Companies providing auto-enrolment sevices

1. CONTENTS ONLINE
NEWS&VIEWS EDITO
SEPTEMBER 2015
DIGITAL EXTRA
Ones to Watch: Companies making moves in the market
The small stage
Auto-enrolment for small
and micro employers
Coming around again
Preparing for cyclical
automatic re-enrolment
Auto-enrolment
Digital
Extra
EDITION
A E

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EDITORIAL
FROM THE EDITOR
ll All eyes are
on AE at the
moment ll
JEROME SMAIL
Watching and waiting
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CONTRIBUTORS
Welcome to the first of a new series of Payroll World digital
specials: ‘Ones to Watch’. Over the coming months we’ll be
highlighting some of the leading companies in the key areas
of the industry – starting, this month, with auto-enrolment.
The title ‘Ones to Watch’ certainly seems appropriate as all
eyes are on auto-enrolment at the moment. There are several
reasons for this – not least the fact that 1.8 million small and
micro employers will have AE duties to fulfil over the next
two and a half years. Many of them are waiting with trepidation, unsure of where to
start. On page 4, Megan Caywood outlines some of the steps small employers need
to take to comply with the law.
There are issues for bigger companies, too. October 2015 marks the third
anniversary of the first UK employers staging for AE, so that means they now need
to go through re-enrolment, as Phil Duly explains on pages 4 and 5. Enjoy this
special edition.
04 From the PW blog
Megan Caywood of Xero
on AE for small employers
Phil Duly of Barnett
Waddingham on cyclical
automatic re-enrolment
ONES TO WATCH
06 Aviva
08 NOW: Pensions
10 OptEnrol
12 Sage
14 SimplyEnrol
16 QA
With Rich Preece of IntuitMegan Caywood Phil Duly
contents

4. Auto-enrolment is
government legislation that
requires all UK employers
to enrol certain staff into a
workplace pension scheme
and make contributions,
starting on their staging date.
With an aging population, the
government is implementing this
legislation to help more people
save for retirement. However,
this means employers now
have the responsibility to enrol
certain employees in pension
schemes and administer them
on their behalf.
With staging dates coming up
soon for many small and micro
businesses, employers will need
to begin the task of overhauling
their payroll to meet staging
dates to comply and avoid fines.
As such, this is a good time to
share some details on preparing
for auto-enrolment.
Staging dates
Businesses must comply with
the auto-enrolment legislation by
their staging date. The Pension
Regulator’s (TPR) staging date
tool can be used to find this
out: http://bit.ly/1EuooiJ
Staging dates are being
phased in over a six-year period,
and have been set based on the
size of the employer’s PAYE
Scheme on 1 April 2012.
Companies with a large number
of employees had the earliest
staging dates (for example,
those with 120,000-plus
employees staged in October
2012), and smaller businesses
started staging in June 2015,
through to 2018.
Once your staging date
goes into effect, TPR will help
to educate and enable you
to be compliant with the new
legislation. If you fail to comply
on time, there are a number of
enforcement options they will
use. These could include
guidance and instruction sent
by email, telephone, letter and
in person, or may include a
warning letter with a reminder
of the time frame to begin
complying with the new
legislation. In addition, they
may send statutory notices
or implement penalty notices
for persistent and deliberate
non-compliance, in which case
the fine is £400 and payable
within a specific period. If the
employer has taken no action
after the statutory notice,
escalating penalties may follow,
which include a set daily rate of
£50 to £10,000 depending on
the number of staff you have.
TPR has outlined a step-
by-step guide to help small
businesses get ready for their
auto-enrolment duties. The
guide, which you can view at
http://bit.ly/1EJalH3, covers
the following 11 steps:
1. Know your staging date
2. Provide a point of contact
3. Check who you need
to enrol
4. Create your action plan
5. Work out your costs
6. Check your records
and payroll process
7. Choose a pension scheme
(or check your existing one)
8. Assess and enrol your staff
9. Write to your staff
10. Your ongoing automatic
enrolment duties
11. Complete your declaration
of compliance
For more detailed guidance from
The Pensions Regulator on
staging dates, you can read at
http://bit.ly/1xZEWLG u
Contributor: Megan Caywood,
product manager, Xero
With auto-enrolment three
years old this October, the
nation’s largest employers
will need to begin
preparations for their
first cyclical automatic
re-enrolment duty.
Cyclical automatic
re-enrolment (hereafter referred
to as ‘re-enrolment’) is the duty
approximately every three years
to re-enrol workers who have
opted out or ceased active
membership of a qualifying
pension scheme.
Smaller employers who
share a payroll scheme or
who brought their staging date
forward may also find that their
first re-enrolment duty is fast
approaching.
Choose the re-enrolment date
The employer may choose a
convenient date from within
a six-month window three
months either side of the
third anniversary of its
staging date.
Determine the pension
scheme to be used
In many cases, the employer
will be running a single pension
scheme so it will be clear
which pension scheme is to be
used for re-enrolment. Where
the employer runs multiple
schemes, however, workers
may have opted out or ceased
active membership of schemes
that are now closed to new
joiners, so the employer will
need to decide which
scheme(s) to use.
Analyse the workers
to be assessed
The employer does not have
to assess all of its workers for
re-enrolment, but normally just
those who have opted out or
ceased active membership of
a qualifying pension scheme.
Undertake re-enrolment,
considering exclusions
The employer will need to
re-enrol those workers assessed
as ‘eligible jobholders’ with effect
from the re-enrolment date.
The employer can
choose to exclude eligible
jobholders who:
• Opted out or ceased active
membership of a qualifying
pension scheme within the
12 months before the
re-enrolment date.
Contributor: Phil Duly,
associate, Barnett Waddingham
Auto-enrolment for small employers
Latest stories from payroll
and the world of work
NEWSVIEWS
Preparing for cyclical automatic re-enrolment
04 september / 2015

