Auto-Enrolment (MyFutureFund) Direct Submission Guidelines
Auto-Enrolment (MyFutureFund) is a new feature; please feel free to provide feedback by clicking on the NEW label.
SimplePay now submits your MyFutureFund contribution files directly to the National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority (NAERSA) via API, removing the need to download a file and upload it manually through the MyFutureFund Employer Portal. Once contributions have been submitted, SimplePay handles the submission on your behalf and displays the result as a status directly on screen.
👉 How-To Guides¶
Before you start
- Your payslips for the relevant pay period must have been finalised.
- If you see a Finalise button instead of Submit, complete the submission for that pay period using the manual file upload process via the MyFutureFund Employer Portal.
How to submit a MyFutureFund contribution file¶
- Go to Filing. You'll be on the Regular Submissions tab.
- Scroll down to the MyFutureFund section, and locate the relevant pay period.
- Click View to review the contribution details on the MyFutureFund Submission screen. Once you are satisfied that the information is correct, click Back or close the tab to return to the Regular Submissions screen.
- Click Submit > Confirm. SimplePay will send the contribution data directly to NAERSA. The Submitted On column will update to show the date and time of submission.
- The Status column will update to reflect the outcome. If the status shows Pending, the submission is still being processed by NAERSA – refresh the page to check for an update.
- If the status is hyperlinked (see Submission Statuses below), click on it to open a modal showing the errors and/or warnings returned by NAERSA.
- Review the errors and warnings in the modal. Where an error code is shown, click on the code to go directly to the help page, where you will find a plain-language explanation and suggested next steps.
- Make the necessary corrections to the affected payslips and return to Step 1 to resubmit.
How to handle a transition period (pay periods still using the manual process)¶
If, at the time this feature goes live, you have a pay period for which you have already started the manual file submission process, the following applies:
- Any submission line for that pay period that was already finalised will continue to show the Finalise button and the Export File option. You must complete that pay period using the existing manual process.
- A warning icon will be displayed next to those earlier pay period entries. Hovering over the icon will show a tooltip confirming that all submissions for that pay period must continue using the downloadable contribution submission file via the MyFutureFund Employer Portal.
- The Submit button will appear automatically for the next pay period after the last finalised period – no action is required from you to trigger this.
How to handle amendments and deletions after switching to direct submission¶
When you unfinalise a payslip, make a correction, and refinalise it, SimplePay automatically detects whether the new submission is an amendment or a deletion and submits the correct information to NAERSA accordingly. You do not need to indicate this yourself.
- If you unfinalise and take no further action, it is a deletion.
- If you unfinalise, amend, and finalise, then it is an amendment.
The Submit button will appear on the new submission line in the same way as for an original submission.
📌 Quick References¶
Submission Statuses¶
The following table covers the submission statuses you may see in the Status column after clicking Submit.
| Status | Colour | Hyperlinked | Banner message shown | Action required |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pending | Black | No | Submission sent for processing – check back later | Refresh the page to check for an update. |
| Successful | Green | No | Successful MyFutureFund submission for [pay frequency] – [pay period] | None |
| Successful with warnings | Green / black warning detail | Yes | Warning banner shown | Click the status to review warnings. No resubmission required. |
| Partial Success with errors (and warnings) | Orange / black error detail | Yes | Warning banner – click status to fix errors | Review errors, correct payslips, resubmit. |
| Unsuccessful | Red | Yes | Error banner shown – review under Filing | Review errors, correct payslips, resubmit. |
| No Data Found | Black | Yes | Submission sent for processing — check back later | Contact NAERSA directly. Edge case – see FAQ section. |
HTTP-Level Errors¶
The following table covers HTTP-level errors shown before a submission status is created.
| Situation | Banner message | Action required |
|---|---|---|
| NAERSA returns HTTP 4XX (invalid or incomplete data) | Submission could not be processed. Some information may be invalid or incomplete. Please review and try again. | Review submission details and try again. |
| NAERSA returns HTTP 5XX (temporary connection issue) | Temporary issue connecting to NAERSA. Try again later. | Wait and resubmit – issue is on NAERSA's side. |
Effect of HTTP-level errors
When either of the above errors occurs, no submission entry is created and no status is displayed.
📚 Explanation¶
How direct submission replaces the manual process¶
Previously, submitting MyFutureFund contribution information involved downloading a file from SimplePay and uploading it manually to the MyFutureFund Employer Portal. With this change, SimplePay submits contribution data directly to NAERSA. The information submitted is identical to what was previously included in the downloaded file – no data has changed, only the method of delivery. You no longer need to log in to the MyFutureFund Employer Portal to complete a standard submission.
