UTO-ENROLMENTCKLISTlibrary.adviserzone.com/gen1940.pdf¬Value of advice Stage 1 Helping your client to get started Our online journey Five easy steps to help you deliver premium quality

AUTO-ENROLMENT

ADVISER CHECKLIST

For advisers only

Contents02 First steps - Filtering your route03 Our online journey05 Step 1 - Helping your client to get started07 Step 2 - Guiding your client through their decisions09 Step 3 - Instant terms 11 Step 4 - Setting up the scheme 13 Step 5 - Group Pension Zone, assessing

and joining the workforce14 On-going - Support for your client

Adviser business guide 02

About workbenefitszone.com/getreadyOur online journey walks you through:

- What you need to do to find out if an existing Standard Life pension scheme can be used as a qualifying workplace pension scheme (QWPS) - The simple steps to convert it into one

Use the checklist at workbenefitszone.com/getready to guide you through.

About adviserzone.com/goodtogoOur online journey walks you through exactly what you need to do to set up a qualifying workplace pension scheme for companies that don’t currently have a workplace pension scheme with Standard Life. Use this checklist as a guide as you walk through the journey.

Does your client have an existing

Standard Life workplace

pension scheme?

Yes No

Go toadviserzone.com

/goodtogo

Go toworkbenefitszone.

com/getready

First stepsFiltering your route

¬Checklist of decisions and information needed

¬Pension reform information on

adviserzone

¬Prepare data

¬Value of advice

Stage 1Helping your client to get

started

Our online journeyFive easy steps to help you deliver premiumquality ‘good to go’ pension solutions

Flexible steps to design your service package

PreparationRecommended up to 6 months ahead

Setting things upWithin minutes Activation

Instant, dependingon employer date

¬ Online servicing ¬ On-going support

and member engagement

03 Adviser business guide

GPZ is Group Pension Zone, our online platform for managing the workplace pension scheme

¬QWPS

¬Bank accountand payment details

¬Telephone support (if required)

¬Letter template for mandatory comms

¬Assess andjoin members

¬Process pension contributions

Step 5Workforce activation on GPZ*

Step 4Setting things up

¬Benefits of a default fund and other features

¬Analysis tools

Step 2Guiding your

client through decisions

¬Request a quote in 60 seconds

¬Terms returned instantly and

valid for 90 days

Step 3Instant terms


Notes Action Where Standard Life can help you

Describe auto-enrolment and the need for actionSuggest that your client identifies a point of contact within the organisation who will be responsible for auto-enrolment Determine the staging date and communicate the need to start preparing earlyExplain the key responsibilities the employer now has to comply with under pension reform legislation

Look at the educational content and FAQs at adviserzone/goodtogo. You can use it to explain auto-enrolment to your client.

Determine what type of service your client needs Describe how you as an adviser can helpHighlight where a market-leading provider is beneficialSet out your proposition Explain your remuneration modelDetermine if client wants a NEST solutionDetermine if client wants an advised service

Use our business guide ‘Auto-enrolment - your recipe for success’ to help you identify

the areas where you could help your client - the case studies are especially useful

Use our guide ‘When a market-leading provider is required’ to help highlight the benefits of using a market-leading provider.

Recommend early engagementRecommend that your client engages with payroll and any other data providers as early as possible. This will help avoid problems further down the line

Our data exchange guide can help you explain the different data requirements there are for assessment, joining and processing payments.


It’s important that your client starts to prepare early for auto-enrolment, as the process may be more complex than they think. From experience, we recommend starting preparations six months ahead of the staging date. Remember, if your client doesn’t comply by their staging date, The Pensions Regulator can fine them.

Step 1Helping your client to get started



Your client will need to make some key decisions about the scheme design. You can guide them through and help them decide what is right for their business and their employees.

Once you’ve helped your client make these decisions, help them understand the impact on existing business processes and what data and systems need to be in place. Allow four months for this, as your client and their data providers may need to change processes and systems.