5. BIS examines employer
handling of tips and gratuities
A consultation looking into
how employers pass on tips,
gratuities, cover and service
charges to their employees has
been launched by the Department
for Business Innovation and
Skills (BIS).
Concerns have been raised
about the treatment of such
payments in the hospitality
sector, particularly in relation to
the percentage of each payment
that goes directly to the employer.
A call for evidence has been
issued to gather information on
how tips are collected and current
tipping practices. In particular, BIS
is seeking views on the role for
government in ensuring greater
transparency and limiting the
amount an employer can keep.
The consultation closes on
10 November 2015. You can
view the call for evidence here:
http://bit.ly/1XL9rRM
Pizza Express recently
announced it is removing an 8%
administrative fee on staff tips
made by card. Chief executive
Richard Hodgson said: “We agree
with calls for greater clarity in
order to ensure staff are given a
fair deal, and to enable customers
to make an informed choice when
it comes to tipping.
“We have always been, and will
continue to be, transparent about
our tipping policies.”
➠Contact editor@payrollworld.com
if you have anything to add to this section!
neWs vieWs
10 ocToBEr / 2015
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Essential Guide
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7-8 December 2015
Gain a solid understanding
of payroll processing and
manual calculations to allow
you to start your career,
refresh your knowledge or
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Hot Topics 1:
Statutory Payment,
Auto-Enrolment and
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9 December 2015
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I would recommend the Essential Guide
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Ana Tutunea, F5 netWoRKs
industry leaders fear widespread
auto-enrolment non-compliance
A huge majority of 82% of attendees at September’s Capacity Crunch
Conference believe there will be widespread non-compliance for
auto-enrolment in 2016.
Delegates from the payroll, pensions and software industries
gathered at the event, hosted by the Chartered Institute of Payroll
Professionals (CIPP), to debate if small and micro businesses are ready
for auto-enrolment. A straw poll showed the vast majority believe 2016
will see large numbers of employers missing their staging dates.
However, Neil Esslemont, head of industry liaison for The Pensions
Regulator (TPR) and Payroll World columnist, told the conference that
TPR is taking steps to ensure small and micro employers are aware
of their duties, using methods such as television advertising.
The conference also saw the unveiling of a manual developed by
the CIPP’s Friends of Automatic Enrolment (FoAE) to help small and
micro businesses comply with workplace pensions law.
The FoAE Governance Task Force Guide to Automatic Enrolment
covers areas such as safeguarding employees in relation to their
pensions, choosing and establishing a pension scheme, and
what data is needed.
payrollworld.com 05
• Have given their notice to
end employment or been
given notice of dismissal
by the employer
• Have protection from Lifetime
Allowance tax charges on
their pension savings.
For those workers either not
assessed as eligible jobholders
or who the employer chooses
to exclude, the employer
has no further duties until the
next cyclical re-enrolment date
(unless they voluntarily opt in
during the interim or their notice
to end employment
is withdrawn).
Re-declaring compliance
Once re-enrolment has been
completed, the employer must
re-declare compliance with
The Pensions Regulator,
explaining how it has carried
out its re-enrolment duty.
Matters to watch out for
1. If the employer has no
workers to re-enrol then the
employer may have a shorter
time window from which
to choose its re-enrolment
date. Therefore, some early
analysis of the likelihood of
workers to be re-enrolled
and consideration of the
exclusions will be required.
2. The employer should engage
with the provider or trustees
if there is likely to be a large
number of workers to re-enrol.
3. The employer may wish to
make (relevant) workers
aware of the re-enrolment
process.
4. The re-enrolment assessment
is a standalone process that
will need to be undertaken
in addition to the regular
auto-enrolment assessment
each pay period and for a
different group of workers.
The employer should
consider checking whether
the software systems that
it uses for auto-enrolment
can also be used for the
re-enrolment process.
5. The re-enrolment process
is much like the auto-
enrolment process, but
‘postponement’ cannot
be used.
6. The deadline for re-
declaration differs depending
on whether or not the
employer has workers to
re-enrol. The deadline is
within two months after
the re-enrolment date or,
if no workers need to be
re-enrolled, the day before
the third anniversary of the
date on which an employer
submitted its initial
declaration of compliance.
7. The employer’s second
re-enrolment date will be
within a six-month window
three months either side of
the third anniversary of its
first re-enrolment date –
so not by reference to the
employer’s staging date. u
ll The employer
may wish to make
workers aware of
the process ll

