People Group Services Limited Company Number: 11570329

Pensions auto enrolment policy

Pensions Auto-Enrolment Policy

People Group Services

Last updated: 5 September 2026  |  Version 3.0  |  Applies to: all employees of the Joint Employers

1. Purpose and Scope

This policy explains how People Group Services (“we”, “us”, the “Joint Employers”) meets its workplace pension duties under UK automatic enrolment law, what this means for you as an employee, what contributions are paid and by whom, how you can join the scheme sooner than your automatic enrolment date, how you can increase your own contributions, and how you may opt out should you ever wish to do so. It applies to all employees engaged under our employment products, whether paid weekly or monthly.

This policy is for information and does not form part of your contract of employment, which contains the contractual pension provisions at Section 7 (Pensions). If there is any conflict between this policy and the law, the law prevails.

2. The Law: Automatic Enrolment Legislation

Automatic enrolment is a legal duty placed on every UK employer. The principal legislation and guidance is:

• Pensions Act 2008, Part 1 – the framework of employer duties, jobholder rights, opt-in, opt-out and the prohibition on inducement: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2008/30/contents
• The Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes (Automatic Enrolment) Regulations 2010 – the detailed rules on enrolment, postponement, opt-outs and refunds: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/772/contents
• The annual Earnings Trigger and Qualifying Earnings Band Orders – setting each tax year’s thresholds: gov.uk – AE earnings trigger and qualifying earnings band
• The Pensions Regulator (TPR) – the body that enforces employer duties: https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk
• Workplace pensions overview for employees: https://www.gov.uk/workplace-pensions

We comply in full with these duties, including keeping records, making statutory communications, paying contributions across on time and re-enrolling eligible staff at our three-yearly re-enrolment dates.

3. Our Chosen Pension Scheme: NEST

Our chosen automatic enrolment pension scheme is the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) – the workplace pension scheme established by the Government specifically to support automatic enrolment. NEST is a qualifying scheme, is run as a trust in members’ interests, and accepts every eligible worker. You can manage your pension, view your pot and update your details at https://www.nestpensions.org.uk.

While NEST is our provider at the current time, we keep the marketplace under review. From time to time we will assess alternative workplace pension providers – in particular where an alternative may offer better investment performance or a better fee structure for members. Any such review is carried out for you, on your behalf, by us as your employer, and at no cost to you. If we ever change provider you will be notified in advance, your rights will be unaffected, and your enrolment will continue with the new qualifying scheme.

4. Automatic Enrolment: You Are Enrolled

You do not need to do anything to join the pension scheme – enrolment is automatic. We will automatically enrol you into NEST if you meet the statutory criteria of an “eligible jobholder”:

• you are aged at least 22 and under State Pension age;
• you earn above the earnings trigger, currently £10,000 a year (2026/27); and
• you ordinarily work in the UK.

If you earn less than the trigger, or fall outside the age band, you are not automatically enrolled – but you still have the statutory right to opt in or join, and we will enrol you on request. Where you earn above £6,240 a year, we must also contribute for you if you opt in. When you are enrolled you will receive a statutory notice confirming your enrolment, the scheme details and your rights.

5. The Three-Month Deferment (Postponement) Period

As permitted by the Pensions Act 2008, we operate a postponement period of three months from the start of your employment. This means that, as a new employee, your automatic enrolment date is deferred until the end of that three-month period. Postponement exists to accommodate short and temporary assignments and to avoid contributions being taken and refunded in quick succession. You will receive a postponement notice explaining this when you join.

At the end of the postponement period, if you meet the eligibility criteria above, you will be automatically enrolled with effect from your deferral date, and contributions will begin from the next available pay reference period.

6. Joining Sooner: Opting In During the Deferment Period

Postponement never restricts your right to join earlier. You may opt in at any time during the three-month deferment period – you do not have to wait for the qualifying period to expire.

This option has always been available to you through your Personal Portal. To join sooner:

• log in to your Personal Portal at portal.peoplegroupservices.com;
• go to the Pension section; and
• select the option confirming that you would like to start your pension contributions now.

Your portal request is treated as your statutory opt-in notice. You will be enrolled with effect from the next available pay reference period, and both your contributions and (where applicable) our employer contributions will begin from that point.

