Every month, we need you to send us full details of the pension contributions applicable to each individual member though our online service. We have lots of helpful resources to assist you with submitting this information including:

• A Contributions File Upload Checklist this is a step-by-step guide to submitting your monthly contributions. 
• A blank Contributions File Template which includes all the headings of the information we need to process the member’s contributions. If you are just making a few changes from last month’s submission it may be easier to download a copy of download a copy of your most recent submission under the manage contributions section once you login to our online system.

Once you upload this information, the online service will ensure the data is validated and any queries are resolved before it is loaded onto the membership records. Using the online service helps to reduce any potential delays arising when settling members’ benefits and improves the accuracy of the data recorded.

Timescales/deadlines

We must receive your monthly contribution file by the 10th of the calendar month following the month in which the contributions were deducted from the members' salaries. For example if you pay your employees on the 10th of January, we would need the submission to be completed by the 10th of February. This allows us to process contributions by the 19th, which is the legal deadline. 

Any late payments can also have a detrimental impact on the performance of your members’ investments. Due to the additional cost of administration for late payments TPT applies a late payment charge for contributions received after the 19th. Please see the Payment Policy for further guidance.

Please note: you are legally obliged to submit contributions deducted from members' pay on time. If you don't, The Pensions Regulator may ultimately fine your organisation. TPT will not be responsible for any penalty imposed for late payment of contributions.

If your organisation has elected to provide members with online access, additional data is required in the form of the HR Data File Upload Checklist.  

If you need any further information please contact us. 

An employee may need to be absent from work for various reasons including maternity leave, paternity leave, adoption leave, parental  leave or sickness. The sections below explain what will happen in respect of making pension contributions during this time.

Family Leave (Maternity Leave/Adoption Leave/Paternity Leave/Additional Paternity Leave)

Adoption Leave, Paternity Leave or Additional Paternity Leave will be treated in the same way as a woman taking Maternity Leave.

For the first 39 weeks of maternity leave:

• Your employee will pay their normal rate of contributions but only on the pay they actually receive during maternity leave, this includes Statutory Maternity Pay.
• You will be expected to pay their normal contributions based on the pay they would have been receiving if they were not on maternity leave plus any shortfall in their contribution.
• Their membership will continue as normal, based on the salary they would have been receiving if they were not on maternity leave.
• If the member returns to work before the end of this period, contributions must start up again immediately.
• If the member is receiving Maternity Allowance, as their employer you are still liable to pay pension contributions even though they are receiving pay direct from the State and not from you. Member and employer contributions should be paid by you for the first 39 weeks based on the pay the member would have been receiving if they had not gone on maternity leave.

After the first 39 weeks:

• We would not expect any contributions unless the member is receiving pay.
• On the members return, they can choose whether to make extra contributions to cover the period that they have been absent.   It is then at your discretion whether to pay the employer’s share.  If you decline to pay the member can choose to also pay the employers share.  You would need to ensure that any additional contributions are paid across in your normal monthly contribution submission.

Other absence

If the member is absent for any other reason for example Parental Leave or a temporary absence and pay continues during the absence, contributions should be based on the actual salary paid. If the absence is without pay, contributions should not be paid for the period of unpaid leave. 

When the employee returns to work, they will have the option to pay the contributions missed or any shortfall in contributions. It is then at your discretion whether to pay the employer’s share. If you decline to pay the member can choose to also pay the employers share. You would need to ensure that any additional contributions are paid across in your normal monthly contribution submission.

Where no contributions are being made to the scheme, there will be a maximum period of absence that will apply before the member becomes a leaver in the scheme. This period of time varies dependent on the scheme that the member is contributing to. To obtain more information on the relevant rules of your specific scheme, please select your scheme or give us a call.

An employee may need to be absent from work for various reasons including maternity leave, paternity leave, adoption leave, parental  leave or sickness. The sections below explain what will happen in respect of making pension contributions during this time.

Family Leave (Maternity Leave/Adoption Leave/Paternity Leave/Additional Paternity Leave)

Adoption Leave, Paternity Leave or Additional Paternity Leave will be treated in the same way as a woman taking Maternity Leave.

For the first 39 weeks of maternity leave:

• Your employee will pay their normal rate of contributions but only on the pay they actually receive during maternity leave, this includes Statutory Maternity Pay.
• You will be expected to pay their normal contributions based on the pay they would have been receiving if they were not on maternity leave plus any shortfall in their contribution.
• Their membership will continue as normal, based on the salary they would have been receiving if they were not on maternity leave.
• If the member returns to work before the end of this period, contributions must start up again immediately.
• If the member is receiving Maternity Allowance, as their employer you are still liable to pay pension contributions even though they are receiving pay direct from the State and not from you. Member and employer contributions should be paid by you for the first 39 weeks based on the pay the member would have been receiving if they had not gone on maternity leave.