6. 06 SEPTEMBER / 2015
Company Profile / AUTO-ENROLMENT
PW: What are the biggest challenges you face in building an
auto-enrolment solution for smaller companies yet to stage?
Aviva: I think there’s a big clue in the title – auto-enrolment! This
alone kick-started the need to overhaul existing processes. We’ve
removed paper where possible and improved the online customer
experience. This is a positive step forward. However, the sheer scale
and complexity of applying these rules to both new and existing
customers over a time-bound period is a huge challenge. It also
requires considerable investment.
PW: So why has Aviva decided to enter this market?
Aviva: We haven’t entered the market as such. Aviva is already one of
the UK’s largest providers of corporate pensions. The question for us
was more about how we could best support our existing customers
and thousands of new employers approaching workplace savings
and employer duties for the first time.
PW: So what are the key components of Aviva’s
auto-enrolment offering?
Aviva: Without doubt, the development of straight through
processing and web based services is central to our strategy,
just due to the sheer scale. Any provider without the appropriate
infrastructure and interfaces will fall over very quickly, so that requires
full commitment and deep pockets. However, this is not just about
running a pension scheme - there is a considerable amount of work
needed before staging, which requires an understanding around
complex rules and a project plan.
Our approach is about supporting the whole customer journey.
We offer a value proposition with support at every step, by providing
a suite of tools and guidance to take the employer and/or their
advisers through the entire journey. The component parts of this are:
• A planning tool – which can be used to monitor multiple employers
through auto-enrolment and multi-user access to guide and
document each step towards the staging date
• A modelling tool – to graphically illustrate and compare the pension
costs up to six years, using banded earnings and self-certification
options in group and individual formats and taking account of
the phasing period
• Quote and apply – allowing instant online quotes and scheme
set-up online, with delegated access for advisers offering auto-
enrolment support services
• Auto-enrolment Manager for Employers (AME) lite – a simplified
version of our tool, which automates the auto-enrolment process
and works in tandem with most payroll software auto-
enrolment modules.
• Workplace Pension Portal – we’ll be launching this shortly
to simplify the new joiner, contribution collection and opt out
processes and allow instant online validation of contributions data.
PW: How does Aviva view competition in this market?
Aviva: Encouragingly, there is healthy competition in this area, which
is allowing market forces to play out. This will hopefully improve the
end result for the consumer, and overcome earlier concerns about the
supply side. The downside of this for employers and business advisers
is that the task of scheme selection can become far more complex.
Our strategy for small businesses encompasses our customers’
wider needs, not just auto-enrolment. We’re building customer
interfaces for both employers and members, showing how we
can support them across a broad range of employee benefits and
insurance needs – not just pensions. It’s effectively a one-stop shop!
PW: So how can Aviva help small employers who are
confused by the choices available around scheme selection?
Aviva: We recognise the difficulty employers and their advisers face
here. Whilst The Pensions Regulator has produced helpful guidelines,
the onus is still very much upon the employer to make the decision.
At Aviva, we’re keen to support employers as much as possible.
That’s why we’ve developed a support service based on the quality
features recommended by The Pensions Regulator. We want
employers to see us as a trusted partner for the long term,
providing future-proof solutions to cater for all their needs.
PW: What is Aviva’s approach towards payroll software
companies and business advisers offering payroll services?
Aviva: Clearly, payroll software providers and business advisers providing
payroll services are playing an increasingly important role in successfully
delivering auto-enrolment as smaller firms begin staging. We’re in
discussions with a number of payroll software firms where an integrated
solution makes sense, but clearly that is not going to be realistic for all.
Because of this, we’re looking at other initiatives aimed at
standardising data files through a single interface. We’re also taking
a look at the possibility of using new web-based programming
applications to simplify the interface requirements.
A clear part of our distribution strategy is about engaging and
working closely with business advisers offering auto-enrolment services.
Whilst we’ve built a solution to enable self-service, we believe most firms
will need guidance due to the overall complexity. That’s a big reason
why we’ve decided to allow delegated permissions wherever possible.
Ultimately, we believe payroll software companies and business
advisers offering payroll services will play a vital role in helping deliver
auto-enrolment. It’s part of our role as a provider to give them the
support they need to fulfil their role in helping employers meet their
auto-enrolment obligations.
Viewpoint:
Aviva
Ones to watch...
Auto-enrolment
Essential InformationProduct and services: Business solutions
for SMEs approaching auto-enrolment
Telephone No: 07800 690452Contact: e: duncan.singer@aviva.com