7. Contributions: Who Pays What

Statutory minimum contributions total 8% of your qualifying earnings – the band of earnings between £6,240 and £50,270 a year (2026/27 figures, reviewed annually by the Government). What you personally pay depends on the employment product you are engaged under:

Employment product	Employer pays	You pay	Total
Enhanced products (where stated in your assignment terms)	Full 8% – we pay the entire minimum contribution	0% (you may still contribute voluntarily)	8%+
Standard products	Minimum 3%	5% (including the basic-rate tax relief added to your contribution)	8%

 

Your payslip and your assignment documentation confirm which product applies to you. Under enhanced products the employer contribution of the full 8% is paid by us in addition to your gross pay – nothing is deducted from you unless you choose to add your own contributions on top.

8. Increasing Your Contributions

The statutory minimum is exactly that – a minimum. You may increase your own pension contribution at any time to a level that suits you. Additional contributions are taken from your pay in one of two ways:

• As a gross figure – the amount you choose is applied as a gross contribution through payroll; or
• As a net figure with relief at source – the amount is deducted from your net (after-tax) pay, and the scheme then claims basic-rate tax relief from HMRC and adds it to your pot, repaying the tax so that your contribution becomes the equivalent gross payment. For example, an £80 net contribution becomes £100 in your pension once relief at source is added.

Higher-rate taxpayers may be able to claim additional relief through their tax return. To increase your contributions, contact payroll or update your preferences via your Personal Portal, and we will apply the change from the next available pay reference period.

9. Why We Encourage Pension Saving

Pensions are one of the most tax-efficient ways of saving for your retirement: your contributions receive tax relief, our employer contributions are paid free of income tax and National Insurance, and your pot grows free of UK income and capital gains tax. Saving consistently across your working life – even in modest amounts – is the best way to plan for the retirement you want, on top of any State Pension entitlement.

We fully encourage everybody to contribute to their pension. We will never, in any way, steer you, advise you or tell you to stop paying into your pension, and we will never encourage or induce you to opt out – indeed, inducing an employee to opt out is unlawful under the Pensions Act 2008, and we take that prohibition seriously. Remaining in your pension and contributing towards it is, in almost every case, the best outcome for your retirement planning.

We are not authorised to give you financial advice. For free, impartial guidance on pensions and retirement planning, visit MoneyHelper: https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk. You may also wish to speak to an independent financial adviser.

10. Opting Out

Membership is entirely your choice. While we hope you will stay in the scheme, if you decide it is not right for you at this time, we can tell you how to opt out – although the opt-out itself must be made by you, directly with NEST. By law we cannot opt you out, hand you an opt-out form before you are enrolled, or process an opt-out on the scheme’s behalf.

• When: you may opt out during the one-calendar-month opt-out window which starts once you have been enrolled and NEST has sent you your enrolment information.
• How: directly with NEST – online through your NEST account at nestpensions.org.uk or by phone using the details in your NEST welcome pack.
• Refund: if you opt out within the window, any contributions already deducted are refunded to you in full and you are treated as never having joined.
• After the window: you may still cease active membership at any time, but contributions already made remain invested in your pot until retirement in accordance with the scheme rules.

If you opt out or cease membership, we are legally required to re-enrol you at our next three-yearly re-enrolment date if you meet the eligibility criteria at that time. You would then be free to opt out again. You may also opt back in at any point via your Personal Portal, as described in Section 6.

11. Pay Reference Periods

For automatic enrolment purposes your pay reference period is Monday to Sunday where you are weekly paid (or paid by reference to multiples of a week), and each calendar month where you are monthly paid.

12. Questions and Further Information

If you have any questions about your enrolment, your contributions or this policy, contact Client Care on 0345 034 1530 or clientcare@peoplegroupservices.com, or use the Contact Us section of your Personal Portal. For questions about your pot, investments or NEST account, contact NEST directly.

Board Declaration

This policy has been approved and authorised by the Board of Directors of People Group Services Limited (company number 11570329). It will be reviewed annually, and additionally whenever the underlying legislation, statutory thresholds or our chosen pension scheme provider changes.

Declaration

This Policy is approved by the Board of Directors of: People Group Services Limited Company Number: 11570329

Last updated: 5th September 2026