Step 2Guiding your client through their decisions


Help your client understand key actions required and the likely cost of a pensionBuild up a plan of the actions your client will need to take and when they will need to be completed byWork out how many employees are likely to join the scheme at stagingDecide which definition of pensionable earnings to useDetermine the contribution structureDecide if salary exchange will be used and if it is, highlight to the client that they may need to change employment contractsConsider industry opt out rates and the impact this may have on your client’s contribution costs

Use our pathfinder tool to build up a plan of the actions your client will need to take and when they will need to be completed by

To understand what contribution levels will work best for your client’s business, you can use our cost calculator to:

- Work out how many existing employees are eligible and will be joined to the scheme

- Model different contribution levels based on different definitions of pensionable earnings

- Calculate the savings that using salary exchange could make

Help your client make key decisions regarding scheme designJoiningDecide which joining approach will suit the businessFind out if the payroll provider can help with the assessmentDecide whether to use the Standard Life assessment tool or another assessment toolIdentify employees who have a protected lifetime allowanceIf using contract of employment:Update employee contracts to cover employees’ agreement to join the schemeApply a waiting period:The waiting period will always be tuned to your client’s pay reference period. However, they can choose to extend the duration up to a maximum of three months.Identify the first day/date of your client’s pay reference periodDecide the length of the waiting period from the staging date Decide the length of the on-going waiting periods

Look at the educational content and FAQs at adviserzone/goodtogo that can help with these decisions.


Regulatory communicationsHelp your client work out what communications they need to send out and whenThe default investment optionThe default investment option is the Strategic Lifestyle Active Plus III Profile which has been designed specifically for workplace schemes.Explain how active investment worksExplain the governance on the investmentExplain why it is suitable for their workforce

Our communication timelines will help plan the communication activity needed.

Assess employeesIf using auto-enrolment to join employees, your client must:Identify what data is needed for the eligibility assessment and where it is heldPut a process in place to gather the data each pay periodIdentify who needs to be assessedUnderstand how the eligibility assessment will classify employees and what the employer responsibilities are for each groupJoin employeesYour client will join employees using our online platform Group Pension Zone (GPZ)*: They must:Understand what joining data is required and in what formatIf using contract of employment, make any necessary changes to employment contracts. This can involve a three month consultation period, so make sure they plan this in advanceManage opt outsYour client will use GPZ to manage opt outs. They must:Understand how to get the opt out report from Standard LifeCheck that the opt out file will be compatible with their payroll systemCheck that payroll will be able to process any refunds within the statutory deadlineProcess pension contributionsYour client will process contributions on GPZ: They must:Make sure that employee contributions will be taken from the first payroll after their enrolment dateCheck that payroll can produce a payment file in the correct formatMake sure there is a process in place to submit contributions within the statutory deadline

If your client is using the Standard Life assessment tool, they can access it once the QWPS is set up. Our data exchange guide will help identify the data required in advance of this.

The data exchange guide also shows: - The joining data and format required - The outputs and subsequent actions your client needs to take for each employee group

- An example of the opt out report your client will be able to access on GPZ

- The data and format required to drive the process payments on GPZ

Adviser business guide 08*Your client will get access to GPZ once the QWPS has been set up.


You can request instant scheme terms once you’ve helped your client make key decisions regarding their scheme design, and they understand how this will impact on their existing business processes.

Step 3Instant terms


Get scheme termsFind out the terms available for your client based on their chosen scheme design. Go to adviserzone.com/goodtogo and complete the online ‘Request new scheme terms’ screen.

You can request instant terms by completing just one page of information on our online ‘Request new scheme terms’ screen.

You will need the following information from your client:

Employer name

Staging date

Joining basis

Contribution basis

Employee numbers and monthly pay for a typical pay period completed in the last 6 months. For those who are weekly paid, base this on 4 x weekly pay. Irregular pay activity, trades holidays periods, annual bonus pay or abnormal overtime patterns should be avoided.

Employer and employee contribution levels

Existing defined contribution pension scheme information (if any)

Confirm the terms with your clientDownload the customised recommendation report and give it to your client along with the fund guideHighlight the scheme terms, reasons why Standard Life is suitable and the notes on scheme pricingGet your client’s confirmation they want to proceed

Once you request scheme terms, you will get a customised report that you can download and hand to your client. It details the scheme terms, reasons why the Standard Life scheme is suitable, pricing information and next steps.



When the submission of this data is completed, we’ll usually create a scheme within a few minutes, and send a welcome e-mail confirming that it’s been done. We’ll also send your client their grouppensionzone username and password under separate cover. The first time the employer logs-in to grouppensionzone they’ll be asked to confirm their details are correct and will ‘sign’ our GFRP terms and conditions electronically. Then, they’re ‘good to go’.

Step 4Setting up the scheme


Set up schemeGo to adviserzone.com/goodtogo and complete the scheme set up application.

Please be aware that if you decide to change anything after inputting the details on the scheme set up, you will have to go back to the beginning of the process.

