“We’ve all got our minds on other things at this time of year, especially with the extra pressures they bring. Making sure deliveries go out on time to meet customers’ deadlines. Juggling shift patterns to allow as many staff to have the time off they want, while still keeping the business running. It’s stressful. We understand that. But it’s important that employers don’t take their other eye off the ball when it comes to their employees’ pensions.” Follow this link to read Darren Ryder's article where he covers TPR’s current and imminent ‘spot checks’, the Declaration of Compliance not just being a tick box exercise, employers – please ‘don’t put your head in the sand’ and lastly but very importantly, if you are running out of time, there is always help at hand.
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TPR to prosecute healthcare company for trying to avoid giving its staff workplace pensions 13 December 2017
The Pensions Regulator (TPR) is to prosecute a healthcare company and its managing director for trying to avoid providing their staff with a workplace pension.
Birmingham-based Crest Healthcare and managing director Sheila Aluko are accused of wilfully failing to comply with their automatic enrolment duties under section 45 of the Pensions Act 2008. This is the second time that TPR has prosecuted for wilful non-compliance. Both defendants are also accused of falsely claiming that they had enrolled 25 staff into a workplace pension scheme. Knowingly providing false information to TPR is an offence under section 80 of the Pensions Act 2004. This is the first time TPR has prosecuted for this. Both defendants have been summonsed to appear at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on 22 December 2017. Both charges can be tried in a Crown Court or in a magistrates’ court. In a Crown Court the maximum sentence for each is two years’ imprisonment. In a magistrates’ court, the maximum sentence for each is an unlimited fine.
They will each face two charges of wilfully failing to comply with their automatic enrolment duties and one charge of knowingly or recklessly providing false or misleading information to TPR.
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Automatic enrolment: Extension to under 22 year olds and lower earnings limit removal 18 December 2017
The DWP has published their Automatic enrolment review 2017 ‘analytical report’, with two key proposals; to remove the lower earnings limit so that every saver makes pension contributions from their first pound of earnings, and to lower the age limit from 22 to 18.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has published their analytical report which sets out the analysis and findings used to inform the Automatic enrolment review 2017: ‘Maintaining the momentum’.
The first scan of the 192 page report reveals two major proposals which will undoubtedly benefit younger savers but will also increase the financial output for employers:
“The 2017 review of automatic enrolment proposes that the LEL should be removed . This would mean that employers and employees contributing to pensions through automatic enrolment (those that are earning above the trigger and fulfil the age criteria) will make contributions across an increased band of earnings – they would contribute from the first pound of their earnings (rather than from £5,876) up to the UEL. In addition, this proposal will increase the number of people who are eligible to receive employer contributions as those earning below £5,876 will now be entitled to employer contributions if they choose to opt in.
The 2017 review of automatic enrolment proposes to change the lower age limit to 18 (while maintaining the upper age limit at SPA). This would mean that those aged between 18 to SPA would be automatically enrolled into their
The Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals
Policy News Journal
cipp.org.uk
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