7. BS01052 09/2015
aviva.co.uk/auto-enrolment-support
Auto-enrolment
support for SMEs
One of the UK’s leading
workplace pension providers
Regulated by the FCA
We’ll help you get your
business ready
Easy online management
Defaqto 5 Star Rating for our
Company Pension @ Aviva
Free software to save
you time and effort
Aviva Life Services UK Limited. Registered in England No. 2403746. 2 Rougier Street, York, YO90 1UU.
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Firm Reference Number 145452.
aviva.co.uk

8. 08 SEPTEMBER / 2015
Company Profile / AUTO-ENROLMENT
Case Study
Brooking Ruse is a chartered
accountants headquartered in
Weston-super-Mare. The firm manages
around 180 payrolls for a wide range
of small and micro employers with
the majority due to stage from August
2016 onwards.
“When it comes to auto-enrolment,
our clients’ biggest concerns are
ensuring they comply with the
regulations and the additional
paperwork and costs involved both
in terms of pension contributions
and the administration of the pension
scheme,” said Liz Knight, director
at Brooking Ruse.
“We felt it was essential to support
our clients through this process and
to help to ease the ‘fear factor’ we held
seminars for our clients with Hawker and
Palmer Wealth Management – an advisory
firm we’ve worked closely with for a
number of years and NOW: Pensions.
“NOW: Pensions’ easy to use online
sign up service makes the auto-
enrolment journey much simpler for our
clients and the support we’ve received
has been fantastic. Responses are
always quick and provide all the
information we need.”
PW: What’s NOW: Pensions’ background?
NOW: NOW: Pensions entered the UK market in 2011 with the
aim to offer a pension that is smarter, simpler and better than the
competition. We are backed by Danish pension scheme ATP,
one of Europe’s largest pension funds.
PW: What does NOW: Pensions offer employers?
NOW: NOW: Pensions is an independent multi-employer
master trust. We offer a high quality, low cost pension designed
specifically with the auto-enrolment market in mind. We accept
all employers and all employees on the same basis. We are also
happy to help employers that have missed their staging date.
PW: What are the costs?
NOW: With NOW: Pensions, our member charging structure
is absolutely clear. We couple a low Annual Management
Charge (0.3%) with an easy to understand monthly employee
administration charge (£0.30 - £1.50).
PW: What are the benefits for payroll bureaux
in working with NOW: Pensions?
NOW: Payroll bureaux have a crucial role to play in the
success of auto-enrolment. To make it simple for payroll
bureaux to manage all their clients in one place we’ve given
bureaux access to their own dedicated microsite. From
here, a payroll bureau can manage all of its clients from one
central login instead of managing multiple systems with
multiple providers. This saves considerable hassle and time.
To register for a bureau microsite visit our website.
PW: How do employers sign up?
NOW: Employers can sign up in a matter of minutes
using our online application. Payroll bureaux can either
do this on their clients’ behalf or employers can fill in the
form themselves and name the payroll bureau they are
working with.
PW: How successful have you been so far?
NOW: Our approach has proved popular and we have
over 9,000 clients and over half a million members.
Viewpoint
Brooking Ruse
Now: Pensions
Ones to watch...
Auto-enrolment
Essential InformationProduct and services: Simple, cost effective workplace
pensions designed with the auto-enrolment market in mind
Telephone No: 0333 33 220 10Contact: w: www.nowpensions.com/payroll

