divorce

  • The court or your solicitor has requested a report

  • You want confidence that the settlement is fair long-term

When you might not need a PODE Report.

You may not require a full report if:

  • There is only one small Defined Contribution pension

  • Pension values are broadly equal

  • There is full agreement between both parties

  • The court has not requested expert evidence

  • There are no offsetting proposals under discussion

In these situations, a PODE Lite report may be more appropriate, or in some cases, no report at all.

We won’t recommend a report unless it’s genuinely necessary.

Find out if you even need a PODE report.

take our assessment

Why it’s risky to guess

As an asset type, pensions behave very differently from property or savings. They’re taxed differently, accessed later in life, influenced by growth assumptions and often structured in highly complex ways.

That’s why many solicitors instruct a pension expert to produce a PODE report, not to complicate matters, but to protect both parties from unintended imbalance and support long term fairness.