Irish Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys, has signed the commencement order that will see the first enrolments under the Auto Enrolment Retirement Saving System begin on 30 September 2025.

The minister has also secured government approval for the establishment of the National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority (NAERSA) on 31 March 2025.

This timing is expected to ensure the board and executive management of NAERSA has six months to oversee the implementation of the various arrangements and systems ahead of the auto-enrolment system going live on 30 September 2025.

In line with this, the Department of Social Protection (DSP) will now begin work to recruit personnel for both board and staff positions.

While the DSP previously suggested that the scheme would begin enrolling workers in January 2025, the government recently confirmed that the enrolment system, to be called My Future Fund, had been delayed until September 2025.

However, Humphreys pointed out that the September start date will give stakeholders involved including employees, their employers, payroll developers and providers, time to make the necessary preparations and adjustments to their systems and their processes to facilitate the implementation of auto enrolment and to budget accordingly.

Broader work towards the launch has also continued, as the contract has now been signed with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to act as the managed service provided for My Future Fund.

“I am pleased to welcome TCS on board as the managed service provider for My Future Fund,” Humphreys said.

“TCS has a wealth of relevant experience, having provided similar services in other countries.

"My officials and I will be working hard alongside TCS, the Revenue Commissioners and payroll software developers to make sure that My Future Fund is delivered on time and to the highest standard.”

These approvals by government, the signing of the contact with TCS and the signing of the commencement order by the minister mean that auto-enrolment will now become a reality for workers in Ireland in 2025.

To prepare for this, the DPS has also launched a "major" communications campaign to inform people of the new system and what it will mean for them.

This campaign will continue over the coming months and will cover all media channels, including social media, and numerous media formats.

The DSP will also shortly issue a tender for the procurement of investment managers to manage participants’ funds.

Commenting on the recent progress made towards the launch, Humphreys added: “Auto enrolment has been talked about for 30 years – in 2025 it will become a reality.

“This is going to mean 800,000 workers will have an occupational pension on top of their state pension.

“Ultimately it will mean people have more money and more comfort in their retirement – that’s good for the economy, good for businesses and good for our society.

“Auto enrolment is the single most significant reform of the pensions landscape in Ireland since the introduction of the state pension in 1908. In decades to come it will be seen as one of the lasting legacies of this government.”

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