Auto Enrolment
05 January, 2026
My Future Fund – Auto Enrolment
Auto enrolment refers to the new Irish Auto Enrolment Pension Scheme, commenced on1 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. Many MTU staff are already part of existing schemes such as the Education Sector Superannuation Scheme or the Singe Scheme and it will not apply to these employees. It will apply to staff including those on Research Salary Scales who are not currently in a pension scheme.
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
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 university by the Revenue Commissioners and the university has no input into this process.
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.
Contribution: For every €3 an employee contributes, the employer and the State will contribute €3 and €1, respectively.
Retirement: The accumulated funds will be paid out upon retirement, in addition to the State pension.
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
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.
Do you have a pension and have you received notice of auto enrolment ?
Some employees who do not meet the criteria above have received notices from NAERSA that they have auto enrolled. This generally does not come from MTU, but where they may have payments from another source. A common source is where academic staff may act or have acted as a external examiner or panel reviewer etc. for another institution. if you are active of the books of that institution you may be auto enrolled. Deductions will only apply to that employment and not your employment with MTU.
Further information
