Nest integration

If you use Nest as your pension provider, you can integrate your processes using a direct API. To learn more, see Nest’s Technical payroll guides.

Get the most out of UK Payroll

Connecting to Nest means a lot less pension admin.

• UK Payroll automatically reports new hires enrolled into your pension scheme to Nest.
• Nest sends new hires a welcome pack with details of the scheme and instructions on opting-out, should employees wish.
• UK Payroll automatically reports employees who have opted-out of your pension scheme to Nest.

  Note: If an employee opts-out after payroll is confirmed, it will not be updated in UK Payroll and must be added manually in the next payroll cycle. UK Payroll won’t automatically refund contributions once an employee has opted-out within the opt-out window. For more information, see Apply a pension refund.

• UK Payroll automatically reports leavers to Nest.
• UK Payroll uploads the contribution file to Nest on payday. If there are any errors in the file, UK Payroll will contact you and ensure the revised file is uploaded by the 10th of the month.

Before you begin

Make sure your pension scheme is set up in UK Payroll before connecting Nest. To learn more, see Add a pension scheme.

Note: The standard employee and employer contribution rates are determined by the Group settings defined in Nest. Once Nest and UK Payroll are integrated, allocate the correct group to each employee on the employee’s profile. To learn more, see Enroll staff into a pension scheme.

How to connect to Nest

1. From the left side bar, navigate to Settings > Company > Pensions.
2. Click Set up pension.
3. Select NEST Pensions.
4. Enter your employer ID (starting in EMP, followed by 9 numbers) in the Employer account reference field and click Next.
5. Enter your company’s standard pension settings, including how to calculate the pension (Calculate on qualified earnings) and the pension type (Relief at source - post tax or Salary sacrifice).

   Note: Select Calculate on qualified earnings if you calculate pension contributions on earnings above the lower earnings limit but below the upper earnings limit. For more information, see The Pensions Regulator’s Automatic enrolment earnings threshold.

6. Click Save changes. Your information will be processed to complete the connection. This usually takes 1-2 days.
7. Log in to Nest.
8. Navigate to Manage delegates.
9. Click Add new delegate.
10. Select Add organisation to add UK Payroll as a delegate using the UK Payroll Delegate Information provided by Support.
11. Select Full access and complete the set up.
12. Contact Support to finalize the process.

FAQs

Can I amend an employee’s pension start date?
Please contact Support and give them the employee’s name and their correct start date.

Does UK Payroll make payments to Nest on our behalf?
No, UK Payroll doesn’t make any direct payments to pension providers. To learn how to make contributions to Nest, see Nest’s How do I make a payment to Nest?

Note: UK Payroll approves payments to Nest 5 working days prior to the scheduled deadline to ensure Nest collects your payment.

Why are the figures on the Nest portal different to the pension report?
Contact Support for assistance.

I’m trying to enroll an employee but it has failed.
Check that the key employee details are correct (employee ID, email address, and address are complete; address lines 1 and 2 don’t exceed 35 characters; no special characters are used in names or addresses).

If these details are correct, log into your Nest portal to check if the employee is already enrolled or active. If they are, contact Support to reset the pension record. Once reset, enroll the employee using the Already enrolled in provider option. For more detailed instructions, see Enroll staff into a pension scheme.