Fix pension errors - Nest Pensions

Summary

How to fix pension contribution errors when submitting to NEST Pension in Sage Payroll.

Description

You may receive an error when you submit your pension contributions to Nest Pensions. Use the steps below to help fix the issue.

Things to consider:

The terminology used is Nest terminology, not Sages
Nest generates the errors at the time of the transmission
We list detailed steps to explain the cause of each error, and how to resolve them
There’s a glossary of common terms at the bottom of the article

If you don't see your error listed, visit the Nest website to read their article Fixing errors.

Resolution

Before you start

You may need to log into the NEST Pensions portal to compare employee information. We recommend having login details to hand.

NOTE: When comparing details between payroll and NEST Pensions, they must be identical. This includes capital letters, lower case letters, special characters, leading or trailing spaces.

To find the full error message:

Select Summary.
From the Auto Enrolment/Pensions section, locate the failed submission. Select View Submission Details.

NEST pension contribution errors

▼An error occurred while refreshing the pension schemes from your provider

There has been an error with the data we’re submitting to NEST for you.

In this case, you should contact our support.

▼An error occurred while creating submission files. Please try again later. If the problem persists, please contact customer support

This error message is due to incorrect NEST credentials within Payroll.

To resolve incorrect NEST credentials in Sage Payroll:

Verify your NEST Login: Access the NEST website and attempt to log in. Log in to the NEST website (opens in a new tab). If unsuccessful, contact NEST for help.
Update Sage Payroll:
- If your NEST login is successful, open Sage Payroll
- Go to Summary, then Auto Enrolment/Pensions. Select View submission details
- Choose Submit Online
- In Enter your NEST login details, delete and re-enter your username and password
- Select Submit

Further Troubleshooting:

If problems persist or if you've changed your email, contact Sage for support.

▼The account credentials were not accepted by the provider. Please check them and try again

This error message is due to incorrect NEST credentials within Payroll.

To resolve incorrect NEST credentials in Sage Payroll:

Verify your NEST Login: Log in to the NEST website. If unsuccessful, contact NEST for help.
Update Sage Payroll:
- If your NEST login is successful, open Sage Payroll
- Go to Summary, then Auto Enrolment/Pensions and select View submission details
- Choose Submit Online
- In Enter your NEST login details, delete and re-enter your username and password
- Select Submit

Further Troubleshooting:

If problems persist or if you've changed your email, contact Sage for support.

▼This member cannot be enrolled with this enrolment type. If you still want to enrol this member please select a different enrolment type and try again

Payroll assigns your employees an enrolment type when it assesses them.

The submission then registers this enrolment type in your NEST portal.

In this case, the employee already has this same enrolment type against their record in the NEST portal.

This usually happens because someone manually updated it.

Revert the employee's enrolment type in NEST to whatever it was previously.
Retry the submission

If you can't recall what the previous enrolment type was:

Manually enter payroll pension values into your NEST portal. You need to do this for all the employees on the payroll
Mark your pension file as already submitted within payroll

To mark your pension file as already submitted:

Select the Summary tab.
From the Auto Enrolment/Pensions section, select View Submission Details.
If you have a button called Upload CSV file, select it.
Go to Manage Pension file, and select Confirm CSV upload.
Select Yes.

When you next submit your pension file, you’ll no longer get this error.

▼You must provide a valid header or trailer record. Please ensure the payment source and frequency are correct, and that the payment due date is in the correct format - it should match an existing contribution schedule on the system. Please check your data

You need to check the contribution file you’re uploading.

The NEST header and trailer records refer to many parts of your pension file. Check the payment source name, payment date and group name you created on the NEST Portal. They should match against the names they have in Sage Payroll.

If the names don’t match exactly, you’ll need to change them in Sage Payroll.

To check this in NEST:

Log in to the NEST website.
Select Manage Payment Sources. Next select Your Payment sources to find the payment source names you've created.
Select Manage contributions then Paid schedules to view your payment dates.
Select Manage Groups then Your Groups to find the group names you've created.

To check and amend the payment source, payment date and group names in Sage Payroll:

Select Pensions.
Select Edit pension.
To make a change select View /Edit.

If you have more than one group in Sage Payroll, you will also need to check each employee.

Make sure they belong to the correct group:

Select Employees.
Select the Employee name to open their record.
Select Workplace pensions.

The group name will appear in the Pension plan field.
If you need to change the pension details, select Edit. Once you've made the changes select Save.

You can then re-try the submission. To do this select Summary then View submission details and then Submit Online.