9. Smarter. Simpler. Better.
To find out more visit
nowpensions.com/payroll
or give us a call on
0 333 33 220 10.
NOW: Pensions is a UK occupational pension plan.
Membership is only available through an employer
following satisfactory credit checks.
Simple, fast,
effective.
The key to successful auto enrolment lies
with payroll and your clients will need your
help. NOW: Pensions’ payroll bureau solution
allows you to provide all your clients with the
support they need, easing the burden for you
and them.

10. 10 SEPTEMBER / 2015
Company Profile / AUTO-ENROLMENT
Richard Bolton explains how middleware
can help you benefit from auto-enrolment
OptEnrol: When processing payrolls, you can be sure that your employer
clients will be coming to you for help with workplace pensions auto-
enrolment. We can help you with that now. Have a look below to find
out how.
PW: What are clients expecting from their payroll providers?
OptEnrol: They’ll have heard about AE, and that it’s tricky, so firstly
they will need things explained to them. They’ll ask you what’s the
minimum they have to do, how long will it take and when does it need
to be done? And afterwards they may want you to do it all for them.
PW: As a payroll processor what can you provide?
OptEnrol: You should have a good understanding of the main AE
tasks that have to be carried out on the way to the staging date
and the timescales involved. When it comes to practical help your
main service is the extension of your payroll service into assessing,
calculating, communicating, reporting and archiving.
PW: How can OptEnrol middleware help?
OptEnrol: The process may seem daunting but OptEnrol is an online
service specifically built to meet AE requirements. With it you manage
the countdown to staging and then provide the ongoing AE processing.
PW: What does “specifically built” imply?
OptEnrol: OptEnrol handles the many complex scenarios of
workplace pensions in a streamlined way. You can set up multiple
payrolls and pension schemes per employer and choose a
postponement strategy at employer level. The software processes
opt-ins, opt-outs, joiners, leavers, re-enrolment and scheme switching.
PW: Does OptEnrol provide any help prior to staging date?
OptEnrol: With the Countdown Calendar you can manage the journey
as 7 significant tasks, each with an automated reminder email facility.
PW: What about clients who run their own payroll?
OptEnrol: Often payroll bureaux are linked to accountancy firms with
lots of non-payroll clients. With OptEnrol you can offer an AE processing
service to those clients too. Employers upload their payroll into a simple
online template and run their own assessments under your supervision.
It’s a new income stream and a possible opportunity for you to win their
payroll business too.
PW: What is OptEnrol’s pricing model?
OptEnrol: Users pay a small monthly fee based on employee numbers,
irrespective of payroll frequency, with no set-up fee and no minimum term.
PW: What support is available for OptEnrol users?
OptEnrol: There is full “How To” and FAQ documentation, an email
support team and a telephone helpdesk. On sign-up, users are given a
trial account and data to process and a personal demonstration of the
software in action.
PW: Can the whole process be outsourced to OptEnrol?
OptEnrol: Yes. If you decide that you only wish to provide payroll services
and outsource the AE function entirely, OptEnrol staff will carry out all the
interaction with your clients and run the assessments.
How to get your own-branded version of OptEnrol
OptEnrol: Take a tour at www.optenrol.co.uk and request your
own demo. You can have a free own-branded trial account
without any obligation.
Viewpoint:
OPTENROL
Ones to watch...
Auto-enrolment
Essential InformationProduct and services: Auto-enrolment
and employee communicationsTelephone No: 0131 625 8383Contact: e: richard.bolton@forthcom.co.uk
Scenario: The payroll department of a
forward-thinking accountancy firm.
Opportunity: The partner in charge is
delighted that the payroll manager is
delivering increasing revenue and profit by
providing an auto-enrolment service to the
payroll clients. But they’ve got another 200
or so non-payroll clients asking for help
with their AE obligations.
Solution: The AE module of your bureau
software is not suitable because you’re
not doing the payroll. The solution is
OptEnrol middleware. Upload their employee
and pay details in a simple online template
and you can take care of all their AE
processing obligations, from assessing and
communications to calculating contributions,
delivering reports in pension providers’
formats and archiving a full audit trail.
Result: Two great ways to grow your
business - the new revenue from the
extra clients and a chance that many will
outsource their payrolls to you. There’s no
set up fee, just a low processing charge that
gives you a healthy
margin.
The opportunities for
payroll firms are huge.
Some 60,000 employers
have reached their staging
date so far and according to
The Pensions Regulator there are another
1.8 million still to go. Do you have your
service thought through and tested while
the numbers are relatively low? Visit us for
more info at www.optenrol.co.uk

