The launch date for Ireland’s automatic enrolment (AE) pension system has been announced as 30 September 2025, confirming another delay.

Ireland’s Department for Social Protection (DSP) said the date for the launch of AE would be announced in the Budget 2025, which takes place tomorrow (1 October), but the Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys, confirmed the date on RTE’s This Week radio programme yesterday, 29 September.

“On Thursday, last, the government agreed that the start date for enrolments under the automatic enrolment system will be the 30 September 2025 and full details will be announced this week as part of the Budget,” she said.

She added that this gives “businesses certainty and a full year lead in”, which she thinks is fair.

The AE pension scheme has faced a series of delays. In March this year, the DSP told European Pensions the scheme would begin enrolling workers in January 2025 but more recently this changed to 2025.

The pensions industry has been critical of the lack of communication about the scheme and timings. The Irish Association of Pension Funds (IAPF) recently urged the DSP to confirm that AE will not commence in 2025 (or confirm with absolute certainty the date it will commence in 2025) and that a firm date will only be confirmed when a deliverable plan for all the outstanding issues has been agreed.

Commenting on this most recent update, IAPF CEO, Jerry Moriarty, said it was positive to be told of a start date that seems more realistic. However, he believes that the DSP still needs to publish a detailed plan and timetable.

“It would still be helpful to see a detailed plan and timetable of the steps that need to happen such as the appointment of the administrator, tender issued for investment managers, setting up of the National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority (NAERSA) and a comprehensive communications plan ahead of the start date. In particular, there needs to be more engagement with existing schemes to ensure a smooth introduction that doesn’t undermine existing provision.”

The legislation for the scheme, the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Act 2024, has now been passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas and enacted. In addition, Tata Consultancy Services, which administers Nest in the UK, has been selected as the preferred bidder to administer the AE system. Contracts are yet to be signed, however.

The department is now working on establishing the National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority (NAERSA) and the procurement of investment managers.

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