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My Future Fund Ireland 2026

What every Irish employer must do at every pay run.

Ireland's mandatory pension auto-enrolment scheme launched on 1 January 2026. It is not a once-off registration. It creates six recurring obligations that must be completed correctly at every single pay run. Most employers set it up in January and assumed the hard part was done. It wasn't.

What is My Future Fund? The employer explainer.

My Future Fund is Ireland's mandatory workplace pension scheme, administered by NAERSA (National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority). It applies to employees aged 23–60 earning over €20,000 per year who are not already in a qualifying occupational pension scheme.

Employers must register on the NAERSA employer portal, retrieve payroll notifications before each pay run, submit contributions by a strict deadline, and stop deductions when NAERSA notifies an opt-out. The State contributes 0.5% on top of employer and employee contributions.

What Irish employers are required to do

  • Register your business on the MyFutureFund employer portal using your ROS credentials
  • Identify eligible employees using NAERSA's 13-week lookback rules
  • Retrieve the Auto-Enrolment Payroll Notification (AEPN) before every pay run
  • Submit the Auto-Enrolment Contribution Submission (AECS) on time each pay date
  • Stop deductions immediately once you receive notification from NAERSA that an employee has opted out
  • Note: Contribution refunds are processed centrally by NAERSA and paid directly to the employee — not through the employer or payroll
  • Note: Re-enrolment is managed automatically by NAERSA — the employer does not re-enrol employees
  • Apply contribution rate increases every 3 years (1.5% → 3.0% → 4.5% → 6.0%)

Where most employers are not yet up to speed

These are the errors CBCR finds most often when reviewing payroll for new clients:

  • Setting up in January and not retrieving updated AEPNs at every subsequent pay run
  • Missing the the required deadline
  • Not stopping deductions immediately when NAERSA notifies an employee opt-out in July–August 2026
  • Continuing to deduct contributions after NAERSA has processed an opt-out
  • Not stopping deductions promptly when NAERSA notifies that an employee has opted out
  • Incorrectly classifying employees already in qualifying pensions as subject to auto-enrolment

How CBCR handles it

CBCR manages the payroll side of My Future Fund as standard — included in every managed payroll engagement. We register your business on NAERSA, retrieve AEPNs before every pay run, and submit contributions on time every pay date. When NAERSA notifies us that an employee has opted out, we stop deductions immediately. Opt-outs, refunds, and re-enrolment are all managed centrally by NAERSA — not by the employer or payroll provider. You receive a monthly confirmation that your obligations are met. Nothing else required from you.

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Frequently asked questions

Years 1–3 (2026–2028): 1.5% employee + 1.5% employer + 0.5% State = 3.5% total. Rates increase every three years, reaching 6% employee + 6% employer + 2% State from Year 10 onwards. Contributions apply to gross pay up to €80,000 per year. Gross pay includes all taxable earnings processed through payroll such as salary, overtime, bonuses, commission, and taxable benefits in kind. Employer contributions are a deductible business expense for tax purposes.
Employees opt out directly through the MyFutureFund participant portal using their MyGovID. This is handled entirely between the employee and NAERSA — the employer does not process the opt-out. Once NAERSA processes the opt-out, they notify the payroll provider. Deductions stop from the next pay run. Contribution refunds are paid directly to the employee by NAERSA — not through payroll.
Non-compliance may lead to enforcement action by NAERSA under the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Act. Employees also have statutory rights and avenues for redress in relation to auto-enrolment compliance. Contact NAERSA directly for current guidance on enforcement.
Yes. Employer contributions to My Future Fund are a deductible business expense for tax purposes.
No. Employees who are already active members of a qualifying occupational pension scheme are exempt from mandatory auto-enrolment. You must correctly identify and classify exempt employees at the time of enrolment.

Official Revenue & Government resources

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