Set up your pension scheme in your software before setting up the Pensions Module. Ensure you add a pension scheme to an employee's record who you've already enrolled into your workplace pension scheme. The Pensions Module uses this information during the setup process, so it's important that you enter these details correctly.
Getting started
- Click Company, then click Pensions Module Settings.
- We recommend you take a backup before continuing.
- To take a backup click Yes and complete the backup wizard
- If you already have an up-to-date backup click No
- Enter your Duty Start Date and click Start.
TIP: Your duty start date is the date you took on your first employee. To confirm your duty start date, contact the pensions regulator.
Assessment since your duty start date
Next up, you must select if you've assessed your employees for automatic enrolment since your duties start date.
- If you've assessed your employees either manually or with another system, select I assessed my employees manually using another system, then click Continue
- If you haven't assessed your employees, select I didn't assess my employees
CAUTION: If you haven't assessed your employees, you may not have met your automatic enrolment duties. The Pensions Module confirms your next steps starting with contacting The Pensions Regulator.
A message opens advising that the information you enter must be accurate. To accept this, select the confirmation checkbox and click
Continue to proceed with your setup.
Set up your payroll software
You'll now see a list of Pensions Module set up steps. Each setup option has a Do it now button, and a checkbox under the heading Done for you to mark the step as completed.
Click the options below if you'd like a breakdown of the steps to follow.
▼ Grant access This option only appears if you've created additional payroll users.
- Click Do it now.
- Under the Access to Pensions Module column, click the small arrow to the left of the checkbox.
- Use the checkboxes to select which areas each username can access.
- When you're happy with your settings, click Save.
- Select the checkbox under Done to mark this step as completed.
▼ Check non-UK workers Any employees who don't work in the UK aren't eligible for automatic enrolment, it's important you set this up correctly.
- Click Do it Now.
- Select the checkbox for any non UK workers.
- Click Save.
- Select the checkbox under Done to mark this step as completed.
Once you've completed these steps, click Next to move on to the next stage.
Tell us more about your employees
In this step, you'll enter the details about the automatic enrolment status of your employees in this order:
- Employees with no automatic enrolment pension history
- Employees with an active pension scheme assigned
- Employees who have left a pension scheme
- Details of any Postponements applied
When you're ready to proceed, click Do it now.
- Read the message that appears, then click OK to proceed. A list opens of employees without a pension scheme assigned in their employee record.
- Select the correct status for each employee:
- Opted out/left, select this for any employees who were enrolled previously, but chose to leave the scheme
- Postponed, select this option if an employee or company postponement has been applied
- Neither, this applies to new employees who you haven't paid yet. Or any employees who haven't met the criteria to be automatically enrolled yet
- Click Next. A list of employees with a qualifying pension scheme assigned in their employee record opens.
- Select the correct status for each of these employees and check that the Active membership achieved date is correct:
- Auto enrolled, the employee met the qualifying criteria and was automatically enrolled into the workplace pension scheme
- Opted in, the employee chose to opt in, however doesn't meet the criteria to be automatically enrolled
- Joined, the employee joined the scheme before the duty start date
- Contractual, you contractually enrolled the employee into the pension scheme
- Click Next. A list of employees with a pension scheme assigned and a Left Scheme date entered in their employee record opens.
- Set the correct status for these employees.
- Opt-out, the employee left the scheme within one month of being enrolled
- Left, the employee left the pension scheme at a later date, after the opt out period ended
- Click Next.
- If you set the status of any employees as Postponed in Step 3, these employees now appear.
- Select whether you postponed the employees:
- Individually when they became eligible jobholders
- As part of a company-wide postponement from your duties start date
- Under the Postpone to column, enter the date you postpone each employee until.
- Click Next.
- You can now review the status you've set for each employee.
TIP: If you need to make any amendments, click Back. - When you're happy all is correct, click Finish.
- Mark the step as done by selecting the checkbox under the heading Done.
Send letters and data
The last step is to send any mandatory letters due to your employees or mark them as sent if you've already issued them. When you click Do it now, Send Pension Correspondence opens which produces the required letters. How do I send pension correspondence?
Once you've completed this step, click Close, then select the checkbox under the heading Done.
To complete the setup, click Next, then click Finish.