Getting Ready for Auto-Enrolment in 2026

Auto-enrolment, and the related MyFutureFund, can seem a bit confusing at first, especially if you’re an employer trying to figure out what’s expected of you. Although it is designed to simplify retirement savings for employees, it also introduces a few new responsibilities for employers. To keep things simple, here’s a breakdown of auto-enrolment and how SimplePay will help you manage everything from 1 January 2026.

Auto-Enrolment Explained

Auto-enrolment is a new retirement savings system, introduced by the government for employees who aren’t currently members of a pension scheme. Instead of eligible employees taking the first step themselves, they’re enrolled automatically and can choose to opt out later under certain circumstances. Auto-enrolment is designed to simplify long-term savings for later life, reducing reliance on the State Pension and supporting a more comfortable standard of living after retirement.

Automatically Enrolled Employees

Employees will be automatically enrolled in the scheme by the National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority (NAERSA) if they meet all of the following criteria:

• They’re between the ages of 23 and 60.
• They earn €20,000 or more a year across all employments.
• They aren’t already contributing to a qualifying pension or a Personal Retirement Savings Account (PRSA) through payroll.

Every two years, employees will be reassessed, and those who previously opted out will be re-enrolled. Employees who don’t meet the age and income criteria may still have the option to voluntarily opt in to auto-enrolment.

Employers’ Compliance Responsibilities

As an employer, you must:

• Register on the MyFutureFund Employer Portal in December 2025 and ensure that your payroll system provides functionality that caters for auto-enrolment. For a step-by-step guide on how to register, please download the MyFutureFund Employer Handbook.
• Notify employees of their enrolment and contribution details.
• Make payroll submissions to NAERSA on time.

NAERSA oversees compliance and can impose penalties on employers who don’t meet their responsibilities, so staying on top of assessments, contributions, and deadlines is essential to ensure both compliance, and that employees start saving appropriately for retirement.

Employees will be able to view their savings and opt out via the MyFutureFund Employee Portal, which is scheduled to launch in January 2026.

We’ll Be Ready

We are working diligently to ensure that everything is in place by 1 January 2026. As soon as auto-enrolment becomes effective, SimplePay will apply the new AEPNs to payroll and generate the required submission files for you.

Please keep an eye out for our upcoming help page, which will be made available closer to the implementation date of auto-enrolment.

For more information about auto-enrolment, you can view the following resources, published by the Department of Social Protection:

• YouTube channel
• Auto-Enrolment – General
• Auto-Enrolment – Questions
• Auto-Enrolment – Employer Guidelines

It may seem like a lot of work up front, but once everything is in place, the ongoing work integrates seamlessly into your regular payroll routine on SimplePay.

If you have any questions about auto-enrolment, please contact NAERSA via:

• Webchat on myfuturefund.ie; or
• Phone on 01 568 9555, Mon - Fri, 9 AM to 6 PM (excluding public and bank holidays).

If you aren’t a SimplePay user yet, but you are interested in simple and efficient payroll software, why not sign up for a free 30-day trial? You can sign up by clicking here.

Take care,

Team SimplePay