After the first 39 weeks:

• We would not expect any contributions unless the member is receiving pay.
• On the members return, they can choose whether to make extra contributions to cover the period that they have been absent.   It is then at your discretion whether to pay the employer’s share.  If you decline to pay the member can choose to also pay the employers share.  You would need to ensure that any additional contributions are paid across in your normal monthly contribution submission.

Other absence

If the member is absent for any other reason for example Parental Leave or a temporary absence and pay continues during the absence, contributions should be based on the actual salary paid. If the absence is without pay, contributions should not be paid for the period of unpaid leave. 

When the employee returns to work, they will have the option to pay the contributions missed or any shortfall in contributions. It is then at your discretion whether to pay the employer’s share. If you decline to pay the member can choose to also pay the employers share. You would need to ensure that any additional contributions are paid across in your normal monthly contribution submission.

Where no contributions are being made to the scheme, there will be a maximum period of absence that will apply before the member becomes a leaver in the scheme. This period of time varies dependent on the scheme that the member is contributing to. To obtain more information on the relevant rules of your specific scheme, please select your scheme or give us a call.

Any changes to member details should be completed in your monthly HR data file submission.  The data changes that can be amended via the HR data file are:

• name changes
• address changes
• email address changes
• salary changes; and
• working hours changes.

 

Please refer to the Benpal System Help Guides for further assistance on how to make these changes on the HR Data file.

If your organisation has chosen not to use Benpal, please notify us in writing, email or telephone of these changes as soon as possible. Our contact details can be found here.

For changes in name we will need to receive the relevant evidence, before any benefits will be paid. The administration teams will accept copies of certificates that have been certified by you; otherwise the originals will be required. All original certificates will be returned by tracked post.

If your employee is a Defined Benefit member they can use the DB Online facility to update their name and address details directly using this secure system.

If the wrong contributions have been sent across to us, it can be complicated to correct the member’s record. This is because money may have already been invested for the member or a pension benefit calculated based on the contribution we have received.

If you do need to correct a member’s contribution, please contact us as soon as possible and we can guide you through what you need to do to ensure that the correct contributions are paid and any benefits we would pay will be accurate. 

Employees who only hold a Defined Contribution (DC) benefit

Annual Benefit Statements are provided to all members of the DC schemes. This includes active members who are currently employed and making contributions to the Scheme and past members who are no longer contributing but have a deferred benefit in the Scheme. The statement will be uploaded to the member’s own personal Benpal account for them to collect when it is convenient

Dependent on the Scheme, benefit statements are issued to members between January and August each year.

The DC benefit statement contains the following information:

• The member’s personal details and membership dates.
• The contributions credited to the member’s savings pot by both the member and the employer during the last Scheme year. The contributions will be those that have been received and invested prior to the statement date. For example, if the statement date is 1 October, the statement would not normally include the October contributions as these are usually received during November.  Any contributions received or invested after the year-end will be included in the next year’s statement.
• The value of the member's savings pot at the statement date (split between the investment funds)
• A Statutory Money Purchase Illustration (SMPI) of projected benefits. This is an illustration of the benefits that could be provided at the member's Selected Retirement Date assuming contributions continue at the current rate and uses specific assumptions for salary growth and investment return. Members should be aware that the value of investments may fall as well as rise and is not guaranteed.

Employees who have a Defined Benefit (DB) and a Defined Contribution (DC) benefit 

If any of your employees hold an active record which has both a Defined Benefit (DB) and a Defined Contribution (DC) element they will also receive a separate annual DB Benefit Statement. This will detail the DB benefits which the member is entitled to. The most recent benefit statement will be available on our DB Online system for the member to view. If the member has chosen to opt out of using the facility the statement will be issued by post if requested by the member.

The ‘Date Pensionable Service Commenced’ shown on the Defined Contribution (DC) statement will be the date the member joined the DC scheme and not the point at which they joined the scheme under the DB structure.

Employees who only hold a Defined Benefit (DB) in the scheme

The Annual Benefit Statement will be automatically uploaded to the DB Online system for active and paid up members to view when they want. Deferred members (either because they have left the scheme or your employment) are no longer automatically issued with a benefit statement. However, they can request one via DB Online, or contact us by telephone or email. The dates statements are uploaded vary dependent upon the scheme that the member is in.  Members will be notified that a new statement is online when they log into the system.  Where members have chosen not to use the facility they are able to request a copy of the statement to be sent to them.

The DB benefit statement contains the following information:

• The member’s personal details and membership dates.
• Yearly pension at the statement date
• Death benefits

If you need any further information in relation to the Annual Benefit Statements, please contact us. 

There is a legal requirement to conduct a full funding review of the scheme every 3 years with an interim funding update provided each year between full valuations. To keep members informed about the scheme’s funding position, Summary Funding Statements are issued to all members. These can be collected from the documents area of the members DB Online account or will be issued in paper form on request.