If you’ve opted out of your employer’s workplace pension scheme or stopped making contributions, you may have the opportunity to rejoin later. By law, employers must re-enrol eligible employees into the scheme at regular intervals.
Automatic Re-Enrolment
Your employer is required to re-enrol you every three years, provided you meet the eligibility criteria at that time. This ensures that individuals who may have opted out previously but now find a workplace pension beneficial are given another chance to participate.
Who Is Eligible for Re-Enrolment?
To qualify for automatic re-enrolment, you must:
Be between 22 years old and State Pension Age.
Earn above the £10,000 annual earnings threshold.
Work in the UK under a contract of employment (this does not apply to self-employed contractors).
Provide work or services personally (meaning you cannot sub-contract the work to someone else).
Your employer will inform you of the required contributions and any available options.
Opting Out Again
If you are re-enrolled but still prefer not to participate, you have the option to opt out again. Your employer will provide instructions on how to do so.
Requesting to Rejoin
If you don’t want to wait for automatic re-enrolment, you can request to rejoin the scheme at any time. However:
Employers are only obligated to process a rejoining request once every 12 months.
This rule is in place to help manage administrative costs.
Employers can choose to allow re-enrolment more frequently at their discretion.
If you’re considering rejoining your workplace pension scheme, speak with your employer to understand the process and contribution requirements.