You can set up the scheme using our easy, online scheme set up application.

If you need extra help, you can call a member of our dedicated support team.

You will need the following information from your client to proceed:

Employer details

Employer’s name

Employer’s address

Confirm staging date

Contact name

Contact email address

Contact phone number

Employer identity verification

Scheme details

Payroll frequency

First day of pay reference period

Pay day or date

Waiting period details

Joining method (contract of employment, auto-enrolment or both)

Payment frequency


Employer bank details (for direct debit)

Account name

Account number

Sort code

Branch address

When you complete the submission of this data on-line we’ll automatically set up a scheme for your client. You and the client will get a welcome e-mail, typically within a few minutes, confirming this has been completed. We’ll also send the employer their grouppensionzone username and password under separate cover. The first time the employer logs-in to grouppensionzone they’ll be asked to confirm their details are correct and will ‘sign’ our GFRP terms and conditions electronically. Then, they’re ‘good to go’.



The final step once the scheme is set-up is for you or your client to manage the scheme. However, if you don’t want to manage the scheme on a day-to-day basis, you don’t have to. We make it easy for your client to do it themselves.


Your client’s staging date actionsYou can build a plan that details what your client needs to do and when, including the need to:Complete contribution certification if applicable (if required, this typically needs completed on or before staging date)Send regulatory communications to their employeesCarry out an eligibility assessmentEnrol eligible employeesDeduct employee paymentsUpdate payrollGet the opt out reportBy this point your client should know how to:Retrieve the eligibility assessment resultsUpload the joiners fileUpdate payrollDownload the opt out reportRefund any contributions taken from employees who have opted out

Use our pathfinder tool to build a plan with all the details your client needs.

Our helpful GPZ user guides are broken down into bite size chunks to make it easy for your client to understand each step they need to take.

Your client can access an opt out report that tells them who opted out and details any refunds due.

Regulatory communicationsYou can use our communication timelines to:Help your client decide on a communication strategyUnderstand what information needs to be sent and whenPrepare the relevant letters/emails for each group of employeesPrepare specialist letters/emails for any employees who have a protected lifetime allowance

Our communication timelines will take you and your client through a series of questions before pointing you towards letter templates. These will help your client comply with their communication responsibilities.

Employee engagementHelp your client engage their workforce with their new pension.Provide employees with a link to their company pension websiteProvide employees with information about the contribution structure and default investment fundOrder campaign support materials

The company pension website has been extensively user tested. Employers can access interactive tools to support decision-making and our online service for managing their pension.Our suite of ready-to-go engagement campaigns can help employers raise awareness and prepare their employees for auto-enrolment. They are all available at no additional cost.

Step 5Group Pension Zone, assessing and joining the workforce


You may want to support your client with an on-going service. Here are the key things they need to do.

On-goingSupport for your client


Building engagementPlan on-going engagement campaignsOrder campaign materials

As well as helping employers prepare their employees for auto-enrolment, our suite of ready-to-go engagement campaigns can also be used to get members to engage with their pension. For example, reviewing payment levels or considering consolidation. They are all available at no additional cost.

Record keeping and reportingComplete scheme certification if requiredDeclare the scheme with The Pensions Regulator within four months of the staging dateIdentify which records the employer needs to keepPut a process in place to store records for six years

Our handy record keeping guide, available on adviserzone is a quick reference guide detailing records your client may need to keep.

Regular dutiesPut a process in place to assess employees each pay reference period, if using auto-enrolmentMonitor changes in membership statusMonitor who has opted out and when, to determine if they’ll need to be re-assessedMonitor changes in employment status and send the required communicationsUpdate payroll with opt out information each pay reference period

Your client can access our opt out report through GPZ. It details all the information about who has opted out each month.

Our communication timelines will help determine what communications need sent out when.

Other dutiesSelect a date for the triennial reviewEstablish re-enrolment processIf your client is phasing contributions, diarise the date that your client will communicate changes to members

To get a taste for yourself visitadviserzone.com/goodtogo

Standard Life Assurance Limited is registered in Scotland (SC286833) at Standard Life House, 30 Lothian Road, Edinburgh EH1 2DH. Standard Life Assurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. www.adviserzone.com

GEN1940 0814 © 2014 Standard Life, images reproduced under licence

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UTO-ENROLMENTCKLISTlibrary.adviserzone.com/gen1940.pdf¬Value of advice Stage 1 Helping your client to get started Our online journey Five easy steps to help you deliver premium quality