Retirement Planning Services
AscensusHeadquarters
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Complaints
This profile includes complaints for Ascensus's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see
Customer Complaints Summary
- 89 total complaints in the last 3 years.
- 49 complaints closed in the last 12 months.
If you've experienced an issue
Submit a ComplaintThe complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.
Initial Complaint
Date:09/11/2025
Type:Service or Repair IssuesStatus:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
Requested a distribution of my 401(k) after my employer sold his business. ********** is the third party vendor that acts as a broker between ************ and my employer. My issue is with FuturePlan not approving my distribution in a timely manner. It's been two weeks.Business Response
Date: 09/29/2025
Thank you for contacting Ascensus. For security and privacy reasons, we are unable to provide any client-specific information to your office. We will contact the client directly to address the concerns that were raised.
Sincerely,
AscensusCustomer Answer
Date: 09/29/2025
[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Regards,
***** *****Initial Complaint
Date:08/26/2025
Type:Billing IssuesStatus:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I have been in an ongoing dispute with Ascensus for over six years regarding an *** account that belonged to my deceased ************** grandmother is the primary beneficiary of the account. She has been diagnosed with dementia, and I am her court-appointed guardian of both her person and estate, as well as the executor of my grandfathers estate. Despite providing all legal documentation to Ascensus to verify my authority, they have repeatedly refused to release the required minimum distribution (RMD) payments owed to my grandmother.This situation has caused significant financial and emotional stress for our family, as these funds are needed for her care and living expenses. I am requesting immediate action from Ascensus to comply with the law, honor the beneficiarys rights, and release the distributions that have been withheld for years.Business Response
Date: 09/03/2025
Thank you for contacting Ascensus. For security and privacy reasons, we are unable to provide any client-specific information to your office. We will contact the client directly to address the concerns that were raised.
Sincerely,
AscensusInitial Complaint
Date:08/03/2025
Type:Product IssuesStatus:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
Futureplan by Ascensus is the "Administrative Arm" of our 401-K retirement plan. The sale of my business (******** and ******** DDS PA) closed on 9-11-2024. We had approximately 7 employees participating in the plan. To date (8-3-2025) the dissolution / completion of our plan is incomplete, meaning, there has been no distribution of funds to employees. One employee in particular is in the *** age group, but has no access to her funds to meet this *** requirement. I am the "Plan sponsor", meaning I am liable for proper timely distribution of funds. My former staff poses no threat of liability, but they are repeatedly asking where their money is. Our CPA (**** ******, CPA), and our "Financial Arm of the plan" (******* ***** / **** ****** Group of ************************ have exhausted all means of communication with Futureplan to expedite closure and distribution of funds. We are all exasperated and at our wits end. I have personally spoken with other financial plan advisors who have discontinued relations with Futureplan for exactly the same frustrations. I have been in contact with several different levels of staffing in an effort to speed things along....all to no avail. The explanation given to me was that "the *** gives them 12 months to complete dissolution". With only seven plan members, this should not be such an overwhelming problem. All levels of staffing I have spoken with are very nice, but there is no communication between departments as illustrated in repeated requests for information already sent. I have personally informed ********** that I planned to contact your office with a formal complaint if all distributions were not sent by 7-31-2025. This has not happened. I also met with my local attorney for advice. He recommended that I request an "in person" meeting with the branch / division supervisor. I relayed this to Ms. ******* ******, but have received no response to this request. Thanks, ****** ******** *** DDSBusiness Response
Date: 08/04/2025
Thank you for contacting Ascensus. For security and privacy reasons, we are unable to provide any client-specific information to your office. We will contact the client directly to address the concerns that were raised.
Sincerely,
AscensusInitial Complaint
Date:07/25/2025
Type:Service or Repair IssuesStatus:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I am trying to receive 401k beneficiary monies that are legally mine .I have been given the run around. I want my 401k beneficiary money asap. Thus is beyond ridiculous. No one is helping me all I know is I filed for it in April 2025 then again aggressively starting my 3rdBusiness Response
Date: 07/31/2025
Thank you for contacting Ascensus. For security and privacy reasons, we are unable to provide any client-specific information to your office. We will contact the client directly to address the concerns that were raised.
