Auto-enrolment and your workplace pension

We're all being urged to plan for our retirement, but unfortunately not everyone gives it the attention it deserves. Well, times are changing, with the Government's auto-enrolment scheme doing its best to help tackle the pensions crisis and get people saving for their golden years.

But just what is auto-enrolment, and what does it mean for you? We've put together a quick guide to answer these vital questions so you can look to the future with confidence.

Auto-enrolment is a Government initiative whereby eligible workers are automatically enrolled into a workplace pension. The employers themselves will be responsible for arranging a suitable scheme (they could have their own pension, they may offer one from a specialist provider or they may use a Government-backed scheme), with employees of all kinds gradually seeing a portion of their pay packet being diverted into their pension pot.

Anyone who meets the following criteria will be automatically enrolled:

• Those who work in the UK (excluding the self-employed)
• Those over 22 years old but under state pension age
• Anyone who isn't already in a qualifying pension scheme
• Workers who earn more than £10,000 a year (tax year 2020/21)

This means that a large proportion of UK employees will be signed up – millions already have been – and even if you don't meet the criteria, you can still opt-in should you wish. This applies to part-time workers who perhaps earn less than the threshold (and if they earn over £6,240, their employer will have to make a contribution too), as well as those who are under 22 or over state pension age but still working.

Basically, a proportion of your eligible earnings will go into your pension pot each month, which will be topped up by your employer's contribution as well as Government tax relief.

In April 2019 the minimum contribution rose to the equivalent of 8% of a worker's earnings – with a minimum 5% employee contribution and 3% from the employer.

However, that's not the whole story. Your money won't just be sitting there idly – most pensions are known as 'defined contribution' schemes, which essentially means that your pension is an investment and that your money will actually be working for you. The pension provider will usually give you a choice of how risky you want your investments to be, and the final value of your pension pot will be determined by how successful they were. 

How much you'll save will depend on your salary and the specific scheme you've been signed up to, and although minimum contribution levels have been set, there's nothing to say that individual schemes or even personal choice can't increase those levels for a bigger final pot (just bear in mind that most schemes will take a small percentage of your annual savings as a management fee, too). 

The days of people staying in one job for their entire working life seem to be a thing of the past, and that means you may be wondering what would happen to your pension fund should you change jobs. Luckily, there's no cause for concern – your pension is yours and the money will still be invested until you reach retirement, and once your company has auto-enrolled you into a new pension scheme there are usually a couple of options for you to consider:

• You can continue making contributions to your previous pension, or
• You can combine the old and new pension schemes together.

Make sure to discuss the options with your pension provider. 

Yes. If you perhaps need your whole pay packet to pay bills or have a private pension scheme you think is sufficient, you can always ask for an opt-out form. If you do so within one month of being enrolled, your involvement will be automatically cancelled, but if it takes longer, you'll start to accrue a small pension pot, which you won't be able to touch until retirement. You'll be automatically re-enrolled every three years so will need to go through the process again should you wish to remain out of the scheme. 

Disclaimer: This is a basic guide to auto-enrolment and does not cover every circumstance. The information it contains is correct as of April 2020. Some of the information may become inaccurate over time, for example because of changes to the law.