How auto-enrolment will impact your payroll budget

Worried about how auto‑enrolment will affect your payroll budget?

You’re not alone.

From 1 January 2026, employees aged 23 to 60 who earn more than €20,000 and do not already have a pension will be automatically enrolled into My Future Fund—with employer, employee, and State contributions phasing up over 10 years.

Liz Lucid is managing director of Galway-based Monaris Accounting and says employers must act now:

“Engage with employees now to determine which employees will likely be eligible and who is already, or could be, in another qualifying pension scheme. It’s also important that employees are aware of how the scheme will work, including the tax implications for them.”

This article outlines what My Future Fund is and advises on what you need to do now:

Here’s what we’ll cover:

What is My Future Fund?

Under the scheme, the employer, employee, and government all pay a certain amount into the employee’s pension fund.

A new public body, the National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority (NAERSA) has been set up to administer the scheme and it will be supervised by the Pensions Authority.

After an employee is enrolled, they must stay in the pension scheme for at least 6 months.

However, they can opt out after 6 months, but before they have been in the scheme for 8 months.

An employee’s contribution will then be refunded.

However, the employee will be re-enrolled again after 2 years. Once re-enrolled, the employee can opt out again after another 6 months.

How much does the employer and employee pay?

You and your employee will each pay 1.5% of qualifying earnings in the first 3 years, with the government contributing 0.5%.

These percentages apply to qualifying earnings—usually earnings between a lower and upper threshold set by the scheme, not total salary.

By year 10, both you and your employee will pay 6% of qualifying earnings, with the government contributing 2%.

The table below sets out the rates you, your employee, and the government will pay:

Year of the auto-enrolment scheme	Employer contribution rate	Employee pays	Government pays
1 to 3	1.5%	1.5%	0.5%
4 to 6	3%	3%	1%
7 to 9	4.5%	4.5%	1.5%
10 and after	6%	6%	2%

In terms of what this will cost in actual terms, the table below includes an example of an employee earning €20,000 a year:

Year of the auto-enrolment scheme	Employer pays	Employee pays	Government pays	Total payments per year
1 to 3	€300	€300	€100	€700
4 to 6	€600	€600	€200	€1,400
7 to 9	€900	€900	€300	€2,100
10 and after	€1,200	€1,200	€400	€2,800

For the moment, the self-employed and directors that pay class S or class M Pay-Related Social Insurance (PRSI) contributions are not included in the scheme.

However, others, such as those aged 18–22, people over the age of 60 and under pension age, and individuals earning below the threshold, can opt in voluntarily.

What is the maximum contribution?

Both employer and government contributions are capped at €80,000 gross annual earnings.

You’ll pay contributions for all eligible employees, including those earning above €80,000.

This means that for the first 3 years, the maximum amount an employer can contribute is €1,200 a year.

This is because 1.5% of €80,000 is €1,200.

Employees can contribute beyond the €80,000 cap if they wish, but employer and government contributions are limited to qualifying earnings up to €80,000.

How will My Future Fund work?

NAERSA will administer My Future Fund, leaving minimal administrative work for you to do.

It will determine which employees are eligible for auto-enrolment using Revenue payroll data, and it will enrol them.

It will also collect all employee, employer and government contributions, and invest the money on your employee’s behalf.

A default investment strategy will be in place, but some alternative investment options will be available for those who may wish to make an active investment choice.

NAERSA will allocate any investment returns to your employee’s savings pot.

Employees will keep one savings pot as they move from job to job – this is known as the pot-follows-member approach.

What to do now?

Don’t leave it to the last minute, register your employees before 31 December to ensure contributions are deducted from January salaries.

If you miss the registration deadline, you may face penalties.

First, use your payroll data to identify eligible employees.

Communicate with your team about contributions, payslip changes, and the opt-out window (months 7–8).

The Revenue portal for registering details opened on 1 December 2025.

You and/or your payroll/tax agent can access the My Future Fund employer portal using the same credentials used to access Revenue Online Services (ROS).

• Employers: use your ROS PREM certificate.
• Agents: use your Tax Advisor Identity Number (TAIN).

Add your payment method. Direct debit is the fastest way to keep contributions on time.

The portal also supports employers who don’t use payroll software.

Once set up, let employees know what to expect from the January pay run.

What is the role of your software provider?

“Payroll providers will supply functionality and will handle calculations and files in the normal payroll run.”

