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AUTO ENROLMENT for employee pensions                 Free Employers guide to auto enrolment

EMPLOYERS FAQ

I’ve lost my letter code

Here’s the link to obtain your letter code - you will need your PAYE reference and your Accounts Office reference.  Click here

Do the new pension duties apply to me?

If you employ one or more workers in the UK then the new duties apply to you. You’ll have to set up a workplace pension and automatically enrol any workers who meet the age and earnings requirements. You’ll have to enrol any workers who ask and may have to make a contribution to the retirement pot of some or all of your workers.

If, having read the guidance, you think that the new pension duties don’t apply to you, then you MUST tell the Pensions Regulator.  Here’s the link to use: DUTIES CHECKER

Which workers do I need to enrol?

Well, it all depends on a number of factors.  Some you have to enrol, some can choose to be enrolled and others are not eligible.  Here’s a table:

Note: figures correct as of 2017/18

When I’ve chosen a provider will they do everything else for me?

No. There’s a lot to do around auto enrolment that your provider won’t or can’t do. This includes assessing your workforce, making changes to your payroll and HR processes, setting up contribution schedules and managing opt outs.

You should start preparing early for auto enrolment to make sure you’re ready for your staging date.

How do I find out my staging date?

Find your PAYE reference, then go to the Pensions Regulator website - click here

How long will it take to set up a scheme?

This depends on:

•     how many workers there are in your organisation
•     how many different pay periods you have for your workers
•     how much variation you want to make in what different workers get

Some of the biggest organisations with complicated pay and entitlement arrangements have taken a year or more to get ready. For smaller organisations we recommend starting at least six months before your staging date. This will help make sure you have time for everything you need to do.

How do I register with The Pensions Regulator?

To register you’ll need to go to The Pensions Regulator’s website​ (click here) and answer some questions.

You’ll be asked for information about your organisation and about the scheme you’re using to meet your duties.

You’ll need your unique employer NEST ID to hand. This is the ID given you when you set up your scheme. It starts with ‘EMP’, followed by a nine digit number.

You’ll be asked whether you’re using a personal pension scheme or an occupational pension scheme - NEST is an occupational pension scheme.

You must register with The Pensions Regulator within five months of your employer staging date. You should have enrolled all eligible jobholders by this point.

Do I need to do anything else for workers who opt out or stop contributing?

Every three years you’ll need to reassess your workers to see whether any of them need to be re-enrolled into NEST. This is a separate process to the usual worker assessment that you run at each pay reference period. The workers you’ll need to reassess are those who have stopped making contributions or opted out over 12 months before your re-enrolment date.

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