Minimum and Maximum Members in a SSAS
A SSAS can be established with as few as one member. A sole company director can set up a SSAS for themselves alone, gaining all the same investment flexibility — including property investment and loanback — as a multi-member scheme. The scheme still requires a sponsoring employer (the director's company), and the director will typically act as the sole trustee alongside a professional pensioneer trustee.
The maximum number of members is 11. This limit is set by HMRC guidance on what constitutes a Small Self-Administered Scheme — the "small" in SSAS is meaningful. Schemes with more than 11 members are generally not treated as SSAS for these purposes and would need to be structured differently (typically as a larger occupational pension scheme with different trustee and governance requirements).
All members must be trustees. This is a defining characteristic of the SSAS structure. You cannot have a passive member in a SSAS who participates in the scheme but has no trustee role — if someone joins the scheme, they join as a trustee. This keeps decision-making collective and means every member has both the power and the responsibility that comes with the trustee role.
Who Can Be a SSAS Member?
SSAS membership is restricted to employees of the sponsoring employer. In practice, this typically means company directors and senior employees. There is no restriction on family relationships — a husband and wife who both work for and direct the family company can both be members. Children who are genuine employees of the company can also join.
The employment requirement means that an individual who has no connection to the sponsoring employer cannot join that employer's SSAS. If a business partner has their own company and wants to participate in a shared pension strategy, they would need to either join the sponsoring employer (perhaps as a director of a holding company structure) or establish their own SSAS with their own company.
Members who leave the employment of the sponsoring employer do not automatically have to leave the SSAS — they typically become deferred members, retaining their accrued benefits but no longer making contributions. However, as deferred members they remain trustees, which can create practical challenges if the relationship between the individual and the company becomes difficult.
How Member Numbers Affect Investment Strategy
More members means more contributions, which means a larger fund, which means more capacity for property investment and loanbacks. A two-director company where both directors contribute £40,000 per year to the SSAS will build a significantly larger fund than a sole-director scheme with one contributor. Over ten years, that collective fund can support the purchase of more substantial properties and larger loanbacks to the business.
The collective nature of trustee decision-making also means that adding members adds both capacity and complexity. All trustees must agree to major decisions — property purchases, loanbacks, and borrowings. In a scheme with several members who have different views on investment strategy, reaching consensus can be challenging. This is not a reason to avoid multi-member SSAS schemes, but it underscores the importance of clear governance from the outset.
For multi-member schemes, a Statement of Investment Principles and a formal Trustee Meeting schedule help ensure that the scheme is run in an orderly way that serves all members equally. Your SSAS administrator can help you put these governance documents in place.
Adding or Removing Members
New members can join a SSAS at any point, subject to the 11-member cap and the requirement that they are employees of the sponsoring employer. Adding a member typically involves an amendment to the scheme's trust deed, a trustee resolution accepting the new member, and HMRC notification. The new member also becomes a trustee, so they should be fully briefed on their obligations before joining.
Removing a member is more complex. If a member retires and takes their benefits, they cease to be a member and trustee in the normal course. If a member wishes to leave the scheme while still employed, or if they leave the employer, the process depends on the scheme's trust deed and the nature of their benefits. In all cases, trustee consent is required for any transfer out, and the departing member's trustee role must be formally concluded with proper documentation.