Who must be auto-enrolled into a workplace pension — the eligibility flow under the Pensions Act 2008

Automatic enrolment makes the employer, not the worker, responsible for getting eligible staff into a workplace pension. The duty comes from the Pensions Act 2008^[1], and The Pensions Regulator (TPR)^[2] enforces it. Whether a particular worker must be enrolled depends on **age** and **earnings**, and the flow above sorts every worker into one of three categories. The thresholds shown are for **2026/27**, confirmed unchanged from 2025/26 by the DWP annual review^[3].

The first test creates an **eligible jobholder**: a worker **aged 22 up to State Pension Age** who earns **more than £10,000 a year** (the earnings trigger). An eligible jobholder *must* be automatically enrolled, and the employer must contribute. The worker can then choose to opt out within the opt-out window and get a refund, but the default is enrolment — the duty is on the employer to act first.

A worker who is not eligible falls into one of two further categories. A **non-eligible jobholder** earns **above £6,240** (the lower limit of the qualifying earnings band) but either earns below the £10,000 trigger, or is aged 16–21 or between State Pension Age and 74. They are not auto-enrolled, but they have the right to **opt in**, and if they do the employer must contribute. An **entitled worker** earns **£6,240 or less**: they can ask to join a scheme, but the employer is **not required to contribute**. The distinction matters because it changes the employer's cost, not just the paperwork.

On money, the minimum **total contribution is 8% of qualifying earnings**, of which the **employer must pay at least 3%** (the worker and tax relief make up the rest). Crucially, contributions are calculated on earnings **within the qualifying band only — between £6,240 and £50,270 for 2026/27** — not on the whole salary, so the first £6,240 and anything above £50,270 are excluded from the standard calculation. Two caveats: every one of these figures is **reviewed each tax year**, so a contribution worked out for 2026/27 should not be reused for a later year without checking; and **State Pension Age** is itself rising — currently 66, increasing to 67 between 2026 and 2028 — which shifts the upper age boundary of the eligible-jobholder test over time. Confirm current figures with TPR^[5].