11. Call 020 7940 4801
Visit clientpayrollautumnconference.co.uk
Email events@payrollworld.com
BOOK
TODAY!
Sponsors and
exhibitors
NEWSVIEWS EDITORIAL
AUTUMN CONFERENCE
12 November | The Tower Hotel | London #cpconf
The conference was very helpful in understanding other
perspectives on auto-enrolment and hearing the experiences
of other bureaux firms. Very good chair and knowledgeable speakers.
Payroll Manager, A4G Bookkeeping and Payroll
Why you should attend
Fullagendareleased!Download
now
SERVICING YOUR CLIENTS
✚ Auto-enrolment
Understand how third party payroll providers have
been using auto-enrolment to meet their clients
demands as well as an effective sales tool.
✚ Capacity crunch for SMEs
With the SME auto-enrolment capacity crunch
looming, take away strategies and best practice
procedures to help you pro-actively tackle the
administrative burden.
GROWING YOUR BUSINESS
✚ Pricing
Accurately price your offering so you can increase
your revenues and focus on the productswhich
are generating the most business.
✚ Increase market share
Segment your market, understand the
most effective ways to reach them and
tailor your products to incentivise
further profits.
The conference will address the ongoing client pressures and with the agenda split into two conference
streams – servicing your clients and growing your business – you can tailor your experience by attending
the sessions directly relevant to your role.
Hear directly from the bureaux and
accountants who are solving
Meet with and hear from the third party payroll
providers who are overcoming the industry’s
shared challenges. Understand the steps they are
putting in place and take ideas back to the office.
Regulatory guidance
Hear directly from The Pensions Regulator on the
steps they are putting in place to help bureaux and
accountants service their clients, as well as the
compliance obligations to fulfil and sanctions
to avoid.

