Employer Services Guide · 2019-06-20 · authorised by Peninsula Pensions, you will receive an email containing your temporary password. 3. Enter the temporary password to gain access

altair Employer Services

User Guide

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Employer Services Guide


User Guide

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1. User Registration and Authentication

1.1 Sign Up

In order to use altair Employer Services you must first sign up.

1. Using your browser, navigate to the Employer Services ‘Login’ page.

2. Click the ‘Sign up’ link to request an activation key.

3. Enter your contact details and the employer to which you require access. Please ignore the dropdown list for Scheme name.

4. Submit your request by clicking the Submit button.

5. When your registration request is authorised by Peninsula Pensions, an activation key will

be generated and sent to you by email.


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1.2. Activate your account

When you have received your activation key you must activate your account.

1. Click the ‘complete your registration’ link on the Employer Services ‘Login’ page.

2. Enter your contact details, which you provided when signing up, and your activation key.

Click the ‘Continue’ button.


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3. Choose a user name and password, and security response(s) if requested. Note that

passwords and security responses are case sensitive.

1.3. Login

Once you have successfully registered, you can log in to the application.

1. Using your browser, navigate to the Employer Services ‘Login’ page and enter your user

name and password.

2. Click the ‘Login’ button.

3. Enter your security responses, if requested.


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4. After you successfully log in to the Employer Services website, the ‘Member Search’ page

is displayed.

1.4. Forgotten Password

If you forget your Employer Services password you can request a temporary password, which

you can then reset.

1. Click on the ‘Forgotten your password?’ link on the Login page.


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2. Enter your details to request a temporary password.

3. You will receive your temporary password by email. After logging in with your temporary

password, you will be prompted to create a ‘permanent’ password.

1.5. Forgotten Security Response

If you forget one or more of your security responses, you can create a temporary security

response.

1. During the login process, when prompted for your security response, select ‘Forgotten

your response?


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2. Enter your details to request a temporary security response.

3. You will receive your temporary security response by email. After logging in with your

temporary security response, you will be prompted to create a ‘permanent’ security

response.

1.6. Unsuccessful Login Attempt

An ‘Authentication Failed’ message is displayed in the event of an unsuccessful login attempt.


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After a number of consecutive unsuccessful login attempts, your Employer Services website

login will be disabled.

If your account becomes disabled, you will be prompted to request a temporary password.


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1. Enter your username and the email address that you originally used to create your log in.

2. The pension scheme’s administrator will be notified of your request. When your request is

authorised by Peninsula Pensions, you will receive an email containing your temporary

password.

3. Enter the temporary password to gain access.

4. Once you have logged in successfully you will be prompted to reset your password.


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2. Navigation

The altair Employer Services website is designed for ease of use and is fully compatible with

two of the most commonly used internet browsers: Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla

Firefox.

2.1 Navigation Bar

The navigation bar is present on each page of the Employer Services website.

The contents of the navigation bar change depending on the page, the selected member’s

status, and the information available about them.

2.2 Member Search Page

You can search for individual members by entering information about them, such as

National Insurance number, surname, status, scheme name, and employer.

You can perform a ‘wildcard’ search by using the ‘%’ key. For example, to search for members

with surnames beginning with A, enter A% in the ‘Surname’ box and select ‘Search’

The results of your search are displayed below the selection boxes, with details for each

member shown. If you select a member, and if the member has only one employment, the

Personal Details page is then shown.

If the member that you selected has more than one employment, the Employment List page is

displayed.

The employment list includes the member’s name, status, identification fields, scheme name,

and job title, to assist you in selecting the correct employment.


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The Employment List page will display a message if the member has employments to which

you do not have access.

You can navigate back to the employment list page at any time, without the need to logout

and then login again.

When you select an employment the Personal Details page is displayed.

2.3 Member Information Pages

The first page to be displayed following the selection of a member is the Personal Details

page.

