Employment contracts and pay UK-wide

Re-enrolment: your three-year duties

How to manage the three-year re-enrolment cycle for auto-enrolment. Covers calculating your re-enrolment date, assessing opted-out workers, the re-enrolment process, and re-declaring compliance with The Pensions Regulator.

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What is re-enrolment?

Every three years, you must re-assess workers who previously opted out of your pension scheme and auto-enrol those who now meet the eligibility criteria. This is a legal requirement even if you believe all opted-out workers will opt out again.

Re-enrolment ensures workers have regular opportunities to save for retirement. Circumstances change — someone who opted out three years ago may now want to join.

Calculate your re-enrolment date

Your re-enrolment date is exactly three years from your duties start date (the date you first employed someone). If your duties started on 1 June 2023, your first re-enrolment date is 1 June 2026.

You can choose to bring your re-enrolment date forward by up to three months, or delay it by up to three months. This flexibility lets you align re-enrolment with your payroll cycle.

Set a reminder: Put a calendar reminder at least six months before your re-enrolment date. This gives you time to prepare and communicate with staff.

  1. 1

    Identify your re-enrolment date (3 years from duties start date)

  2. 2

    Choose your re-enrolment window (up to 3 months either side)

  3. 3

    List all workers who opted out or left the scheme since last enrolment

  4. 4

    Assess each worker against current eligibility criteria (age 22-SPA, earning £10,000+)

  5. 5

    Auto-enrol those who are now eligible jobholders

  6. 6

    Write to re-enrolled workers explaining their opt-out rights

  7. 7

    Write to non-eligible and entitled workers about their right to opt in or join

  8. 8

    Complete your re-declaration of compliance with TPR within 5 months

Who to re-enrol

You must re-assess and re-enrol workers who:

  • Opted out of the scheme within the one-month opt-out window
  • Left the scheme voluntarily (ceased membership) after the opt-out window
  • Were enrolled by you but contributions have stopped

You do not need to re-enrol workers who are still active members of the scheme. Only assess those who left or opted out.

Re-declaration of compliance

After completing re-enrolment, you must submit a re-declaration of compliance to The Pensions Regulator. The process is the same as the original declaration — complete it online within five months of your re-enrolment date.

You must re-declare even if no one was re-enrolled (for example, if all previously opted-out workers are now below the earnings threshold or above State Pension age).