Sincerely,
AscensusInitial Complaint
Date:07/11/2025
Type:Product IssuesStatus:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
On June 15, 2025 I submitted a request for a 401K loan from Ascensus. My request was approved on June 17, 2025. My loan paperwork submission made it clear, my house purchase was closing July 10, 2025. Their original email said my funds would be received by July 4, 2025 and they werent. I called immediately and told them that my closing was at risk. The customer service agent told me that she was expediting a new check to be delivered by July 9, 2025. This was not received either. I called customer servicer again and she stated that they cant expedite a re-issued check, so somebody is lying at Ascensus, and my closing has now passed. Why is direct deposit not an option? Why is customer service claiming different things with the loan process? There has been NO accountability for my closing missing. There is still no funds received. Utterly ridiculous. Ascensus needs to refund my $250 loan origination charge and get me the funds as soon as possible. If the deal falls apart completely I will be suing Ascensus for the entirety of our ******* money.Business Response
Date: 07/22/2025
Hello,
Our service team indicated this item is resolvedthe loan fee reversal came through last night and they contacted the *** ****** (who indicated he would also reply to the BBB to let them know).
Customer Answer
Date: 07/23/2025
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. My funds were received and my loan fee was returned to my account. That being said, I still missed the closing date on my home and strongly encourage Ascensus to add direct deposit as an option.I appreciate Ascencus making this right.
Regards,
**** ******Initial Complaint
Date:06/30/2025
Type:Product IssuesStatus:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I am trying to cash out my 401k from a previous employer i did everything they wanted to prove my new address never got an email confirming they received it and everytime i call i get the run around im currently sitting on hold for tier 2 whatever that means for over an hour now ive called multiple times they are never any help the sent a check to my old address before i could even fill out the forms and get the proof of address to them one employee even said uh oh and hung up on meBusiness Response
Date: 07/15/2025
Hello,
Our service team has been promptly responding to all inquiries from Mr. ***** Below is a timeline of all interactions:-Mr. **** submitted a separation from service distribution on 5/23/25 online. This request processed as normal and sent to the address that was on file at the time.
-On 6/16, he called in due to the address being incorrect and our service team attempted to assist with the update then Stop Pay and Re-Issue (SPRI). Mr. **** was directed back to his plan sponsor for the update.
-Mr. **** submitted a Change of Contact (CoC) form, also on 6/16/25.
-On 6/30/25 he called again and our service team attempted to update over the phone via tier 2, but he failed the ***** process and was again referred to sponsor to make the address change.
-The change of contact form was not processed because the form was not accompanied by a distribution form. When the object was ended, it was no-processed with no information being returned to our service center or a response to Mr ****** email.
-Mr. **** filed his complaint with the BBB on 6/30/25
-On 7/14, a service associate reached out to the plan's Relationship Manager and confirmed that we did get a CoC form with the needed proof, but failed ****** The service associate then asked if they would please validate and make the needed changes.
-Later on 7/14, the service team updated the address and confirmed the correct address is now in our recordkeeping system. They then reached out to Mr. **** to assist with the needed SPRI and left a message, there was no answer. Our service team will continue to reach out to Mr. **** to get him taken care of.Initial Complaint
Date:04/23/2025
Type:Delivery IssuesStatus:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
This company is the ABSOLUTE WORST!!!!!DO NOT TRUST THEM WITH YOUR MONEY!!!MARCH 8TH TO APRIL 23...STILL WAITING ON MY CHECK!!!!EVERYONE WHO PICKS UP THE PHONE LIES!!!!!Business Response
Date: 06/04/2025
This plan was a service term due to a buy out of the company.
The company had the wrong address for the participant.
The company gave direction to force out the account to an ********************** Trust IRA.
The account was established with Ascensus Trust.
We sent the participant information of the force out to the incorrect address that was listed for the participant.
The participant found out that we mailed information to them to the incorrect address. They assumed this was the check but it was the information of the force out to the Ascensus Trust IRA.
4/7/2025, The participant called and spoke to a representative and their call disconnected. The representative was unable to call the participant back because they immediately had another call. The participant called back and was unable to clear full security. The participant explained that the check was sent to the wrong address. The participant got upset about not being able to clear security and the wrong address and hung up on the representative.