However, employers remain responsible for eligibility checks, deductions, and remittances, explains Liz.

“It’s important to engage with your payroll provider to ensure that everything will be in order for the commencement of the new system.”

Your payroll provider will:

• receive My Future Fund notifications
• calculate the correct contributions
• deduct contributions from payroll
• transmit contribution files to NAERSA
• display the details on employee payslips

Explore using payroll software and give your team the tools to work smarter and strengthen your payroll management.

How is My Future Fund treated in terms of tax?

How are the contributions treated in terms of tax?

• For the employer: contributions are deductible for corporation tax, reducing your business’s taxable income.
• For the employee: contributions are made from gross earnings (including overtime and bonuses) before tax, which reduces taxable income.

Note: Contributions are made from gross pay, but they’re treated differently than traditional pension tax relief.

How does My Future Fund compare with a private pension?

Both schemes have different approaches.

An employee with a private pension receives tax relief.

The rate of tax relief is set at the highest rate of income tax the employee pays.

So, that means:

• For a single person earning over €44,000, the tax relief is 40%
• For a single person earning €44,000 or less, the relief is 20%.

Under My Future Fund, employees don’t receive income tax relief—the State adds a top‑up instead (for every €3 you save, €7 goes into your pot).

Whether My Future Fund or a private/occupational pension is better depends on income, age, tax band, and scheme costs.

Higher‑rate taxpayers may see stronger outcomes with qualifying occupational schemes, while others could benefit more from the State top‑up.

Review your options with an adviser to choose the best route for your circumstances.

For instance, in a private pension, although there are limits to the amount of pension contributions an employee can get tax relief on in any one year, it is significantly more generous than My Future Fund.

For private pensions, the maximum percentage of tax relief an employee can get on their income depends on their age, which is 15% for employees under 30 years, and climbs up to 40% for employees over 60 years.

The table below outlines the age-related percentage limit for tax relief on pension contributions:

Age	Percentage limit
Under 30	15%
30-39	20%
40-49	25%
50-54	30%
55-59	35%
60 or over	40%

Also, the maximum amount of gross income considered to calculate the percentage is €115,000. Under My Future Fund, it is €80,000.

Therefore, considering factors such as tax relief and age-related tax relief, My Future Fund will only be more beneficial than a private pension when the employee’s income is low.

With this in mind, Liz points out that employers should ensure that employees who pay 40% tax have a facility to make contributions through their employment to an occupational/personal pension.

She advises that if this facility is not already in place, that it should be dealt with urgently, and that it could be included in a late 2025 payroll run.

Ensure you budget for the increasing costs

You need to budget for the increasing costs.

Particularly for a company that currently does not offer an occupational pension, My Future Fund will be a significant increase in payroll costs for your company over the next 10 years.

However, given the gradual increase in contribution rates, you have some time to plan and absorb costs.

You may also need to consider additional initial costs, such as any money spent on communicating and consulting with employees about the scheme.

You should also factor in any money spent on experts such as pension providers that advise you on how to approach pension auto-enrolment.

However, the long-term impact on your budget will be more important.

Therefore, it is important that you review and update projections annually to keep long-term budgets accurate and sustainable.

Which companies will be most impacted?

The companies most significantly impacted are generally those with low existing pension coverage.

This includes smaller businesses and those in sectors like retail, hospitality, and construction, which generally have lower-paid workers and also high employee turnover.

While My Future Fund will mean increasing costs for these businesses, it does have advantages over occupational schemes.

For example, there are none of the costs associated with establishing a company pension scheme.

There is also reduced administrative burden, as management is handled externally by NAERSA.

Also, in terms of employees, auto-enrolment could potentially suit seasonal workers or workers that often change jobs, as the pot follows the employee.

Final thoughts

My Future Fund will add costs, especially if you don’t currently offer a pension, but it’s also a straightforward way to improve benefits without building a scheme from scratch.

With careful planning and clear comms, it can be a net positive for retention and wellbeing.

As Liz points out: “While pension auto-enrolment will require employers to shoulder ongoing contribution costs, it will also deliver benefits to your company by making your employees feel more financially secure. This, in turn, should boost employee loyalty and retention.”

Act today to ensure that the transition is seamless.

Ready to plan with confidence?

Download the My Future Fund FAQs e-book for guidance on how to prepare your business for auto-enrolment.