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Auto-enrolment pension start date delayed again

The Government has confirmed that the first contributions under an auto-enrolment system for pensions will not be made until 1 January 2026. 

The retirement-savings system, called ‘My Future Fund’, had been due to start on 30 September this year, having missed previous targets. 

Dara Calleary (Minister for Social Protection) said that the decision to defer the start would align the new system with the tax year, while also giving employers and payroll providers extra preparation time.

“This is a landmark policy, and all care must be taken to ensure that it is done in a way that best facilitates all stakeholders and recognises where legitimate concerns have been raised,” the minister stated. 

Contributions from State 

Under the system, employees aged between 23 and 60, who earn over €20,000 a year, and who are not already paying into a pension scheme, will be automatically enrolled in one. 

Contributions made by the employee will be matched by the employer and topped up by the State. For every €3 put in by an employee, the employer will also contribute €3, and the State will contribute €1. 

The Department of Social Protection says that work will continue to recruit both staff and board members for the National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority (NAERSA), which will oversee the system, with positions due to be advertised in May. 

It adds that the appointment of investment managers through an ongoing tender process will continue “without delay”. 

‘Stability needed’ 

Professional-services firm Aon said that the new deadline would provide employers with much needed clarity. 

The firm’s head of retirement consulting Caroline Rowan warned, however, that it was “critical” that this remained the final deadline and that there were no further delays to the roll-out of the system. 

“Businesses need stability to plan effectively, and any further delays risk disrupting the extensive preparations undertaken by employers in recent months,” she stated. 

“The introduction of the system at the beginning of the financial year will help to limit the bureaucratic burden on businesses of setting up the scheme,” Rowan said. 

She added that finance teams could also now integrate all payroll and financial changes on 1 January as part of their broader annual planning, rather than twice in one year.