The participant called Ascensus Trust after this incident six times between 4/8 and 4/25 to update the address, request a distribution and follow-up on the status of the distribution. (Im unable to listen to the calls from the Trust). The first check was issued on 4/10 from the trust and was not received by the participant even though it appears to have been sent to the correct address. A stop payment was done and the second check was sent on 4/25. That check has been received and cashed.
Service called the participant and left a voice message for them to contact us again if we can be of any help.
**The root cause of this issue was an incorrect address provided to us from the client.**Initial Complaint
Date:04/21/2025
Type:Product IssuesStatus:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I opened a Solo 401(k) retirement plan for my small business with Ascensus. I made an over contribution and requested a disbursement of the excess funds to correct the issue. I submitted my forms for the request on February 26, 2025. It took several weeks before their support team notified me that they needed additional forms to be signed and completed. I did this promptly, but my request was still not processed. I had to call several times, request a supervisor, to finally reach someone who could address the issue. After the disbursement was sent to my bank account, I saw that I had a loss in my contributions due to the market fluctuation. I received this on April 10, 2025 (43 days after my initial request). At the time of my request, my account was valued over $15,800, a gain from my initial $14,000 contribution. I understand the risks involved with investing in the market, but the time and errors on their part are also to account for the time my transaction was processed. This delay resulted in the loss. I have called and emailed Ascensus several times over the past couple weeks to speak with a representative and the supervisor to discuss the issue. I have not been able to reach a supervisor directly via the phone as there is only a toll free line and they have said they are unavailable and have requested a call back. I have not received a call back and only short email responses without detailed explanation. I have also been hung up on by their support team and continuously promised to receive a call back, but still not received one. There is no way to reach a supervisor or file a complaint within their company and I am at a loss for what to do.I would like Ascensus to return the balance of funds to meet my initial contribution of $14,000. I received $13,122.90 and the balance would be $877.10. I do not need the trade request to be backdated to when I had a gain.Customer Answer
Date: 05/19/2025
I finally heard from the company after contacting a director via ********. They finally sent me the remaining balance that I was owed and that matter is settled.Business Response
Date: 06/04/2025
A voice message has been left with the participant to assist, call back name and phone was provided to them - waiting to hear back.Initial Complaint
Date:04/16/2025
Type:Sales and Advertising IssuesStatus:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
On 3/18/25 Acensus published Form 5500 reports on their website for client submission to the ***. On April 3rd, they notified customers that the forms were inaccurate and that we should alert our tax providers to NOT submit to the ***. This resulted in charges from the tax preparer because it requires re-work. On April 11th, customers were notified that the new forms were available via the website. On April 16th, we attempted to download the updated form and it was not available. ******* representative stated that they had been pulled a second time for further review and there was not a known date as to when they'd be available. No communication was made to customers for second delay.Business Response
Date: 07/31/2025
Thank you for contacting Ascensus. For security and privacy reasons, we are unable to provide any client-specific information to your office. Even though you have closed this matter in your system, we will contact the client directly to address the concerns that were raised.
Sincerely,
AscensusInitial Complaint
Date:04/14/2025
Type:Billing IssuesStatus:UnresolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
When I requested my account to be closed and my *** money to be disbursed to me, this company said they had to charge a fee to close the account. They said I would be receiving $146.00, which was minus their $31.00 fee, but when the check arrived, I was also charged a "Check Fee" of $25.00 which I was told nothing about!Business Response
Date: 07/31/2025
Thank you for contacting Ascensus. For security and privacy reasons, we are unable to provide any client-specific information to your office. Even though you have closed this matter in your system, we will contact the client directly to address the concerns that were raised.
Sincerely,
AscensusCustomer Answer
Date: 08/04/2025
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
Complaint: 23203895
I am rejecting this response because:
I have not heard anything from the business so the matter is not closed!
Regards,
***** *****Customer Answer
Date: 10/14/2025
The company has responded and sent the requested amount of money so we consider the matter and complaint satisfied and closed. Thank you for your help with this matter.
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