12. 12 SEPTEMBER / 2015
Company Profile / AUTO-ENROLMENT
Case Study
The statutory requirements for auto-
enrolment into a pension scheme
prompted the decision by Drayton
Manor Theme Park, Staffordshire, to
purchase a dedicated HR and Payroll
system. Clare Beasley, manager for
payroll and HR recalls: “We did review
a couple of other popular solutions on
the market but kept coming back to
Sage. The HR and payroll solutions are
very closely integrated and seemed
extremely user-friendly.” Clare says:
“The reputation of the potential vendor
was another criterion. We knew they
would look after us and this is especially
important with a small HR team. Sage
HR and Payroll increasingly became
the obvious choice.”
The company’s staging date for auto-
enrolment was just a few weeks after the
system implementation. Clare says: “Auto-
enrolment could have been a nightmare,
but it was all quite straightforward.
We have to run weekly assessments
and reports – on who’s crossed the
threshold, who’s changed their status,
who’s postponed enrolment, and so
on – which we send on to our pension
provider. With Sage, this is all done at
the press of a button. To try to do
this any other way would be
horrendous.”
PW: Tell us about your company
Sage: With over 30 years’ experience, we contribute to
the success of medium to large UK companies by providing
them with HR and payroll software, consultancy, and payroll
outsourcing services that are efficient, flexible and accurate.
Our products will save your company time and money and give
you the confidence that you are compliant with all the latest
legislation.
PW: Sage HR and Payroll works with a diverse spread
of medium to large businesses – is there any common
thread you can share on auto-enrolment?
Sage: Customers often start out seeing auto-enrolment as a
duty but end up seeing it as a blessing. It is vital that we enthuse
employers and staff with the vision of a better retirement. With
auto-enrolment we can instil a savings culture for those at
work in the UK which will become business as usual.
PW: Is it easy to find out who you need to assess?
Sage: Our system holds all the information in one place. As
soon as you’ve configured how your schemes operate, a one-
click process in our system will assess your workforce as part
of processing the payroll. Our system updates each employee
record once they’ve been assessed, and clearly reports on
those employees that you need to take further action with.
All of our standard auto-enrolment reports are available in
Excel so you’ve got complete clarity on the whole process.
PW: What happens if employees choose to opt out?
Sage: A history of opt-in, opt-out and joining dates along
with employee status are retained within the system for easy
reference. Our system allows you to update employee records
on either a case-by-case basis, or upload opt-out information
from a spreadsheet.
PW: What makes you different from other suppliers?
Sage: We have a huge wealth of experience and worked
closely with The Pensions Regulator as the legislation was
being introduced to ensure we could maximise the efficiencies
we could offer our customers through the system. Our fully
integrated payroll software will automatically, assess, postpone
and report on all aspects of auto-enrolment, including deducting
the pension contributions from an employee’s wage. We’ve
worked with a number of our customers to allow auto-enrolment
assessments performed by the system to be directly uploaded
into their pension provider’s portals, taking care of the entire
end-to-end process.
Viewpoint
Drayton Manor Theme Park
Sage HR Payroll
Ones to watch...
Auto-enrolment
Essential InformationProduct and services: HR and payroll solutions
for medium and large UK businessesTelephone No: 0800 694 0568Contact: e: snowdropkcs@sage.com
w: www.sage-snowdropkcs.co.uk

13. Easeofusewasabig
factorofgoingwithSage.
Thesolutionsmakea
significantcontribution
andwe’reveryhappy.
KROHNE Ltd
“
”

14. 14 SEPTEMBER / 2015
Company Profile / AUTO-ENROLMENT
Case Study
One of our members was handling
their client’s auto-enrolment case
and found they outsourced payroll
to their accountant. The adviser and
accountant worked closely to ensure
that the pension scheme selected was
compatible with the payroll software
and processes, and that their mutual
client understood the additional work
and costs involved in auto-enrolment.
The adviser considered a wide range
of options, and eventually decided
that the Creative Pension Trust was
the best fit for the employer’s needs as
it kept costs to a minimum, completed
all assessment, communications and
the Declaration of Compliance and also
enabled the accountant to avoid the cost
of upgrading their payroll software.
Using the SimplyEnrol service the
adviser mapped the accountant’s clients’
staging profile, and found that several
were staging in October 2015 (staging
dates from now are set by PAYE number,
not employer size). The adviser was able
to recommend suitable solutions for each
client, which
varied from
negotiating terms
with their existing
provider and
upgrading their
existing scheme, to implementing
a new Group Personal Pension.
To engage the rest of the
accountant’s clients, the adviser ran
a series of webinars and provided
each client with their own online
auto-enrolment plan.
PW: What advice would you give to payroll
professionals who have clients yet to stage?
SimplyEnrol: Unless your clients are all the same it’s very
unlikely that one pension provider will fit all and, with NEST
research revealing that 83% of clients yet to stage don’t have an
active scheme, pensions may be a first for both your clients and
for you.
Your clients are likely to expect you to select them a pension
and you need to beware the risks of selecting a scheme just
because it’s easy to run. Partnering with a financial adviser helps
tackle the many challenges you will face and when they’re a
member of the SimplyBiz Group, which works with over 5,500
advisers and AE specialists across the UK, you get SimplyEnrol:
a high quality service with great technology to help you
handle all your clients.
PW: Why should a payroll professional partner
with an adviser who uses SimplyEnrol?
SimplyEnrol: With an adviser using SimplyEnrol you get:
• Staging profile analysis to track activity within your client bank
• Activity and fee planning – helping you understand what
you’ll need to do and how to charge for your services
• Client fact-find to determine the most appropriate AE and
pension solution – accessing enhanced terms from companies
including Aviva, Creative Pensions and NOW: Pensions
• A tailored plan per client, guiding them to their staging
date with regular updates
• A status dashboard so you can see at a glance where
each of your clients are with AE
• Employee discounts to help tackle the affordability
challenge and generate positive messages as these
changes are introduced
• Support for you setting-up pensions in payroll
• Employer, employee and payroll help-desk
• Workplace presentations and, of course, individual advice
to employers and employees as required
Working with an adviser gives you the comfort that your clients
are getting what they need without you taking on the risk and
the effort of reviewing the market and recommending a
scheme to the employer.
Viewpoint
Tom Nall
SimplyEnrol
Ones to watch...
Auto-enrolment
Essential InformationProduct and services: Partnering to provide employers
with auto-enrolment and pensions expertise, avoiding
risk and costs to your businessTelephone No: 01484 439 100Contact: e: enquiries@simplyenrol.co.uk

