On 12 December 2016, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) confirmed the key areas that will be tackled in the 2017 review of pensions auto-enrolment.
As well as measuring the success of auto-enrolment so far, the review will also investigate how auto-enrolment can be developed further to encourage more individuals to save for their retirement.
This will include how to support individuals who do not currently benefit from the arrangement, such as employees who have multiple jobs and do not qualify for auto-enrolment in any of these positions, as well as self-employed individuals.
Other areas the review will focus on include examining the enrolment thresholds for triggering saving and the age criteria at which individuals are automatically enrolled. The review will also consider the level of the charge cap, and include the requirements set in legislation relating to the statutory review of the alternative quality requirements for defined benefit (DB) schemes and for the certification requirements for money purchase schemes.
The review will analyse technical aspects of auto-enrolment to ensure that it is working as intended, and see whether there are any policies that disproportionately impact different categories of employers or that could be simplified.
The DWP will lead the review alongside a supporting external advisory group, featuring experts from within the pensions industry and those representing member and employer interests.
