Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 June 2026
157. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection to confirm if NAERSA will accept a voluntary opt-in to autoenrollment backdated to 1 January 2026 for a person (details supplied) when said employee had signalled a willingness to opt-in in advance of 1 January 2026 but it was a number of months into 2026 before their employer signed them up to MyFutureFund. [44384/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Government contained a commitment to introduce the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System (AE). The aim of introducing AE is to address the pension coverage gap that exists in Ireland and to provide workers with greater comfort and security regarding their retirement income.
The new system - known as MyFutureFund - commenced on the 1st January 2026.
A person may opt in to MyFutureFund in one of two ways. They can either submit an opt-in request electronically via the MyFutureFund participant portal or download the opt-in request form from MyFutureFund.ie, complete it and send it by post to the address specified. It is important to clarify in relation to this that when an employee opts in, it is the National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority that processes the opting in and an individual's employer has no role in the process.
Where a person submits an opt-in request to NAERSA it will be processed without delay once their eligibility is determined, however, it is not possible to backdate the opt-in request to take effect from a date prior to when NAERSA makes its determination that an individual can opt in.
I hope this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
