Auto Enrolment
My Future Fund – Auto Enrolment
Auto enrolment refers to the new Irish Auto Enrolment Pension Scheme, set to launch on 1 January 2026, which will automatically include eligible employees who do not already have a pension recorded by payroll. MTU employees who meet the criteria will be automatically enrolled in this new national "My Future Fund" system, though many long-term MTU staff are already part of existing schemes.
The scheme will involve contributions from the employee, employer (MTU), and the State, with details on contribution rates and eligibility available through official government resources.
Auto-enrolment will be run and managed by a new independent body set up by the Department of Social Protection, called the National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority (NAERSA).
How it works for MTU employees
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Eligibility: Employees aged 23-60, earning over €20,000 across all employments annually, who are not already in a qualifying pension scheme recorded by payroll will be automatically enrolled. This will be notified to the universty by the Revenue Commissioners and the university has no input into this process.
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Existing Schemes: Many long-term employees are already members of a statutory pension scheme, so they will not need to be auto-enrolled into the new system.
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Contribution: For every €3 an employee contributes, the employer and the State will contribute €3 and €1, respectively.
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Retirement: The accumulated funds will be paid out upon retirement, in addition to the State pension.
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Changing jobs: If you are enrolled and change jobs, your membership in the scheme continues. You do not need to do anything as the National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority (NAERSA) will manage the change
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Opt-Out: Employees will be able to opt out of the scheme six months after enrolment, in months seven and eight via the NAERSA portal. After two years, any employee who opted out of auto-enrolment and who still meets the eligibility criteria will be automatically re-enrolled. Opting out does not mean contributions made will be refunded.
Further information
