When you join your company, your pension may appear on the benefits platform straight away, although you may not be enrolled immediately due to a postponement period.
This guide explains what you can expect throughout your pension journey, including postponement, joining early, automatic enrolment, and opting out.
Important: In some cases, no postponement period applies and you may be enrolled immediately. If you're unsure how pension enrolment works within your organisation, refer to your company communications or contact your HR or Benefits team.
This information applies only where your employer uses the platform's Auto Enrolment with Full Assessment functionality.
Logging Into the Benefits Platform
When you first log in, pension information may already be visible within the platform.
However, seeing pension information does not necessarily mean that you are already enrolled in the pension scheme.
Your pension status and available actions will depend on where you are in the enrolment process.
Understanding the Postponement Period
Many employers use a postponement period before assessing employees for automatic enrolment.
This period is typically between one and three months from your start date, depending on your employer's configuration.
During this period:
- You are not yet an active member of the pension scheme.
- Pension contributions are not deducted from your pay.
- Pension information may still be visible within the platform.
Your employer will determine the length of any postponement period that applies to you.
Choosing to Join Early
If you do not want to wait until the end of your postponement period, you may be able to request to join the pension scheme early.
Once your request has been processed:
- You will become a member of the pension scheme.
- Employee pension contributions will begin.
- Employer contributions may also apply, depending on your eligibility and company arrangements.
Automatic Enrolment
At the end of the postponement period, the system automatically assesses whether you meet the eligibility criteria for automatic enrolment.
If you are eligible:
- You will be automatically enrolled into the pension scheme.
- Employee contributions will begin.
- Employer contributions will begin.
- You will receive confirmation of your enrolment.
The assessment is based on factors such as age and qualifying earnings, in line with your employer's pension setup.
Opting Out After Enrolment
If you are enrolled into the pension scheme, either through automatic enrolment or by choosing to join early, you may still have the option to leave the scheme.
You can normally opt out within one month of joining.
If you opt out during this period:
- Pension membership will end.
- Any contributions already deducted will usually be refunded in full.
For details of your employer's specific opt-out process, contact your HR or Benefits team.
Key Things to Remember
- Seeing pension information in the platform does not necessarily mean you are enrolled.
- A postponement period may apply before automatic enrolment takes place.
- You may be able to request to join the pension scheme before the postponement period ends.
- Eligible employees are normally automatically enrolled after postponement.
- You can usually opt out within one month of joining the scheme.
- If you're unsure about your pension status, refer to your company communications or contact your HR or Benefits team.