On these pages you will find out your employer's obligations under the Secondary Pensions Law and where to go for additional information or support.
A glossary of key terms used throughout the guidance can be found in our Glossary. Visit our Quick Start Guide for a quick rundown on what you need to do.
The date when your employer needs to comply with the new Law will depend on the number of people they are employing. This date is known as the operative date and it will be when they need to finish setting up a pension scheme with a pension provider and enrol their Designated Employees into the scheme. The earliest date will be 1 July 2024 and every employer will have completed this by 1 October 2025. There are likely to be several documents, and some information your employer will need to give the pension provider before the operative date so you could be asked to complete paperwork in the weeks and months leading up to your employer's operative date. Your employer will provide you with a Notice before they enrol you and the Notice will confirm when your first secondary pension contributions to a pension scheme will be taken from your pay.
Every quarter your employer provides the States of Guernsey's Revenue Service with an update of their staff and the pay they have received. This is called a quarterly return and the information provided for the period April to June 2024 will be used to work out the operative date your employer must use so they comply with the Law. The table below sets out the different dates based on the number of employees:
| Operative Date | Number of individuals on your employer's quarterly schedule as at 30 June 2024 |
|---|---|
| 1 July 2024 | 26+ |
| 1 October 2024 | 11-25 |
| 1 January 2025 | 6-10 |
| 1 July 2025 | 2-5 |
| 1 October 2025 | 1 |
There will be penalties for your employer if they do not comply with the Law. If you feel that they are failing in their duties under the Law, please visit the Employment and Equal Opportunities Service website for further guidance.
Eligibility
- The Law will only apply to you if you are resident in Guernsey, Herm, Jethou, or Alderney.
- Designated Employee
- If you are employed, aged between 16 and State Pension Age, not in full time education and you are likely to earn more than the lower earnings limit each year for social secturity contributions, your employer is required, by law, to automatically enrol you into a pension scheme and you are known as a Designated Employee.
- Voluntary Employee
- If you are employed, aged between 16 and 74 and not automatically enrolled into your employer's scheme, for example because you aren't expected to earn more than the lower earnings limit each year for Social Secturity contributions, and you want to join you can ask your employer to enrol you into their pension scheme on a voluntary basis. Your employer must allow you to join.
For more information on contributions and limits please visit our Social Security contributions page.