You can use the Navigation Bar to move around a member’s record and display different

information. For example:

Membership Details

Transfer Details

Financial Details

AVCs and Added Years Details

Nominees / Beneficiaries

Pension Details

P60 History

Pensioner Payslip History

Payslip Details

Auto Enrolment

Works Address

Note that the available information will vary, depending on the member’s status,

employment, and the information recorded for them in altair.


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3. Updating Member Information

You can submit the following information/amendments for active members:

New starter creation – Please enter all alphabetical data using CAPITALS

General information (for example, name, address and marital status)

Part-time hours Leavers

You have direct access to the member records so the changes will be actioned immediately.

You will not though be able to update information if a member has additional employment

records to which you do not have access.

3.1 New Starter Creation

When the New Starter Creation option is selected you are prompted for a National Insurance

number (please enter in UPPERCASE):


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If an existing member cannot be found with the National Insurance number specified, the New

Starter Creation screen is displayed. This screen enables you to input information about the

new starter:


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If an existing member is found with the National Insurance number specified, to whom you

have access, an initial screen of member-level information is displayed, such as address and

marital status, and an option becomes available for you to create a new employment.

If an existing member is found with the National Insurance number specified, to whom you do

not have access, you must first verify the member’s basic details.


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On successful completion of this screen, you are presented with the standard New Starter

screen. You cannot change member level data using this screen.


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Field Name

Mandatory/Optional

Description

NI Number

Mandatory

Enter using capitals

Title

Mandatory

Select from dropdown list

Surname

Mandatory


Forenames

Mandatory


Sex

Mandatory


Date of Birth

Mandatory

Enter in the format

DD/MM/YYYY

Date of Birth verified

Optional

Click radio button if Date of

Birth verified

Partnership Status

Optional


Previous Surname

Optional


Spouse Initials

Optional


Spouse Date of Birth

Optional

Enter in the format

DD/MM/YYYY

Date of Marriage

Optional

Enter in the format

DD/MM/YYYY

Supn Ref

Optional

Plymouth City Council only –

use for extended part of Payroll

Ref. eg. 40012468

Payroll Ref

Mandatory

Maximum 12 characters

Plymouth City Council – eg.

50012345

Scheme

Mandatory

Select from dropdown list.

Choose either ‘LGPS – DCC

FUND’ or ‘SOMERSET

COUNTY FUND’


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Employer

Mandatory


Date Joined Fund

Mandatory

Enter in the format

DD/MM/YYYY

Employment Type

Mandatory

Select from dropdown list.

Choose either ‘Officer’ or

‘Manual Worker’.

Pay on Entry

Mandatory

Enter in the format

NNNNN.NN

For all DCC Fund employees

this will be the Full-Time salary

(spinal point).

For SCC Fund employees

working term-time, this will be

the full-time salary adjusted

(reduced) for the number of

weeks worked per annum.

Contribution Rate

Mandatory

Enter in the format N.NN

Part-Time

Mandatory

Leave blank if member full-

time, or select Yes-Part Time or

Casual-Part Time, as

appropriate.

Hours – Enter either the Part-Time Hours and Full-Time Hours OR the Percentage, but not both.

Example: Part-Time Hours 20.00

Full Time Hours 37.00

OR 67.56757 (to 5 decimal places)

NOTE: For DCC Fund employees working term-time, the Part-Time Hours or Percentage must be

adjusted (reduced) for the number of weeks worked per annum.

For SCC employees working term enter the normal hours worked each week, no adjustment should be

made for the number of weeks worked each year, this is reflected in the adjusted FTE salary.

Part-Time Hours

Mandatory/Optional

Enter in the format NN.NN

Full Time Hours

Mandatory/Optional

Enter in the format NN.NN

Percentage

Mandatory/Optional

Enter in the format

NN.NNNNN

Address

Mandatory

Enter in capitals with no

commas.

Postcode

Mandatory

Enter in capitals


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3.2 General Amendments

After selecting a member, the General Amendments option enables you to update the

following information:

Name

Title

Marital status

Date of marriage

Spouse date of birth Payroll Reference Home Address (Please use UPPERCASE and ensure there are no commas)

Click ‘Save Changes’ to submit the amendment.

