Skip to content
Auto-enrolment milestone Breaking

Auto-enrolment My Future Fund commences 1 January 2026: the payroll changes Irish employers must make

Regulatory event dated 1 January 2026. Published 1 June 2026.

My Future Fund, Ireland's auto-enrolment pension scheme under the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Act 2024, commences 1 January 2026 with Year 1 contributions of 1.5 percent each from employee and employer.

What changed

  • My Future Fund commences 1 January 2026, established by the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Act 2024 and run by the National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority (NAERSA).
  • Employees aged 23 to 60 earning more than EUR 20,000 a year, who are not already in a qualifying workplace pension, are enrolled automatically.
  • Year 1 contributions are 1.5 percent of gross earnings from the employee and 1.5 percent from the employer, with the State adding EUR 1 for every EUR 3 the employee contributes.
  • Contributions phase up over ten years, rising by 1.5 percentage points every three years to a final 6 percent from employee and 6 percent from employer.
  • Employer and State contributions apply to gross earnings up to a cap of EUR 80,000 a year.

What you need to do

  1. Identify which of your staff meet the enrolment test: aged 23 to 60, earning over EUR 20,000, and not already in a qualifying scheme. NAERSA enrols eligible employees automatically, but you need to know who is in scope.
  2. Confirm your payroll software can calculate and remit auto-enrolment contributions and report them correctly. Speak to your payroll vendor now if you have not had written confirmation that My Future Fund deductions are supported.
  3. Budget for the employer contribution. At 1.5 percent of gross pay up to the EUR 80,000 cap in Year 1, the cost is modest, but it rises every three years and should be in your forecasts.
  4. Decide how you will communicate the change to staff. An employee can opt out only after a set participation period, so explaining the State top-up and the phasing early reduces confusion at the first payslip.

My Future Fund, Ireland’s auto-enrolment retirement savings scheme, commences on 1 January 2026. It was established by the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Act 2024 and is administered by a new statutory body, the National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority (NAERSA), set up by the Department of Social Protection.

The scheme automatically enrols employees aged between 23 and 60 who earn more than EUR 20,000 a year and are not already in a qualifying workplace pension. For an employer, the practical consequence is a new payroll deduction and a matching employer contribution, both of which your payroll system has to handle from the first pay run after an eligible employee is enrolled.

Contributions start low and phase up. In Year 1 the employee pays 1.5 percent of gross earnings and the employer matches it at 1.5 percent. The State adds EUR 1 for every EUR 3 the employee puts in. Rates step up by 1.5 percentage points every three years until they reach 6 percent from the employee and 6 percent from the employer. Employer and State contributions apply to gross earnings up to a cap of EUR 80,000 a year.

The change lands squarely on payroll and HR. The enrolment itself is automatic and handled by NAERSA, but the employer is responsible for remitting contributions correctly and for budgeting the new cost. If you have not had written confirmation from your payroll vendor that My Future Fund deductions are supported, that is the single most useful question to ask before the first 2026 pay run.

This page surfaces the regulation and links the official sources. It is not financial or legal advice. Confirm your own obligations as an employer with your payroll provider or adviser.

Vendors signalling paye modernisation ready

Generated live from the Vendors.ie dataset: vendors in the affected categories that carry a verified paye modernisation ready signal, the data point most relevant to this event. This is a starting filter for your own due diligence, not a ruling that any vendor is compliant with the regulation.

Affected categories

Related on Vendors.ie

Sources

Vendors.ie surfaces the regulation and links the authority's primary document. This is not tax, legal or financial advice. Consult your own adviser before acting.

Last reviewed 1 June 2026