Darlington Association on Disability

DAD Direct Payments Support Service can support you with work place pensions

Step 1: Know your staging date

You can also find out your staging date online at this link to the Pension Regulator you will need your PAYE reference number.

Step 2: Assess your workforce by placing them in the following categories:-

Eligible jobholder

• Aged at least 22 but has not yet reached stage pension age
• Earns above £10,000

Non-eligible jobholder

• Is at least 16 and under 75, and
• Earns between £5824 - £10,000

Entitled worker

• Aged at least 16 and under 75
• Works in the UK
• Earns below £5824

Step 3: Review your pension arrangements

You must set up a pension scheme to enrol your staff onto.
NEST is one of the pension schemes that employers can use to meet their new duties. It’s been set up by the UK government and is specifically designed for automatic enrolment. It’s a trust-based scheme, run independently from government on a not-for-profit basis.

More information on NEST is available on the NEST website

Step 4: Communicate the changes to all your workers

You must inform all your workers in writing about the changes detailing how they are affected by the changes. It is important to communicate the right message to the right employee at the right time.

Step 5: Auto-enrol your eligible jobholders

There is a process that you will need to follow in order to make an eligible jobholder a member of an automatic enrolment pension scheme from the staging date. Certain information about your eligible jobholders will also need to be supplied to your pension scheme provider. You will also need to provide enrolment information to the eligible jobholders so they can decide whether to opt out.

Step 6: Register with The Pensions Regulator and keep records

You are required to tell the The Pensions Regulator how you have complied with your new employer duties within 4 months of your staging date. You will also need to keep records about your workers.

Step 7: Contribute to your workers’ pensions

Starting on your staging date you must contribute to your chosen pension scheme on behalf of your workers. The minimum contribution that an employer must pay into their workers’ pension scheme will be introduced gradually over a 6 year period - this is known as phasing.

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