Auto Enrolment

Hi there, the company started deductions in aug 2014 therefore the monies should have been paid into a pension by 19th sept 2014. There should be a pension account in your name with all these payments.

As they informed you when auto enrolment started they technically dont have to update you once you qualify. However, it would have been useful if they had!

You cannot opt out, as you only have 30 days from joining the scheme. So that means you cannot get a refund, but you can still stop your contributions.

The team should know who the pension provider it. Have you not got any paperwork from them? You should have received a joiner pack.

Hope this helps

Maureen1 wrote: »

I would like clarification on my situation

I joined the company I currently work for in Feb 2014 working just on a Saturday.

I receieved a letter in April 2014 regarding the auto enrolment which I kept but disregarded as I was earning well below the auto enrolment threshold.

In July 2014 my hours increased. I have just recently been having a sort out and filing and noticed that from August last year I have had deductions for the auto enrolment. (I am guilty of not checking my pay slips I know). I rang the Company who this auto enrolment pension is with only to be told they have no record of me. I reported this to my HR Manager asking for some sort of reference nr which could not be provided. HR said they would look into this. What I need answering is
Should I not have receieved some sort of notice that as my pay had increased I qualified for the auto enrolment? And should my HR department have noticed that monies from me/them were not being allocated to a specific account.

Any advise would be appreciated thanks

Hi Maureen..
When you starting working for your company in Feb, they would have assessed you in order to determine if you needed to be automatically enrolled. You wouldn't have been earning enough to be automatically enrolled, so by law your employers are required to send out a letter informing you how to opt in or join a pension scheme.

When your hours increased, you would have hit the trigger for auto enrolment and then been automatically enrolled into the company pension. At this point your employers are then required by law to send you a letter informing you that you are being automatically enrolled and that you have the right to opt out...

Now if you did recieve this letter when you were automatically enrolled then im afraid theres not much you can do about this. You have missed your opt out period. You can leave the scheme, but you won't get any conts back until you retire.

However...

If your employers have failed to send this letter out to you then they haven't informed you of your right to opt out. Technically, even though your first contribution was taken back in August...Your opt out period cannot begin until you have achieved active AND recieved the relevant communication.

I would advise that you check if any communication was sent to you informing you were now part of the scheme and that you have the right to opt out if you want to. If you haven't recieved this info then I would speak to your employer. Failing that, you can speak to the Pensions Regulator and inform them of the situation.

What outcome are you looking for? Are you wanting the contributions back that have been deducted? Or simply just want to leave the scheme?

Regards,
AEGuru

Maureen1 wrote: »

Thanks this remains unresolved so now in the hands of Pension Regulator as ,y Employernot accepting any responsibility for a pension not being set up in August. They keep blaming Pension Company which they can't do the Employer must keep records and they should have picked it up from their records

You are quite right. It is the employers responsibility to ensure that you receive the right information. I'm sure the pensions regulator would find it in your favour. Please can you update us when you find out more?