{"id":1589,"date":"2017-07-17T11:32:17","date_gmt":"2017-07-17T11:32:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/employee-questions-on-auto-enrolment\/"},"modified":"2026-01-29T10:53:54","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T10:53:54","slug":"employee-questions-on-auto-enrolment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/employee-questions-on-auto-enrolment\/","title":{"rendered":"Employee questions on auto enrolment"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/category\/strategy-legal-operations\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Strategy, Legal &amp; Operations<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tEmployee questions on auto enrolment\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2017-07-17T11:32:17+01:00\">17 July, 2017<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"Employee questions on auto enrolment\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/employee-questions-on-auto-enrolment\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/author\/bryancollins\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/Bryan-Collins.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" height=\"40\" width=\"40\" fetchpriority=\"high\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Bryan Collins<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"dark-grey h3\" id=\"news-article-subtitle\">With the automatic enrolment wheels firmly in motion, employers are required to automatically enrol eligible employees into a qualifying pension scheme. Don&#8217;t panic if you&#8217;ve not had any direct correspondence about it yet, the process is being staged over a 6 year period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your deadline will depend on the size that your business was on 1 April 2012; the &#8216;staging dates&#8217; will run right through until 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-does-i-m-in-actually-mean\">What does &#8216;I&#8217;m in!&#8217; actually mean?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Even though your staging date might not be for a few years yet, we know that your employees will soon be asking questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>With that in mind we have pulled together the most common questions:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-when-will-this-start\">When will this start?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk\/employers\/tools\/staging-date.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Find out your exact staging date<\/a>, which can then be communicated to your employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-do-i-know-if-i-am-eligible\">How do I know if I am eligible?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re aged between 22 and state pension age with earnings equal to (or greater than) the earnings trigger salary which is currently \u00a38,105 then you are eligible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-much-money-will-i-lose-from-my-salary-and-how-much-do-you-contribute\">How much money will I lose from my salary and how much do you contribute?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The minimum levels of contributions has been set by Government and will depend on our staging date.<br>\nTo start with just 1% of your pay will be automatically deducted from your salary and invested in a pension scheme. This will include tax relief. Employers must also add an additional 1% initially.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-check-out-the-table-below-to-see-contribution-levels-by-date\">Check out the table below to see contribution levels by date:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-i-don-t-want-to-save-at-all-how-do-i-opt-out\">I don&#8217;t want to save at all. How do I opt out?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The responsibility to opt out of pension contributions is entirely yours. You need to complete an &#8216;opt-out&#8217; notice. If you fill this in within a month, your involvement will be cancelled. If you don&#8217;t return it within a month then you will start to build up a pension pot which will (once you&#8217;ve opted out) sit there until retirement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember though, if you do opt out then you will miss out on the contribution from me (your employer).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-i-don-t-want-to-save-right-now-but-might-change-my-mind-in-the-future-what-should-i-do\">I don&#8217;t want to save right now but might change my mind in the future, what should I do?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Those who opt out will be enrolled again every three years by their employer if with the same business. If you move jobs then you&#8217;ll be re auto enrolled within three months of being there. If you want to opt out again then you&#8217;ll have to start the process once more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-if-i-die-before-i-get-to-the-retirement-age\">What if I die before I get to the retirement age?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Upon joining, you will be asked to complete a &#8216;nomination of beneficiaries form&#8217;. If you do pass away before you reach the retirement age then it is this beneficiary that will receive your savings. They will receive a lump sum which is tax free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In order to answer these questions confidently you will need to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk\/employers\/tools\/staging-date.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">find out your staging date by using this handy tool<\/a> from the Pension Regulator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-to-make-sure-your-business-is-ready-for-auto-enrolment\">How to make sure your business is ready for auto enrolment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We want to support you through this process and understand that employers will be faced with questions about the changes, which is why we have produced guidance to help you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/policies\/helping-people-save-more-for-their-retirement-through-workplace-pensions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Department for Work &amp; Pensions<\/a> are reportedly investing \u00a38m to raise awareness about automatic enrolment among the UK workforce, so now is the time to ensure that you have a handle on what is happening yourself!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">The ultimate guide to auto enrolment<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Everything you need to know about auto enrolment, re-enrolment and workplace pensions in one clear and concise guide.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-745cc300-807f-403d-9407-3a0d054ec867\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Get your free guide<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1213042683-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"Working on strategy and financials\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1213042683-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the automatic enrolment wheels firmly in motion, employers are required to automatically enrol eligible employees into a qualifying pension scheme. Don&#8217;t panic if you&#8217;ve not had any direct correspondence about it yet, the process is being staged over a 6 year period. Your deadline will depend on the size that your business was on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":282,"featured_media":1828,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,9],"tags":[31],"business_type":[4,3],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[],"imagine_tag":[91,109,112],"coauthors":[398],"class_list":["post-1589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people-leadership","category-strategy-legal-operations","tag-auto-enrolment","business_type-small-business","business_type-medium-sized-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-gb","author_name":"Bryan Collins","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/08\/FrenchFlavour_GL_250214-187.jpg","imagine_tags":{"91":"Growing business","109":"Small business","112":"Support"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice UK","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1589","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/282"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1589"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1589\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/1828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1589"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1589"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1589"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=1589"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=1589"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=1589"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=1589"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=1589"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=1589"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=1589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}