The same error means the contribution schedule on NEST doesn’t match payroll. Sage Payroll uses 'Tax Weekly' or 'Tax Monthly'

Speak to NEST to change the frequency on their portal to 'tax weekly' or 'tax monthly' instead of weekly or monthly.

▼There were no schemes retrieved from your pension provider. Check the details and try again

The pension scheme details in Sage Payroll don’t match those on NEST.

In this case, it's usually the Employer Reference.

Check the Employer Reference in Sage Payroll:

Select Pensions.
Find your NEST pension and select Edit Pension.

The Employer Reference needs to be identical to the NEST employer ID.

▼Group Name was not included because the associated pay period is set up incorrectly. Pay periods must align to tax periods. Please update the group information in your provider portal

The pay frequency set in Sage Payroll is different from the pay frequency set up with NEST.

To fix this, set up a new group on NEST with a frequency that matches Sage Payroll.

Sage Payroll pay frequency	Frequency to select on NEST
Weekly	Tax Weekly
Monthly	Tax Monthly
2-Weekly	Fortnightly
4-Weekly	Four Weekly

If using 2-weekly or 4-weekly:

Ensure the contribution schedule on NEST matches the dates payroll is using

To see what Sage Payroll is submitting:

From Pay Runs select the pay run you need to submit.
In the Pension submissions section, select View Submission Details.
You’ll see the Pay reference period dates (from and to) above the list of employee contributions.

NEST has guidance to set up your new Tax Weekly and Tax Monthly groups on their portal.

If you have any queries about this process, contact NEST.

You can access this guidance on the NEST website.

Once you have set up the new group on NEST, change the group name in Sage Payroll to match NEST.

Edit the group name in Payroll:

Select the Pensions tab, and select Edit Pension.
To edit the group name, select View/Edit.
Change the name to be identical to the new group you set up on NEST. This includes capital letters, lower case letters, spaces and special characters.

▼You've already enrolled this member using this enrolment type. If you enrolled this member before and their enrolment status has changed then please choose the appropriate enrolment type and try again

The submission you’re sending includes an enrolment file. The employee has already enrolled in NEST.

NEST won't accept a submission that duplicates something already submitted.

To fix this, submit the affected pay run contributions file to NEST yourself.

Using the steps below:

In Sage Payroll, select Pay runs then select the pay run for the failed submission.
Select View Submission Error or View Submission Details.
On the right-hand side of the screen select Manage Pension File.
Select Regenerate CSV File. This will download a zipped folder onto your computer.
Locate the downloaded folder and unzip it.

There are two files in this folder; the enrolment file and the contribution file.

You only need to upload the contribution file to NEST.
NOTE: If you have any issues downloading the folder, try an alternative web browser.
To upload the file from Sage Payroll Select Manage Pension File.
Select Open NEST Portal followed by Manage Contribution Schedule.

Once you’ve uploaded the file to NEST, go back to Sage Payroll. Select Manage Pension File, and select Confirm CSV Upload.

This marks the submission as completed, and clears the error message.

▼The scheme joined date cannot be in the future

This means an employee is enrolling in a pension scheme but their enrolment date is in the future.

For example, you’re doing this on 28 April 2025 but the employees’ enrolment date is 6 May 2025. You can't submit the pension file before 6 May 2025.

Wait until the date specified before you submit this pension contribution to NEST.

▼The opt out ref number is missing

An employee has already opted out of the pension, but hasn’t provided an opt out reference number.

You find the Opt out reference number on the 'notice to opt out of pension' saving form. Your employee will have given to NEST. If your employee opts out of the pension using the NEST online system, you need their opt out reference.

The steps to resolve the error depend on whether you have the opt out reference number.

To clear this error, you can follow the steps below:

If you have the opt-out reference:

You can edit the pay run in Sage Payroll to add the reference.

Select Pay Runs.
Select the relevant pay run you’re trying to submit to NEST.
Select Edit Pay Run.
Select the checkbox to confirm you understand the impact of editing a pay run, then Confirm.
Select the employee you need to add the reference to. Select Manage Enrolment then Opt Out/Leave. (you may need to scroll down to see this option if you have a lot of payments and deductions for this employee).
In the Did the employee opt-out using a NEST paper Form? option, Select Yes. Fill in the opt out reference.
Select Opt Out.
Resubmit the pension file by selecting Summary and View submission details.
Select Submit Online.

If you don't have the opt-out reference:

Use the steps below to upload this period to the NEST portal using a CSV file.

In Sage Payroll select Pay Runs. Select the relevant pay run you’re trying to submit to NEST.
Select Summary then View submission details.
Select Manage Pension File, then select Regenerate CSV file.

This will download the CSV File you need.
To upload the file to NEST, select Manage Pension File and then open NEST portal.

You’ll need to speak to NEST for the steps needed to upload the file.

▼The Additional Data Group Name is missing

This error means there’s information missing from the pension scheme some employees are members of.

To add the missing details:

Select the Pay Runs tab.
Choose the relevant pay run, then select Edit Pay Run.
For each employee assigned to the pension, select Manage Enrolment. In the select Change Pension Scheme.
Change the Pension Scheme, Pension Plan and Payment source from Default. Change to the correct Pension Scheme, Plan and Payment source for the employee.
Select Save.
Do that for all employees in the pension scheme. Select Next.
Select View Summary.
Resubmit the pension details to NEST by selecting Summary then View submission details.
Select Submit Online.

▼This member doesn't belong on this schedule. Please check that they've been enrolled and are still an active member. Also check if they're in a different group or payment source to the workers on this schedule

An employee assigned to a specific group in Sage Payroll, but assigned to a different group in NEST.

The employee's group needs to be the same on both systems.

If you need to change the details on the NEST Portal, speak to NEST to move the employee from one group to another.

Once the employee has moved to the correct group, resubmit the pension data from Sage Payroll.

To change the employee details in Sage Payroll:

Select Pay Runs then select the relevant pay run you’re trying to submit to NEST.
Select Edit Pay run.
Select the employee, and then Manage Enrolment.
Choose Change Pension Scheme.
Check the Pension Scheme, Pension Plan and Payment source are correct. If required, change them to match the details held on the NEST portal.
Select Save.

▼An error occurred while generating the pension submission. The names of the pension groups attached to your employees do not match the groups set up with NEST. Please ensure that the group details are recorded correctly and are attached to the employees in this pay run before attempting to resubmit

The pension groups for your employee in Sage Payroll don't match the groups set up with NEST.

Use the steps below to check the group details on both systems are identical. Check the details are correct for the employees in this pay run, then resubmit the data to NEST.

To check and amend the group names in Sage Payroll:

Select Pensions then select Edit pension.
To make a change select View/Edit.

To check this in NEST:

Log in to the NEST portal and select Manage Groups.
Amend the groups if needed.
Select Manage Payment Sources.
For each employee assigned to the pension, select Manage Enrolment. Select Change Pension Scheme.
Check the Pension Scheme, Pension Plan and Payment source are correct.
Select Save.

Once done for all employees, resubmit the pension contribution data to NEST:

In Sage Payroll select the Summary tab.
Select View submission details.
Select Submit Online.

▼This National Insurance number has been used for another active worker in your account. Please check the National Insurance number you're using for this new enrolment. Alternatively, to find and correct the existing worker's details go to 'Manage workers' and search for this NI number

The National Insurance (NI) number for a new employee matches one that NEST already has in use.

There are a few possibilities:

Cause	Solution
The correct NI number in question links to the correct employee on both NEST and Sage Payroll. The employee could be a returning member of staff.	This would suggest the employee has already enrolled on the NEST website. If the Sage Payroll system is trying to enrol this employee: Upload the values of this pay period yourself via the NEST portal Mark it as complete within Sage Payroll The error shouldn’t occur for this employee again.
The correct employee NI number is in Payroll but not on the NEST website.	Contact NEST to find the best way of correcting their incorrect NI number. Once changed you’ll be able to upload the pension contributions as normal.
The correct NI number is on the NEST website but not in Sage Payroll.	Correct the NI number in Sage Payroll. Open the employee record in question and correcting the Personal Details. Correct the NI number in Sage Payroll within the employee record. You may have processed a pay run for this employee using the incorrect NI number. Contact HMRC to let them know of the issue.

▼Internal Server Error

This error means we were unable to contact NEST.

Use the steps below to refresh and resubmit your data:

Select Pay Runs and then select the pay run you’re trying to submit.
Select Edit Pay Run.
For each employee assigned to the pension, select Manage Enrolment.
Select Change Pension Scheme.
Change the Pension Scheme, Pension Plan and Payment source from Default.
Change to the exact Pension Scheme, Plan and Payment source for the employee.
Select Save.

You can now resubmit the pension details to NEST.

Select the Summary tab.
Select View submission details.
Select Submit Online.

If you receive the same error message, contact our support team. We can update these details on our systems.