You cannot change member level information if the member has employments to which you

do not have access.


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3.3 Part-Time Hours

After selecting a member, the Member PT Hours Update option enables you make one or

more part-time hour amendments.

Please enter either the FTE percentage or the ratio (fraction) of hours worked as follows:

Example: Member working 20 hours per week, 52 weeks a year

Percentage = 54.05405

Ration = 20.00/37.00

If a member changes from part-time to full-time, just enter the date of change and leave the

percentage/ratio fields blank. You do not need to enter 37/37, or 100%.

DCC Fund employers – For any employees working term-time, please remember to

adjust the hours for the number of weeks worked each year.

Click ‘Save Changes’ to submit the hour change.


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3.4 Leavers

This feature enables you to notify Peninsula Pensions of any members leaving the Local Government Pension Scheme.

There are two stages:

1. Complete the leaver form (Word) and add it to the member record

2. IMPORTANT – Send the electronic notification of leaver to Peninsula Pensions.

(If you don’t send the electronic notification, we won’t know you have uploaded a leaver form.)

1.Completing the leaver form.

Find the record for the employment the member is leaving

Select Documentation, Generate Member Documents

Select ESLEAVERFM from the dropdown list and click ‘submit’


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This will add a blank leaver form to the member record, ready for you to edit and upload.


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Click on the document and choose ‘Save as’ to save the document to your local drive/folder. IMPORTANT – YOU MUST NOT CHANGE THE NAME OF THE DOCUMENT WHEN SAVING IT. You can now open and edit the document, saving again to retain your changes, KEEPING THE SAME DOCUMENT NAME. Next, upload the saved document to the member record - Select Documentation, Upload Word document, browse and find the leaver form you saved, then click ‘upload.


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2.Send the leaver electronic notification to Peninsula Pensions

Select Member Update, Notification of Leaver

Enter the Date Left in the format DD/MM/YYYY

Exit Event – select ‘Left Employment’ (in all cases) from the dropdown list

Click ‘Save Changes’


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The leaver form is now attached to the member record and a workflow process has been created for Peninsula Pensions to action it.

4. Benefit Calculations

altair Benefit Calculations

Employer Services can provide access to benefit calculations. This enables you to perform full

benefit calculations, as prospective or quotation, including the generation of calculation

documents. You cannot however perform ‘actual’ calculations that update members’

information.

Use Member Search to select the relevant member record

Check the Personal Details and any Membership Details to ensure the member hours and

service are correct.

Please note: The member may be in the process of transferring in benefits from a previous

provider and these will not necessarily be visible to you.

If we have received a Transfer quotation from a previous non-Local Government pension

provider and the calculation is ongoing, you can view the service/pension credit calculation via

Documentation, View Member Documents.

If the member has previous Local Government service that they are considering transferring,

it may not yet be present on their record, so checking their starter details may help to

establish this.

Please note: Any transfers in of service or amalgamation of records will impact on the strain

cost payable for redundancy/efficiency/flexible retirement – the figures produced via the

estimate will provide an indication of the strain cost which is subject to change.

Select Benefit Calculation from the menu


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Complete the onscreen fields as follows: Type of Calculation = Quotation Date of Event = Estimated leaving date Select the reason for leaving from the dropdown list eg. Redundancy/Efficiency Click ‘Proceed’


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For Redundancy/Efficiency calculations, choose from the dropdown list.

Enter the member’s CARE Pay for the period specified.

Click ‘Proceed’

Enter the member’s FTE pensionable pay for the last 365 days. Click ‘Proceed’


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Tick the box ‘Generate Documents’ at the top of the screen, this will create the relevant documents and make them available to view/print. Page to the bottom of the screen and click ‘Proceed’


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The documents can now be selected and printed


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To view more documents, select Documentation then View Member Documents


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