New timetable clarifies automatic enrolment starting dates
A revised timetable for when employers of all sizes must start enrolling their staff in a workplace pension is set out by the government.
The enrolment dates below have changed. Use the Pensions Regulator staging date calculator to check if the new law applies to you and when you’ll be enrolled.
A revised timetable for when employers of all sizes must start enrolling their staff in a workplace pension is set out by the government today.
Large employers, those with 250 or more employees, will not face any change in the date they are due to start enrolling their staff.
This follows the announcement in November that small businesses would be given more time to prepare for automatic enrolment to help them out in exceptionally tough economic times.
Minister for Pensions Steve Webb said:
Automatic enrolment will begin on time this October, taking up to 10 million people into pension saving, many for the first time ever, and all employers will be part of it.
We have done all we can to ease any burden on business the reforms will bring and employers of all sizes now know the date they need to start enrolling their staff.
The timetable for employers to begin enrolling their staff starts with the largest firms first, followed by medium, then small companies.
Automatic enrolment will begin in October 2012. All existing firms will have enrolled their staff by April 2017, followed by all new employers by February 2018.
The level of pension contributions will be phased in over time to help employers and individuals adjust. Full contributions will have to be paid from 1 October 2018.
A consultation and draft regulations with more detailed information will be published shortly.
Notes to editors
The table below sets out the revised automatic enrolment dates for all employer sizes.
| Employer size (by PAYE scheme size) or other description | Automatic Enrolment duty date | |
|---|---|---|
| From | To | |
| 250 or more members | 1 October 2012 | 1 February 2014 |
| 50 to 249 members | 1 April 2014 | 1 April 2015 |
| Test tranche for less than 30 members | 1 June 2015 | 30 June 2015 |
| 30 to 49 members | 1 August 2015 | 1 October 2015 |
| Less than 30 members | 1 January 2016 | 1 April 2017 |
| Employers without PAYE schemes | 1 April 2017 | - - - |
| New employers Apr 2012 to Mar 2013 | 1 May 2017 | - - - |
| New employers Apr 2013 to Mar 2014 | 1 July 2017 | - - - |
| New employers Apr 2014 to Mar 2015 | 1 August 2017 | - - - |
| New employers Apr 2015 to Dec 2015 | 1 October 2017 | - - - |
| New employers Jan 2016 to Sep 2016 | 1 November 2017 | - - - |
| New employers Oct 2016 to Jun 2017 | 1 January 2018 | - - - |
| New employers Jul 2017 to Sep 2017 | 1 February 2018 | - - - |
| New employers Oct 2017 | Immediate duty | - - - |