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How do I set up Pensions Data Exchange for Smart Pension?

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Summary

How to set up Pensions Data Exchange for Smart Pension in Sage 50 Payroll.

Description

If you subscribe to the Pensions Module, you can set up the Pensions Data Exchange (PDX) in your software. This lets you send and receive data directly with Smart Pension.

 NOTE: The Early Adopter Scheme we ran with Smart has ended and PDX is available to set up. Find out more in our smart pensions and pensions data exchange guide.

Resolution

PDX compares some employee details in payroll to those held by Smart to ensure contributions upload to the correct employee. Due to this, before onboarding to PDX, you must ensure that valid NI Number details are entered against each employee record on the Smart portal and on each employee record within Sage 50 Payroll.

 NOTE: At the point of onboarding with Smart Pension, PDX returns an error when you try to send pension data for any employees without a valid NI number. Smart PDX error: 'Employee does not exist. You attempted to submit a...' >. Once you onboard to PDX, this is unlikely to occur for new employees you enrol with Smart.

Setup

When you're ready to set PDX up, start with the steps below to access your PDX setup options. 

  1. Open Sage 50 Payroll and back up your data.
  2. Click Company then click Pensions Module Settings.
  3. Click Set up Pensions Data Exchange.
  4. Read the information, then click Next to continue.

You now see the options below. Click each option below for how to complete each process.

  1. Next to step one, click Do it now.
  2. Enter your Sage account login details.
     TIP: Note the email address you use here, in case you need to make any changes in the future. 
  3. Select the company you want to set up and click Confirm.
  4. Click Manage pension accounts then click Smart.
  5. Enter the following information:
    • Description for this account - This defaults to SMART account 1, you can change this to a description of your choice
    • Company ID - This is your unique reference for your company from Smart. If you're not sure of this contact Smart
  6. Select the relevant option below the Company ID field:
    • Submit as Employer if you're processing your own payroll
    • Submit as an Advisor (payroll bureau on behalf of client)
  7. Click Save. You're now redirected to a Smart login screen. Enter your Smart logon details.
     NOTE: You need to enter your Smart Account Name in this window. This is normally 7 or 8 characters long. If you're not sure of this, contact Smart. 
  8. To continue, click Close.
  9. Click Add a scheme to this account.
  10. Enter your account name as it appears in your Smart account in the Description field.
  11. Enter process date of the last period you uploaded contribution values to Smart. If you haven't sent any data yet, enter your automatic enrolment duties start date.
     CAUTION: You must enter the date correctly here, to avoid historical data appearing in PDX.
  12. Select the company to assign to the pension scheme then click OK.
  13. To close the Management Centre, click the cross in the top-right corner.
  14. Click the check box to mark the step as complete.
You've set up your Smart Pension scheme in the Management Centre and you're now ready to match this to a pension scheme in your payroll software.

You're now set up and ready to use Pensions Data Exchange to: