Understanding Pension Auto Enrolment And Auto Enrolment Payroll Solutions

Everything you need to know about pension auto-enrolment solutions.

Prior to the introduction of pension auto-enrolment, employees would decide whether they wanted to be included in their company’s workplace pension scheme or not.

With the introduction of automatic enrolment pension enrolment as part of the Workplace Pension Reform designed to tackle the issue of millions of employees not saving enough for retirement, this all changed.

The law now requires employees to be automatically included in a workplace pension scheme unless they specifically take action to opt-out or don’t meet the criteria.

But it can get complex – which is why some employers decide to take a look at the auto-enrolment payroll software solutions available to them.

The pension regulations relating to automatic pension enrolment came into force in October 2012 and have been rolled out over a five-year period, starting with the largest employers and then moving through the stages to eventually include every employer, even if they only have a single employee.

All of the responsibilities fall on the employer to assess staff and enroll those who meet the criteria. These criteria currently require the employee to be at least 22 years old (but under State Pension age), to normally work within the UK, and to be earning more than £10,000 a year.

They can still enroll even if they don’t meet the £10,000 threshold

They will not meet the criteria if they are already part of a qualifying workplace pension scheme. And it is possible for employees who don’t meet some requirements to still request to join: for example, if they don’t meet the £10,000 threshold but earn more than £6240 a year.

At the moment the total contribution level stands at 8% of the employee’s qualifying salary.

As a minimum, the employer’s contribution must be at least 3% of that, meaning employees must contribute the remaining 5%.

If the employer pays more, the employee contributions can reduce accordingly.

Be aware that there can be some variation in the way qualifying salaries are calculated.

New Employees

When an employer takes on a new employee, their legal duties in terms of auto-enrolment begin on day one of that employment (although they can carry out an initial assessment before that date).

There are some instances where postponement is possible, allowing an employer to delay assessing and auto-enrolling employees by up to three months.

There must however be a valid business reason for this – for example, to align enrolment with pay periods, or if someone has a probation period.

Employers must let employees know this, and still give them the option to pay their own contributions during this period if they wish.

Employers have ongoing responsibilities above the requirement to continue paying contributions.

They must deal with requests to join or leave the pension scheme, stay on top of any changes (like ages or earning levels) that might mean an employee becomes eligible to be auto-enrolled, and manage the three-yearly re-enrolment of any employees who previously left the scheme, even if they subsequently then choose to opt-out again.

Declaration of Compliance

In addition, employers must maintain all of the required record obligations and complete a declaration of compliance submitted to The Pensions Regulator to confirm that all requirements have been met. This must also be done every three years.

Managing all of the aspects of pension auto-enrolment can be complicated and highly time-consuming. We have only covered some of the most general points and even then, it’s apparent how much is involved.

And it can be worrying knowing whether you are doing everything correctly. If you don’t comply with what is required of you as an employer, it could lead to enforcement action including compliance notices and substantial penalties from The Pensions Regulator.

All contributions that should have been paid to employees will also need to be back paid and in some cases, employers might find themselves having to pay their employees’ contributions that have been missed as well as their own.

Penalties

Penalties start at £400 for a fixed penalty notice with escalating penalties being fined at a daily rate of between £50 to £10,000 depending on the number of employees.

In the absolute worst-case scenario of wilfully failing to enroll eligible employees into a pension scheme and knowingly providing false information in a declaration of compliance, a criminal prosecution could follow with the potential for a two-year prison sentence.

For most employers, it is unlikely to ever reach that extreme. But errors and oversights can occur and keeping on top of everything takes a lot of effort.

Fortunately, options are available that mean you don’t have to handle it all yourself.

Understanding your auto-enrolment staging date is crucial for compliance with pension regulations. This date signifies when employers must begin enrolling eligible employees into a workplace pension scheme. For detailed guidance and support on managing your auto-enrolment responsibilities, visit What is My Pension Auto Enrolment Staging Date?. Ensure your business is prepared and adheres to all necessary requirements seamlessly. 

Auto-enrolment solutions are designed to make sure the employer is meeting what’s required of them while lifting the burden off them to a large extent.

It is possible to hand over the management of pensions auto-enrolment, sometimes as part of a stand-alone arrangement for pensions management, as a module within your auto-enrolment payroll software, or as part of a fully outsourced payroll solution.

These services effectively fulfill the role of the employer and deal with all aspects of the process including all management and administration.

One sometimes overlooked benefit of these kinds of auto-enrolment solutions is the fact that many providers will take care of all of the required regulatory communications too, providing information in a clear and engaging format to help employees understand more about their pension.

Automatic enrolment can be a complex issue to deal with. To help companies who would value support with this aspect of payroll, we have created pension enrolment software to make the process a great deal easier to manage.

Our Pensions Regulator compliant payroll software offers a complete auto-enrolment solution, including automatically assessing employees at each pay run to add eligible employees, enrol others who have opted-in to join the scheme, and process any opt-outs.

We can Take Care of Every Aspect of the Payroll

It will also send all associated data directly to your pension payroll provider. Our software creates all required reports on each pay run and also conducts re-enrolment assessments on three yearly cycles.

Even better – if you decide to outsource your full payroll to us, we can take care of every aspect of payroll including pension auto-enrolment. To find out more about the payroll solutions we offer, please do contact us.

witching payroll providers can seem like a daunting task, but with the right guidance, it can be a smooth and beneficial transition for your business. If you’re considering a switch, it’s crucial to understand the advantages, the process involved, and how to make the transition as seamless as possible. For a comprehensive guide on how to switch payroll providers effectively, visit The Ultimate Guide For Switching Payroll Providers. Their expert advice and detailed resources can help ensure that your payroll operations continue without a hitch during the transition, ultimately leading to better service and potentially cost savings for your business.

By leveraging our payroll software, you can ensure compliance and efficiency in handling all your payroll needs.