15. 1
AUTO
ENROLMENT
MADE SIMPLE
FOR YOU AND YOUR CLIENTS
Your clients will expect you to find them a pension,
answer their queries and run auto enrolment
We provide support UK-wide. Drop us a line at
enquiries@SimplyEnrol.co.uk or call 01484 439 100 to take control
• One size won’t fit all – how will you
know what’s right for each client?
• How to minimise the number of
different schemes you’re managing?
• Partner with an adviser to take out
the hassle and risk of auto enrolment

16. QA
PW: Why do micro business owners need to start thinking
about auto-enrolment now – if they haven’t already?
Answer:
RP: Auto-enrolment is on the horizon for all micro businesses and without early
preparation, the legislation has the potential to significantly disrupt these organisations.
The man hours and costs involved in overhauling their payroll to comply with staging
dates could distract from the serious task of making their business a success.
Micro business owners must therefore ensure everything is set up to automatically
enrol employees into a workplace pension by the time their staging date rolls around,
as well as make sure processes can be put in place beyond that date to guarantee
long-term compliance.
Rich Preece
In this QA with online accounting software
provider Intuit, we look at the challenges for
micro businesses in staging for auto-enrolment
as well as the help that’s available to them
Europe VP and managing director, Intuit
PW: What are their key
concerns over the legislation?
Answer:
RP: Due to the limited knowledge of auto-
enrolment among micro business owners,
many are confused and worried about how it’s
going to impact their organisation. Our recent
research shows that only 33% claimed to
be able to accurately describe what the
legislation is and how it will affect them, with
65% admitting to not knowing the staging
date for their business. They’re also worried
about fines, with some unsure of how to
effectively integrate workplace pensions
into their payroll systems.
PW: How does Intuit QuickBooks
help micro businesses deal with
auto-enrolment?
Answer:
RP: We recently announced that QuickBooks
Payroll is auto-enrolment ready. The product, which
is compliant with auto-enrolment’s legal requirements,
gives micro businesses the information they need
to set up and manage contributions to workplace
pensions, all controlled in the same place as the rest
of their payroll. And because QuickBooks Payroll sits
in the cloud, users can log in on the move and use the
product’s features and benefits in real-time, enabling
instant understanding of how auto-enrolment is
affecting a business’s bottom line.
PW: What are the repercussions
for those businesses unprepared
for auto-enrolment?
Answer:
RP: Micro businesses could be hit hard
financially if they don’t prepare themselves
Q3 early. Auto enrolment costs are estimated to
be £8,900 per small business, yet research
shows that 40% of the UK’s smallest and
most vulnerable businesses either don’t
know or don’t think it will cost anything to
set up, while a further 11% think it will
only cost up to £5,000.
With employers often unable to bear the
brunt of this financial cost themselves, it
seems staff will take the hit instead.
Thirty-four per cent of micro business
owners admit they would offset any
financial implication from implementing
auto-enrolment and the increased
contribution into staff pension pots
by capping staff salaries and bonuses.
Nineteen per cent also claim they would
have to reduce employee benefits
and entertainment as a direct result
of the legislation.
Q2Q1
Q4
To feature in this column contact: laura@payrollworld.com
16 SEPTEMBER / 2015