Automatic enrolment is a continuing responsibility for employers. An employer's duties do not end after their duties start date.
What must your client continue to do?
You can help your client avoid penalties by understanding how they must meet their duties. Your client must:
- keep records of their automatic enrolment activities (this includes the names and addresses of staff they've enrolled, records of when contributions were paid into a pension scheme, staff opt-in notices, pension scheme reference or registry numbers and information sent to the pension provider) for six years and opt-out notices for four years
- monitor the ages and earnings of their new and existing staff and check their automatic enrolment eligibility every month (software can help them do this) for existing and new staff. As staff become eligible they will need to be enrolled, read our quick guide to setting up payroll (PDF, 179kb, 4 pages)
- enrol staff and write to them to let them know how automatic enrolment applies to them as they become eligible
- pay contributions to their pension scheme
Responsibility for meeting their duties ultimately lies with the employer.
Understanding clients ongoing duties
Your client has a number of ongoing legal duties under automatic enrolment – they don’t end when your client has put their staff in a workplace pension scheme. Watch our quick video and find out what your client needs to do.
What letters are sent to my clients from TPR?
The Pensions Regulator (TPR) sends out letters and emails to employers to support them with their automatic enrolment duties. These letters form a series of communications which are sent to your clients during the automatic enrolment process, helping them to understand their duties and guiding them through what to do next.
You may find it useful to familiarise yourself with these, to help your clients with staging dates understand what do to and by when.
Advanced guidance
These resources may help if you have more detailed questions on the above:
- Detailed guidance 1: Employer duties and defining the workforce
Understand how employer duties apply to staff. - Detailed guidance 9: Keeping records
Detailed guidance on records that must be kept by law, by both the employer and the pension scheme, as proof of compliance. - Detailed guidance 8: Safeguarding individuals
Detailed guidance on supporting your clients to meet their new automatic enrolment duties.