Auto-Enrolment (My Future Fund)
aka AE, My Future Fund, Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System
Ireland's workplace pension scheme, branded My Future Fund. Live since 1 January 2026, administered by NAERSA. Eligible employees aged 23 to 60 earning over EUR 20,000 are automatically enrolled, with contributions deducted at source by payroll software.
Last reviewed April 2026
Definition
Auto-Enrolment is Ireland's workplace pension scheme, branded My Future Fund and established under the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Act 2024. The scheme went live on 1 January 2026 after the original 30 September 2025 start date was postponed, and is administered by the National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority (NAERSA). Employees aged between 23 and 60 who earn over EUR 20,000 a year from a single employer and are not already in a qualifying employer pension are automatically enrolled. Self-employed people and public-sector workers are outside the scheme. Contributions phase in over ten years: 1.5% employee plus 1.5% employer plus 0.5% State top-up in years 1 to 3, rising in three-yearly steps to 6% plus 6% plus 2% from year 10 onwards. The State top-up is structured as EUR 1 for every EUR 3 the employee contributes, calculated on gross earnings up to an annual cap of EUR 80,000. Contributions are deducted at source by payroll software and remitted to NAERSA, not to a private pension provider. Employees can opt out during a defined window in months seven and eight after enrolment, after which further opt-outs open every three years. Existing occupational pension schemes that meet the qualifying threshold continue unchanged; Auto-Enrolment only captures the previously unpensioned workforce.
Why it matters for software choice
Every Irish employer with non-pensioned staff in the eligible age and earnings band is in scope, regardless of company size. Payroll software that does not handle contribution calculation, opt-out tracking and Central Processing Authority remittance will need to be replaced or upgraded. For SMEs, the bigger operational shift is communications: notifying eligible employees, managing opt-out windows, and reconciling re-enrolment cycles every two years.
Authority sources
- gov.ie: Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Scheme (www.gov.ie)
- Department of Social Protection: My Future Fund (www.gov.ie)
Software categories this affects
Vendors covered by this term
BrightPay
Award-winning Irish payroll with full PAYE Modernisation and Revenue integration
Collsoft Payroll
Irish payroll software for small businesses and bureau practices with full Revenue and PAYE Modernisation compliance
Thesaurus Payroll Manager
Affordable PAYE-compliant Irish payroll, from EUR229 ex VAT per year
Related terms
NAERSA
The statutory body that runs Ireland's Auto-Enrolment workplace pension scheme (My Future Fund). Identifies eligible employees, issues Auto-Enrolment Payroll Notifications, and collects contributions from employers. Operationally live since 1 January 2026.
PAYE Modernisation
Ireland's real-time payroll reporting regime, introduced by Revenue on 1 January 2019. Every payroll run must submit data to Revenue on or before the date employees are paid.