"Can an employee aged under 22 change their auto-enrolment status?"
The auto-enrolment status for an employee under 22 is either 'Entitled' or 'Non Eligible', depending on their earnings.
Someone under 22 shouldn’t be auto-enrolled, and so wouldn’t have an Eligible status.
| Gross earnings per month | Age 16 - 21 | Age 22 - State Pension age | State Pension age - 74 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earns less than £520 | Entitled | ||
| Earns between £520 - £833 | Non Eligible | ||
| Earns more than £833 | Non Eligible | Eligible | Non Eligible |
If your employee is enrolled in the pension scheme with an Entitled status:
- They cannot have an ‘Eligible’ status until they reach 22 and have earnings greater than £833 per month.
- They can become Non Eligible if their earnings increase. You should then begin making pension contributions for them at the minimum contribution levels (if you weren’t already).
If your employee is enrolled in the pension scheme with a Non Eligible status:
- They cannot have an Eligible status until they reach 22 and have earnings greater than £833 per month.
- They cannot become Entitled, so even if their earnings drop below £520 per month. You must continue to provide pension contributions for them.
But if the employee stops active membership and then asks to join again (or leaves and then returns to your employment), they should be reassessed based on their age and earnings.
Errors during file upload
During file upload, you may see an error explaining the auto-enrolment status of your employee isn’t correct. To solve this, you should check both your payroll and the data file you’re uploading to us to make sure they contain the correct:
- Date of birth
- Auto-enrolment status
Then amend your data file or payroll settings and then re-submit your data file to us.