Do you know how to complete the auto enrolment declaration of compliance?

As part of the series of free bite sized training available to all IRIS customers, this latest webinar covered the Auto Enrolment Declaration of Compliance – a vital step which must be completed by all companies following their auto enrolment staging date.

With many companies failing to submit their Declaration of Compliance correctly and on-time this proved to be a very popular topic with hundreds of businesses joining us live for the online session.

Hosted by IRIS Trainer, David Bloxham, the agenda included:

• What is the declaration of compliance
• What you will need to complete it
• When to submit the declaration and how postponement will affect this

A question and answer session rounded off the webinar.  Here are some of the questions posed:

Q: Does a Declaration of Compliance have to be submitted for Director only PAYE schemes?

A: All PAYE schemes, even director only schemes, must complete a declaration of compliance. However, it may be the case that you declare that no employees were enrolled.

Q:  If all employees decide to opt out, does the employer still have to set up a pension scheme? 

A: Yes the employer will still require a pension scheme as the employees will need to be automatically enrolled firstly then, if they choose to, they can opt out.

Q: Are there any "important dates" that employers need to meet?

A:  The Pensions Regulator have a month by month staging tool which can show you what tasks need to be completed by 6 months to go, 3 months to go etc.  It is recommended you start to prepare at least 12 months before your staging date.

Q: Would a Pension Provider complete the declaration or is it always to be done by the agent / employer completing the payroll?

A: Either an agent (such as accountant or bureau) or the employer can submit the declaration of compliance, however it is the employer’s duty to ensure it is complete.

Don’t worry if you were unable to attend the live webinar – you can learn more about the Declaration of Compliance by watching a recording of the session at the following link:

Declaration of Compliance Webinar Recording

IRIS have already helped over 4,300 businesses assess more than 500,000 employees for auto enrolment and offers auto enrolment legislation seminars both online and at locations throughout the UK.   For more information contact the team on 0344 815 5700.