For new joiners to the company, can we wait until their probationary period of 6-months has been completed before auto-enrolling them in the pension scheme or must we auto-enrol them before the end of the first 3-months.

Employers must provide employees with access to a Personal Retirement Savings Account (“PRSA”) or access to an occupational pension scheme within 6 months of commencing employment. Therefore, provided employees have access to a PRSA or pension scheme within six months of commencing employment, the employer will not be in breach of its obligations.

Please note that there is no obligation to auto-enrol employees to a pension scheme in Ireland. If employees are auto-enrolled as a matter of company policy, they should be provided with the option of unrolling from the scheme. In Ireland, neither employers nor employees are required to contribute to a pension or pay into a PRSA.