Pensions Express

The Pensions Regulator has now commenced its communication of the employer�s duties around automatic enrolment in earnest by starting to issue employer notification letters and with the publication of various guidance documents.

Notification Letters

The employer duties around automatic enrolment will be staged in between October 2012 and September 2016. The largest employers will be brought in first based upon the size of their PAYE scheme. It is possible to estimate what date the duties for an employer will come into effect by referring to the Regulator�s Duty Dates Timeline.

The Regulator has now started to issue their 18 month �awareness� letter which will inform employers of the date from which they will have to comply with their duties around pension provision. Further reminders will be sent out as the date approaches.

Guidance

The Regulator has published detailed guidance on the employer duties as well as:

The detailed guidance is split up into nine sections and is primarily aimed at professional advisers, large employers with in-house pensions professionals and those with a sound knowledge of pensions.

The guidance sets out how the new duties should be implemented along with some illustrative examples.

A link to the various aspects of the detailed guidance can be found below:

1. Employer duties and defining the workforce

2. Getting ready

3. Assessing the workforce

4. Pension schemes

5. Automatic enrolment

6. Opting in and joining

7. Opting out

8. Safeguarding individuals

9. Keeping records

The Regulator intends to issue further material later in the year, including interactive tools and a trustee checklist.