Ireland’s long-awaited auto-enrolment (AE) pension system, ‘My Future Fund’, goes live on 1st January 2026. It’s a major shift, and for most private-sector employers, it’s the biggest payroll process change since the introduction of real-time payroll reporting in 2019.
And it’s safe to say the clock is ticking! To manage this shift, every employer must take a few clear, practical steps between now and the new year.
If you haven’t yet begun your AE readiness sprint, fear not. This guide will help you start strong, and finish on time.
1. Understand what’s changing, and why
Before we dive into the detail, take a breath. The goal is simple: help more people save for the future while keeping payroll running smoothly.
From January, every employee in Ireland aged 23-60, earning between €20,000 and €80,000 per annum, and who isn’t already in a company pension scheme will be automatically enrolled into My Future Fund.
The AE scheme will be managed by the National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority (NAERSA), which opens its employer portal on 1st December 2025.
Here’s how contributions will work from 2026:
- 1.5% from the employee
- 1.5% from the employer
- 0.5% State top-up
Those percentages will rise gradually to 6% employer, 6% employee, and 2% State top-up by 2034.
The AE system runs separately from private pension schemes, so you’ll need to identify who’s in scope and who’s already covered elsewhere.
The good news: Once you understand the rules, AE compliance becomes a clear, repeatable process, and one you can automate.
2. Assess your readiness today
If you only do one thing this week, make it this step. A readiness check today can save hours of rework later.
Before the portal opens, every employer should carry out a quick readiness audit. This doesn’t need to be complicated, but it does need to be complete.
Ask yourself:
- Do we know which employees qualify for automatic enrolment?
- Are their age, earnings and pension data complete and accurate?
- Does our payroll software support My Future Fund rules and contribution calculations?
- Who will be responsible for registering our company and employees in the NAERSA portal?
- Have we planned how to explain My Future Fund to employees clearly, consistently, and confidently?
Running this check now means fewer surprises later.
With systems like ZellisONE Pay, employers can flag eligible employees automatically, run AE simulation reports, and prepare payroll for January without manual workarounds.
3. Register early and test before go-live
December will be a busy month, but it’s also your opportunity to get ahead.
The Department of Social Protection has indicated that the My Future Fund Employer Portal will become active from 1st December 2025, with employers receiving requests to register for the portal around 24th November 2025. Every employer must register, even those with only a few qualifying employees.
To register, you’ll need:
- Point of Contact details and payment details for contributions to be sent to NAERSA
Once registered, you’ll receive access to the AE employer dashboard where contributions can be reviewed and tracked.
Before January, run a test payroll in your system to check calculations and contributions. You will not be able to retrieve notifications (AEPNs) from NAERSA until w/b 8th December when the new service is activated. And notifications can only be retrieved from your Live system as NAERSA does not support testing for employers from their own test systems.
Remember: testing isn’t just a safeguard, it’s peace of mind. Once you’ve verified your process works, you can go live with confidence.
4. Communicate clearly with employees
AE is a big change, and employees will naturally have questions: What does this mean for me? How much will be deducted? Can I opt out?
Honest, proactive communication builds trust and reduces confusion later. HR and payroll leaders should work together to create short, simple messages explaining:
- What auto-enrolment means
- How much employees and employers will contribute
- When deductions will start
- How employees can opt out or change contributions
Keep the tone positive, transparent and reassuring. AE is designed to protect employees’ futures, not complicate their pay.
And if you’re using a payroll system like ZellisONE Pay, you can automate employee notifications and personalise messages directly through payslips, ensuring communication is accurate and consistent.
5. Don’t forget your compliance checklist
Compliance may not be the most exciting part of AE, but it’s the most important. Employers are legally responsible for registering, enrolling and remitting contributions on time.
You can use this checklist to stay compliant:
- Register your business on the NAERSA portal
- Enrol eligible employees automatically by acting upon the requests from NAERSA (AEPNs) in a prompt and timely manner. Always try to retrieve the latest notifications just before you calculate your final payroll run, to ensure that you are using the latest instruction.
- Remit contributions by 6:30 p.m. on pay day
- Keep clear records for audits and reporting
Failure to meet these obligations can result in penalties, but with the right systems in place, staying compliant becomes almost effortless.
Final advice: Turn the sprint into momentum
The countdown is on, but the race is yours to run. AE will bring change, yes, but also clarity, consistency and new opportunities to strengthen payroll operations.
Here’s your action plan for the final stretch:
- 1. Audit and clean your data
- 2. Identify eligible employees
- 3. Assess membership of company pension plan if you have one and check eligibility criteria
- 4. Register before 1st December and familiarise yourself with the new NAERSA employer portal
- 5. Test your payroll system
- 6. Communicate early and often
At Zellis, we’re here to help every step of the way, from readiness assessments to automated AE configuration.
Auto-Enrolment is coming. Let’s make it work for you.
ZellisONE Pay is designed to simplify compliance, automate complexity and give your payroll team back time.
Unlimit what’s next in payroll. Start your AE sprint today.
