The Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals ……………………………………………………………Policy News Journal
In the majority of industries at least 70% of employees aged between 22 and SPa earn over £10,000. In the Manufacturing sector 97% of employees earn over £10,000 and in the Wholesale, Retail and Motor repair services sector 80% of employees earn over £10,000. In the Household Activities sector 63% of employees earn less than £10,000 a year, however this sector is comparatively small. Overall, across all of the industries, the majority of workers (86%) earn over £10,000.
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Reasonable excuse may be no excuse: Don’t Ignore the Workplace Pension 31 October 2016
Where is an image of a Halloween bedecked Workie when you need it? The Pensions Regulator (TPR) in its recent publication of Quarterly Compliance and Enforcement Bulletin once again highlights the consequences to employers of ignoring their duties.
The Quarterly Bulletin 1 July – 30 September 2016 reports the number of penalties issued together with the number of Escalating Penalty Notices.
Pensions Minister Richard Harrington said: "Automatic enrolment is a great success. So far, more than 250,000 employers are helping more than 6.7 million people save into a workplace pension. The duty is being extended to all UK employers and they must ensure they enrol their staff into a scheme by the deadline for their firm, it's the law." The report also looks to make clear that to be able to use the reason of Reasonable Excuse to explain why you have been unable to comply with your duties, the reason needs to have been something that was unexpected or outside of your control.
The following reasons will not be accepted as amounting to a reasonable excuse:
You relied on someone else who has let you down The online system was too difficult to use You didn’t get a reminder You made a mistake You or a member of staff was ill
Charles Counsell, Executive Director of Automatic Enrolment at TPR said: "We recognise that employers have unique circumstances and challenges, but the law is still the law. Employers who are struggling should contact us, we are here to help - do not wait for a fine. "The vast majority of employers are successfully meeting their automatic enrolment duties and are doing the right thing for their staff. A small minority do leave plans too late but in most cases the nudge of a compliance notice is enough to get them back on track and avoid a fine."
So far no employer has been successful at tribunal in persuading the judge that their reasons amounted to reasonable excuse.
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What is automatic enrolment trying to achieve? 3 November 2016
“Automatic enrolment is about saving for a dignified standard of living.”
These are the words of Charles Counsell, Automatic Enrolment Executive Director who reminds us what automatic enrolment is all about and what it is trying to achieve.
“…We have a population where people are living much longer than they ever were – you can expect to live for 20 years in your retirement on average and that figure is increasing. Automatic enrolment (AE) is all about helping people
The Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals
Policy News Journal
cipp.org.uk
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