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All employers must enrol their workers into a workplace pension scheme if they are not already in one. Workers pay in, receive tax relief on contributions and the employer contributes too.
Automatic enrolment was introduced between October 2012 and February 2018. The date when an employer enrolled their workers depended on the size of their organisation and your employer should have informed you when this was. This is known as their staging date.
Criteria
Your employer automatically enrols you into a workplace pension if you:
- are not already in a pension at work
- are aged 22 or over
- are under State Pension age (SPa)
- earn more than £10,000 a year
- work in the UK.
If you do not meet the criteria, you still have the right to join a workplace pension scheme as long as you are under age 75.
Opting out
You can choose to opt out of the scheme at any time. If you opt out within a certain period any payments already made will be refunded, as if you had never joined. Your employer lets you know the deadlines.
Find out about opting out of the LGPS
Re-enrolment
Your employer must automatically re-enrol you into a workplace pension scheme every 3 years after their staging date, if you are eligible.
If you opted out within 12 months of your employer's next re-enrolment date, you will not be re-enrolled.
If you have previously moved to the 50/50 section of the scheme, you are moved back to the main section, unless you moved within 12 months of your employer's next re-enrolment date. Find out about the 50/50 section
You can opt out again or elect to move back to the 50/50 section.