17 Jun 2022
Since the beginning of Workplace Pension Reforms and Automatic Enrolment back in 2012, the Pensions Regulator (TPR) has had the ability to carry out inspections on employers to ensure that they are complying with their duties.
Before Covid, inspections by TPR tended to focus on employers that were failing to make correct pension contributions for their employees. TPR would use information provided to them by pension providers to channel their efforts on which businesses to focus on. Where employers were not complying, TPR would work with them to get things back on track and only if an employer continued to not comply with their duties were fines levied. These fines range from a fixed penalty notice of £400 to a daily fine of up to a maximum of £10,000 per day!
When Covid hit, these inspections were put on temporary hold however, TPR has announced that these inspections will re-commence. In addition, TPR will now also be looking to gain valuable insight into pension related working practises with a view to identifying common employer errors.
During Covid, a small number of clients that I work with have had remote inspections carried out and I am pleased to confirm they all passed with flying colours. The common theme of questioning from TPR was around:
- What does your workforce look like in terms of Automatic Enrolment categories?
- Reviewing payroll records including names, dates of birth, National Insurance numbers, gross earnings, and pension deductions
- What pension is being used for Automatic Enrolment purposes
- What communications are issued to employees around the topic of Automatic Enrolment
As a business, do you think you could provide evidence to satisfy these TPR’s enquiries?
The plan over the coming months is for TPR to carry out ‘on-sight’ inspections across several regions including:
- Greater Manchester
- Nottingham
- Greater London
- Belfast
Should you wish for Wingate to undertake an audit of your current pension processes and procedures at no cost to the business, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01883 332260 or at info@wingatebs.com