How amendments and deletions are handled¶
When you make a change to a payslip after a submission has already been made, SimplePay automatically determines whether the new submission constitutes an amendment (a correction to existing data) or a deletion (a removal of a previously submitted record). This logic operates in the same way as it did for the manual file submission – the difference is that SimplePay now sends this information to NAERSA directly rather than requiring you to generate and upload a separate file.
How the transition from manual to direct submission works¶
The Submit button will not appear for pay periods where a finalised manual submission entry already exists. This prevents any conflict between the two submission methods within the same pay period. The Submit button appears only for the first unfinalised pay period following the last pay period completed using the Finalise button. From that point forward, all new submission lines will use direct API submission.
How errors and warnings are displayed in the modal¶
When a submission returns a status that includes errors or warnings, clicking on the status opens a modal titled Review/Check MyFutureFund Submission. Errors and warnings are displayed in the following order:
- Contribution-level errors (applying to the entire submission)
- Record-level errors (applying to a specific employee)
- Contribution-level warnings
- Record-level warnings
For a list of possible errors and suggested resolution steps, please see this help page.
Email notifications¶
SimplePay will send you, as the user making the submission, an email notification if your submission results in a Partial Success with errors (and warnings) or an Unsuccessful outcome. No email is sent for a Successful or Successful with warnings outcome.
Submission timing requirements¶
The following timing rules apply to all MyFutureFund submissions and are set by NAERSA, not SimplePay. These rules are unchanged from the manual submission process:
- All submissions, alterations, and deletions must be made on or before the employee's pay date, before 6:30 p.m. Irish Standard Time.
- Late submissions (submitted after 6:30 p.m. Irish Standard Time on or after the relevant pay date) will be accepted by NAERSA but may be flagged as non-compliant.
- Early submissions (submitted before the relevant pay date) will be accepted and processed on the relevant pay date.
🔍 FAQs¶
Do I need to log in to the MyFutureFund Employer Portal to complete my submission?
Not necessarily. Once the Submit button is available for your pay period, SimplePay submits your contribution data directly to NAERSA. You will no longer need to download a file or log in to the MyFutureFund Employer Portal for standard submissions.
My submission line still shows a Finalise button, not a Submit button. Why?
This means you have an existing pay period in progress that was started using the manual file submission process. You must complete that pay period using the Finalise button and Export File download as before. The Submit button will appear automatically for the next pay period after that one has been finalised. A warning icon on the earlier entry will confirm that you need to continue using the manual process for that period.
The status shows Pending. How long will it take to update?
The submission has been sent to NAERSA and is being processed. Refresh the page every few minutes to check for an update.
The status shows Partial Success. Do I need to resubmit everything?
No. A Partial Success means that most of the submission was accepted by NAERSA, but some records contained errors. Click on the status to open the modal, review the specific errors listed, correct the affected payslips, and resubmit. Only the corrected records need to be resubmitted – SimplePay will generate a new submission line automatically when the updated payslips are finalised.
I received an email saying my submission was Unsuccessful. What do I do?
Go to Filing > Regular Submissions, and click on the Unsuccessful status for the relevant pay period. The modal will list the errors returned by NAERSA. Click on any error code to go to the help page for a plain-language explanation and suggested resolution. Once you have made the necessary corrections to the affected payslips, submit again.
The modal shows a No Data Found status. What does this mean?
This is an edge case and is not expected in normal use. As the cause cannot be resolved within SimplePay, please contact NAERSA directly via:
- Webchat on myfuturefund.ie; or
- Phone on 01 568 9555, Mon - Fri, 9 AM to 6 PM (excluding public and bank holidays).
I see an error code I don't recognise. Where can I find out what it means?
Click on the error code in the modal – it will link directly to the relevant entry on the help page, where you will find a plain-language explanation and suggested resolution.
Can I still manually download the contribution file after switching to direct submission?
No. Once a pay period is using the Submit button, there is no option to download a manual submission file. Any changes required outside of the standard SimplePay workflow can be made using the manual screens on the MyFutureFund Employer Portal.
Do I need to indicate whether a new submission is an amendment or a deletion?
No. SimplePay automatically detects whether a new submission line is an amendment or a deletion based on the payslip changes made and handles this in the background. The process is the same as it was with the manual file – the difference is that SimplePay now submits the information to NAERSA directly.