23 Nov 2020
Firms warned over pension duties regardless of Covid-19
More UK employers are being hit with auto-enrolment penalties.
The Pensions Regulator (TPR) is stressing that the pension duties
of firms have not changed despite the impact of Coronavirus.
And it is reminding all employers of their auto-enrolment responsibilities.
TPR's latest quarterly compliance and enforcement bulletin shows a 191.4% increase in unpaid contribution notices - from 352 to 1,026 - and a 17% increase in compliance notices - from 13,185 to 15,420 - compared with the previous quarter.
The regulator says it is continuing to be tough with employers who don't comply with their auto-enrolment duties.
Risk
Mel Charles, director of auto-enrolment at TPR, said: "Employers may have seen their business change because of Covid-19, but their pension duties have not.
"While we issued easements at the start of the pandemic, we closely monitored compliance and took action where necessary.
"We continued to target employers who committed serious breaches and where staff contributions were at immediate risk.
"As predicted, we are seeing a return to normal levels of enforcement activity in line with our expectations, but we will monitor this closely.
"Indications are that the majority of employers are paying their contributions in full and on time, and we have not seen any unusual increase in reports of late payments by pension schemes.
"However, employers must remember their pension duties continue and failure to fulfil them may lead to legal action."
The bulletin also shows how TPR secured its first confiscation order under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) 2002 in September when a fraudster who swindled a charity's pension scheme out of more than £250,000 was told he must pay back the money he stole or face further jail time.
In a separate hearing in October, TPR secured a second confiscation order under the POCA for a fraudster who defrauded a scheme of £292,000.
Nicola Parish, executive director of frontline regulation, said: "Our two recent court successes show that we'll use every weapon at our disposal to ensure pension criminals do not benefit from their crimes at the expense of hardworking savers.
"Our enforcement work will continue to see criminals punished, but we also expect industry to help ensure savers' money isn't stolen in the first place. All providers, trustees and administrators should commit to safeguarding savers by joining our campaign and pledging to combat pensions scams."
Help for businesses
Aberdein Considine can provide an easy-to-manage workplace pension scheme for businesses of all sizes. As independent advisers we work with a variety of providers who have developed a range of tools and support material to help you meet your employer duties both now and in the future.
Auto-enrolment poses a considerable challenge to your business. You’ll need to introduce a range of new processes, record keeping and reporting requirements to comply with your employer duties, so advanced planning is vital.