Step 1. Choose a pension scheme

You should do this as soon as you can as it can take some time to complete.

You'll need to choose a pension scheme that is set up for automatic enrolment. You and your staff will pay money into this scheme to help your staff save for their retirement.

You'll need to find a scheme yourself or get help from your accountant or a financial adviser.

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Find a scheme yourself

You should look at different schemes before you decide which is suitable for you and your staff.

The following have told us they are open to small employers:

• Collegia Pension information
• Cushon Master Trust information
• The Lewis Workplace Pension Trust information
• National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) information
• NOW: Pensions information
• Penfold Auto Enrolment Workplace Pension Scheme information
• The People’s Pension information
• Smart Pension Master Trust information
• Standard Life Workplace Pension information
• True Potential Investments information

There are a number of things you should check before you choose a pension scheme. This includes whether it will accept all your staff, how much it will cost, whether it uses the best tax relief method for your staff and whether it will work with your payroll. Find more information on how to choose a pension scheme.

Get help from an adviser

If you have an accountant, they may be able to help you find a scheme or a financial adviser that can help.

You can also read advice on how to check if an adviser is authorised using the FCA firm checker from the Financial Conduct Authority.

Read advice on how to find a pension or retirement adviser for automatic enrolment from MoneyHelper.

Please note that there are many other pension schemes available that aren't listed on this website. There may also be other ways for schemes to demonstrate to employers that their scheme is well run.

We cannot recommend or endorse any particular pension scheme or any organisation. Inclusion of a scheme or mention of any organisation on this website does not guarantee their suitability. These web pages are provided for information and guidance only.

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What's next?

Now that you've chosen a pension scheme, you must put your staff into it. The next step will help you to do this.

Previous step:
I'm an employer who has to provide a pension

Next step:
Step 2. Work out who you need to put into a pension scheme

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New: Duties timeline

We’ve created a new duties timeline that helps you work out what duties you need to do and by when.

Have your duties start date (the date your first member of staff started work) handy.

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