▼Submit pension contributions glossary

A list of common terms used by NEST Pensions, with an explanation of what each term means.

Terminology	Explanation
Contribution file	Files that contain details of the pension contributions your employees’ make. You need to upload these to your pension provider each pay period.
Contribution schedule	Files create for every combination of tax period, group and payment source. Contribution files include employees who opt out of a pension scheme.
ERN (Employer Reference Number)	Your Employer Reference Number (ERN), sometimes called an Employer Reference. It's a unique set of numbers and letters. HMRC uses it to identify employers in the UK. When you register as an employer with HMRC, you receive the ERN in your welcome pack.
Enrolment status and Enrolment types	Each type of worker has their own enrolment type. NEST use an enrolment code to identify the type of worker when you enrol them: AE – eligible jobholders OPTIN – non-eligible jobholders WWQE – workers without qualifying earnings, also known as entitled workers VOLUNTARY – voluntary workers OTHERS – Other types of worker You need to tell NEST the enrolment type of each worker when you enrol them.
Group	When you enrol your workers into a NEST pension scheme, you’ll assign them to a group. Groups get are made up of workers who share: A pay period, also known as an earnings period A contribution rate and earnings basis When setting up a group with NEST, how often you’ll pay contributions and the date you’ll pay them by.
Header or trailer record	The header and trailer are different sections of the contribution files you upload. The header contains (among other things) details of the NEST Employer ID. Also, the relevant pay period, the payment source and the pay frequency of the employees. The trailer contains the group name for your pension scheme from Sage Payroll. These fields must match exactly the details on the NEST portal.
Member enrolment file	Files containing any new employees enrolled for the relevant pay reference period. Also, personal information about the employees. NEST need this information to enrol the employee onto the pension scheme. These files generate when you reach your staging date. They also generate if you have new employees eligible to enrol in the pension scheme. Enrolment files need to upload before you upload a Contribution file.
NEST credentials	Login details for the NEST website portal.
NEST employer ID	A unique reference number that’s associated with your organisation. For example EMP000123456. This is case sensitive so make sure to use EMP and not emp when you enter this number anywhere in your account. If you set up more than one scheme in NEST, these will each have their own NEST employer IDs.
NEST delegate ID	An ID specific to the individual using the NEST account. When you register for a NEST account and log in for the first time, you're given a NEST delegate ID.
Opt out reference number	This reference is on the notice to opt out of pension saving form that the member submits to NEST.
PAPDIS	PAPDIS (Payroll And Pension Data Interface Standard). This is an open standard report. It's designed to help payroll systems transfer information to pension providers.
Pay reference period	Payroll aligns Pay reference periods to HMRC tax periods. Tax months run from the 6th of a month and end on the 5th of the following month. When you set up a pension scheme, tell your provider that your pay reference periods align to tax periods.
Payment Schedule	Payment schedules show what you’ll pay your workers and by when. You’ll see your payment schedule on the NEST portal, when you complete the setup. NEST will send a message to your secure NEST mailbox confirming what you’ve agreed. Attached is a copy of your payment schedule A payment schedule is a legally binding document. It details the contributions you’ve agreed to pay to meet your legal duties. You’ll receive a payment schedule. It summarises the group settings for every group of workers in your NEST pension schemes.
Payment source	A payment source shows how you’re going to make contribution payments to NEST. You can choose to pay by Direct Debit or debit card. The bank or building society details you use to pay contributions. Used by NEST to send any refunds to you.
Staging date	This is the latest date by which you have to have an auto-enrolment scheme in place for your employees.

Solution Properties

Solution ID: 222001000101501
Last Modified Date: Mon Oct 20 09:55:05 UTC 2025
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Fix pension errors - Nest Pensions

Summary

Description

Resolution

Before you start

To find the full error message:

NEST pension contribution errors

To resolve incorrect NEST credentials in Sage Payroll:

To resolve incorrect NEST credentials in Sage Payroll:

To mark your pension file as already submitted:

To check this in NEST:

To check and amend the payment source, payment date and group names in Sage Payroll:

Make sure they belong to the correct group:

Check the Employer Reference in Sage Payroll:

If using 2-weekly or 4-weekly:

To see what Sage Payroll is submitting:

Edit the group name in Payroll:

Using the steps below:

If you have the opt-out reference:

If you don't have the opt-out reference:

To add the missing details:

To change the employee details in Sage Payroll:

To check and amend the group names in Sage Payroll:

To check this in NEST:

Once done for all employees, resubmit the pension contribution data to NEST:

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