Can employers automaticaly enroll you on pension without telling you?

Everyone of us at work got fancy letters inviting us to join the pension scheme
i binned it, im not that old and ive no time for junk
i read through it carefuly, it was an invitiation to join - not `you have been enrolled`
fast forward 5 weeks and myself and my co-worker have automaticaly been deducted 31 pounds as `smart pension 4.0%`
what on earth is this?
our payroll is shut for the week and im extremely upset, there was nowhere it said clearly i was being put on this scheme!

surely we should have to give our consent before hand!

what shold i do
not only have i been massively taxed, but ive had to pay another 31 pounds on something i never asked for!

a reply to: PandaPrincess

You sound British...
I don’t know anything about those rules in England.

Those rule vary from state to state in the US.

I am guessing you are UK as you are talking pounds.

To stop people not making provision for their future by not having a pension, all employers should have a pension scheme which they and the member of staff contributes into.

Lesson... Don't bin fancy letters when it gives you an explanation of what is going on.

UK workplace pensions

a reply to: paraphi
I was enrolled months ago.

If they are matching contributions, it may be worth keeping. They match 6% of my gross wages. I put in 4% and get back 10%

a reply to: visitedbythem

Are you sure that's how that works? I've heard of matching contributions lol. What exactly are they matching? Not your gross wages, because then they'd basically be paying 2x what you earn. Sounds like you're getting 8% total when you could be getting 12%

originally posted by: bender151
a reply to: visitedbythem

Are you sure that's how that works? I've heard of matching contributions lol. What exactly are they matching? Not your gross wages, because then they'd basically be paying 2x what you earn. Sounds like you're getting 8% total when you could be getting 12%

I put in 4%, they match 4%, then at the end of the year, they add another 2% of my yearly gross. I keep 96% of my wages, and end up with an additional 10% of the gross in my 401K, There is about 1/3 million in there now. It is untaxed. I invest as I see fit, and may borrow or withdraw at any time

ive spoken to my pension side of where i work and they claim they sent me out letters a year ago
i got no letters whatsoever about it
and theyve been silently deducting around 30 a month since!
i only noticed it now because the layout on the online payslips is different and clearly shows the deduction

they are telling me theyve opted me out but my options what to do with what is a total of a mind blowing 600 pounds paid in since may last year is either waiting till im in my 50s to cash out - or just transfering the pension onto another scheme

this is absolutly unacceptable, and im at a loss for words
ive tried emailing the national pensions disputes scheme but they arent taking on new cases until after COV

originally posted by: PandaPrincess
im not that old

It sounds like you would prefer to wait until you were old before you started paying into your pension scheme. Shrewd move. On the other hand, you could take my advice, as someone who retired just this week (now there's a coincidence), that a decent pension is probably the best investment you'll ever make. And the earlier you start, the more decent it'll be.

I feel you're about to make a decision that you will bitterly regret once you get to my age, by which time it will be far too late to do anything about.

originally posted by: PandaPrincess
Everyone of us at work got fancy letters inviting us to join the pension scheme
i binned it, im not that old and ive no time for junk

surely we should have to give our consent before hand!

It's called "automatic enrollment", and like the name suggests it's automatic. It was brought in by the Tory government to force companies companies with a certain number of staff to enroll their people into a pension scheme because too many companies were refusing to do so for people on low incomes, and were leaving people without enough savings to retire on. If you don't want to be a member then you have to opt out. It was all over the news for about 6 months, so I'm not certain how you missed it. It should be common knowledge.

This is actually a really GOOD thing for you. Yes, you lose a small amount of money each month, but the government forces your company to pay a contribution too. If you are in the scheme, you're actually getting FREE MONEY from your boss. Yes, if you join the pension scheme then your company is forced by law to put money in as well. This money is yours to keep and they are not allowed to try to claw it back from you in any other ways.

A pension is a really good investment right now they tend to be safe and stable, and your company has to contribute to it above and beyond your normal salarywage. So you almost always end up getting substantially more out than you put in.

I would strongly advise you to keep paying the money in, and I repeat if you are in the pension scheme then the government forces your company to pay in to it as well. It's free money.

originally posted by: lacrimoniousfinale

originally posted by: PandaPrincess
im not that old

pension is probably the best investment you'll ever make. And the earlier you start, the more decent it'll be.

Every financial adviser, lawyer, accountant that I know has always told me that a pension is one of the best investments that you can possibly make, and that you should put in as much as you can afford because you will get out much more than you put in.