Basic pension advice please :(

grey_lady

Are you sure that you will be losing the contributions that you paid in and not the contributions your employer paid in?

The later I can understand, not the former - "Seems a little unfair since it says in the literature that I can withdraw and get a refund in the first 2 years, but apparently that no longer applies..."

Unless you have agreed e.g signed up to these changes in the terms and conditions of the agreement then I'm not sure they can enforce that change and I would be challenging it.

Although it might be a better for you in the long term to just keep paying in (albeit at a reduced amount if you can't afford it) as others have suggested.