Home - Payroll News
- Recent HR News
- FREE Newsletter
- Payroll and HR FAQs
- Payroll Forum
- Payroll Calendars
- Payroll Tools
- Monthly Brain Teaser
- The Authors
- About Us
- Contact us
auto enrolment
Auto-Enrolment and Payment of Contributions
The Pensions regulator has issued guidance reminding employers of the importance of making the payment of pension contributions to the pension scheme in accordance with the overriding deadlines set out in the Pensions Act 2008. For occupational DC and personal pension schemes, the general rule is that the due date for payment of contributions to [...]
NEST Restrictions 13/14
The National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) was established to provide all employers with a pension scheme that will enable them to meet their obligations under Auto-Enrolment. This can be used by any organisation, either in isolation or alongside an employer’s existing scheme. Two of the statutory constraints on NEST are the annual contributions limit and [...]
The Learn Centre Annual Conference 2013
The Learn Centre Conference was advertised as the must-attend payroll event for 2013 and, indeed, it certainly lived up to this ambitious promise. In two and a half days, we managed to cover every ‘hot topic’ that will impact the payroll and HR professions in the next year, including: RTI ‘the basics’, RTI ‘the update’ [...]
The Learn Centre’s Annual Conference
Maybe I am a bit ‘old school’, however, when a product or company makes a claim, this should be backed up by actions. In short, it needs to do what it says on the tin. Of course, I am making an obscure reference to the shocking news last week that some meat products were not [...]
Auto-Enrolment Thresholds Announced for 2013/14
On 06 September 2012, Pensions Minister Steve Webb announced the Consultation for the 2013/14 revision, suggesting that the Earnings Trigger and the Lower and Upper limits of the Qualifying Earnings Bands remain respectively aligned with the PAYE Threshold, the Lower Earnings Limit (LEL) and the Upper Earnings Limit (UEL). At time of the Consultation, the [...]
Auto-Enrolment Thresholds 2013/14
As announced in our Autumn Statement Newsletter, the Personal Allowance is set to increase to £9,440 from April 2013. This is an increase of £235 on the previously published figure of £9,205, announced at Budget 2012. In total, the increase from 2012/13 to 2013/14 equates to £1,335 in additional tax allowances. As we reported in [...]
TPR Encourages Auto-Enrolment into Good Quality DC Schemes
On 04 December 2012, The Pensions Regulator (TPR) outlined its stance on the type of Defined Contribution (DC) scheme that employers should use if they are selecting this as their Auto-Enrolment Qualifying scheme. This is in support of the Government’s strategy ‘Reinvigorating Workplace Pensions’. In a Press Release, reiterated by Chairman Michael O’Higgins at the [...]
Employment Law Changes October 2012
If it’s October then it must be time for the usual employment law changes. Employment legislation is usually enforced on what are referred to as ‘red tape days’ – one in early April and the other in early October. The aim of this is to ensure that, after enactment, the employer is given time to [...]
Pensions Regulator Consultation Advocates Penalty Regime for Reporting Late Payment of Contributions
With the introduction of Auto-Enrolment, The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has published a consultation concerning revisions to their Codes of Practice 5 and 6. These relate to the late payment of contributions to Defined Contribution and Personal Pension Schemes. TPR anticipates that most employers will meet their Auto-Enrolment obligations using these types of schemes; therefore, the [...]
Workplace Pensions – In or Out?
The DWP’s current advertisements talk about Workplace Pensions, with ‘well-known bosses’ raising the awareness of Auto-Enrolment. If individuals say ‘I’m In’, they are, effectively, getting a pay increase say the adverts. The DWP expects two-thirds of individuals to say ‘I’m In’ by either remaining Auto-Enrolled, Opting In or Joining a pension scheme. Therefore, about one [...]
Low Pay Commission Consults
In July 2012, we advised that the Low Pay Commission (LPC) had been asked by the Government to submit its report on National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates for 2013 by February 2013. This report is based on data collected via a number of different methods, including public meetings and written consultations. The report must be [...]
Workplace Pension Reforms – DWP Evaluation
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has published its evaluation report on Workplace Pensions Reforms, set to become mandatory from October 2012 with the Staging of the largest employers. Their report, following their Evaluation Strategy in 2011, is designed to present the industry landscape before the introduction of the reforms. It is based around [...]
Auto-Enrolment and the Lifetime Allowance
From 06 April 2012 the Lifetime Allowance for tax relief on pension contributions reduced from £1.8 million to £1.5 million. At this date, if it was expected that an employee’s pension benefits would be greater than £1.5 million, they could ask for ‘Fixed Protection’ from HMRC. In effect, if granted, the Protection guaranteed not to [...]
Template Letters from The Pensions Regulator
Timely and accurate communication with workers will be a vital part of an employer’s compliance regime once they commence their auto-enrolment responsibilities. This compliance duty extends to all workers between the ages of 16 and 74, therefore, is a great responsibility. Further, the legislation requires different communication to different workers at different times. To aid [...]
HMRC and Pension Salary Sacrifice Schemes (2)
In April, we advised the dilemma that was facing companies that use salary sacrifice to be able to provide a pensions solution for its employees. Generally, where this method is used by a company, HMRC say that the employee cannot change the salary sacrifice arrangement outside of the review period, except in the circumstance of [...]
Auto-Enrolment and European Employees
In February 2012, Steve Webb announced a consultation which looked at the unintended burden of having to Auto-Enrol some dual-status employees. A ‘qualifying employee’ under a 2003 European Union Directive was never intended to be regarded as a jobholder under the Pensions Act 2008. This may have led some employers having to consider these employees [...]
HMRC and Pensions Salary Sacrifice Schemes
There are many pension schemes that offer pension solutions to its employees via the use of salary sacrifice. This is where the employee and employer enter into a legally-binding contractual change to the terms and conditions of employment whereby a sum is given up in return for contributions being made to a pension scheme. Tax [...]
Pensions and Auto-Enrolment, Penalty Notices, Basic PAYE Tools, Tax Relief Bills, Smartphones, Case Law Corner, RTI Needs You (Still) and the NI Verification Request
This week, I send greetings from the lovely Stratford-upon-Avon, where we are holding The Learn Centre’s 18th Annual Conference. I am looking forward to being there with learned colleagues and friends. The Conference always provides essential updates and allows the sharing of information and the chance for some social and professional networking. There are some [...]
DWP – New Timetable Clarifies Auto Enrolment Dates
The Employers’ Duties (Implementation) Regulations 2010 provides how the auto-enrolment responsibilities under the Pensions Act 2008 will apply to employers. Specifically, it outlines the auto-enrolment staging dates. On 25 January 2012, the DWP published a revised timetable of staging dates for auto-enrolment. This was not altogether unexpected, given their announcement in November that the dates [...]
Auto-Enrolment 1 – Software Developers urged to Share Payroll Information
On 26 November 2008, the Pensions Bill was granted the necessary Royal Assent to form the Pensions Act 2008. This provided the legislative framework, , i.e. the starting point for the introduction of auto-enrolment – the automatic enrolment of qualifying workers into compulsory employer pension schemes. From October 2012, the largest employers with over 3,000 employees [...]
