When will AE apply to you? (Staging Date)

When will AE apply to you?

The date your employer duties first apply is known as your staging date and it’s based on the number of people in your largest Pay As You Earn (PAYE) scheme on 1 April 2012.

If you don’t already offer workers a workplace pension scheme, you must set one up before your business’ staging date. To find your staging date simply click on this link to The Pension Regulator Staging Date Tool

All you need is your employer PAYE reference.

All employers are required to register with the regulator within five months of their staging date, even if they have no employer duties for their staff.

If you don’t already offer workers a workplace pension scheme, you must set one up before your business’ staging date.
If you already have a workplace pension scheme, check if you can use it for automatic enrolment; The Pension Regulator - Pension Scheme Requirements Guidance

Postponement

You can use postponement to defer the assessment of workers and your employer duties. The postponement period can’t be
more than three months.

The end of the postponement period is known as the deferral date and you must assess workers on this date.

What you must do if postponement is used 

If you use postponement, you must provide workers with a postponement notice. This must be issued within a month and a day of:

• your staging date
• the worker’s first day of employment after your staging date and
• the day that a worker becomes an eligible jobholder (for example, the day a worker reaches age 22).

Setting up your Staging Date in BrightPay

To set up your staging date in BrightPay, open your company file.

Choose the PENSIONS menu 

Choose AUTOMATIC ENROLMENT

Enter your staging date.  If you are unsure of your staging date, or wish to check it, use the link provided What is my Staging Date? to identify it using The Pension Regulator tool.

Once the staging date is entered, only then, will BrightPay start the notification process to the employer of the applicable enrolment dates and employer obligations towards each employee as each key date is reached.