In this article
If you use Smart Pension as your pension provider, Pento offers a fully integrated process using a direct API. You can find further information on Smart Pension's website
To connect to Smart pension on Pento, you first need to set up the pension scheme, please refer to our help article How to Add a Pension Scheme to Pento.
Connecting to Smart Pension in Pento
When you select Smart Pension from the list of providers, the following pop-up will appear:
You will need to select Next which will take you to the following screen:
Please note – Pension type will automatically default to Net Pay Arrangement as this is the most common type with Smart Pension
Please enter the Pension account ID and the standard company settings for Employee contribution and Employer contribution.
You will also need to select Calculate on qualified earnings if you're calculating pension contributions on earnings above the lower earnings limit but below the upper earnings limit. If you are unsure, you will need to contact Smart Pension who can let you know your settings.
The Qualifying Earnings Thresholds can be found on The Pension Regulator's website:
Once you have entered your settings and clicked Save changes, a pop-up should appear directing you to Smart Pension's login screen, once you have entered your correct login details, you should be fully connected with Smart Pension.
How it works in Pento
Now that you're connected, there will be a lot less admin for you.
Please note - As Pento uses the Employee ID as the External ID in Smart Pension, it is important to ensure all existing employee's External IDs in Smart Pension, match the Employees’ ID number in Pento; it is also important to ensure a unique Employee ID is allocated to new starters
New Starters
Once you have enrolled any new starters into the pension on Pento, they will automatically be reported to Smart Pension when we upload the contribution file.
Contributions files are usually uploaded on your payday, if there are any errors on the file, we will contact you and ensure the revised file is uploaded by the 5th. Once they have been added to the scheme, Smart pension will send them a welcome pack with details of the scheme, and instructions on how to opt-out should they wish to.
Leavers
Once you have terminated an employee on Pento, their leave date will automatically be reported to Smart Pension when we upload the contribution file.
Contributions files are usually uploaded on your payday, if there are any errors on the file, we will contact you and ensure the revised file is uploaded by the 5th. Smart Pension should then contact them with details of their account and closing balance.
Opt-outs
We check opt-outs via the API daily, therefore, if you have any employees who have opted-out of the scheme on Smart Pension, this will automatically update on Pento. The only caveat is if an employee opts out after the payroll has been confirmed, this will not update in Pento, and will need to be added manually in the next payroll.
Please note - Pento will not automatically refund contributions if an employee has opted out within the opt-out window, please refer to our help article How to Apply a Pension Refund.
Reporting Contributions
Once the payroll has been submitted on payday, Pento will attempt to upload your contributions; new starters; and leavers, via the API. If there are any errors on the file, one of our support staff will contact you to make any necessary amendments. We will then ensure the corrected file is uploaded directly to Smart Pension by the 5th
Frequently Asked Questions
I need to amend an employee's pension start date
We are currently working on allowing our customers to update start dates themselves, in the meantime, you will need to contact our support team to assist you. They will require the employee name, and the correct start date in order to update the record for you.
Does Pento make payment to Smart Pension on our behalf?
Pento does not make any direct payments to Pension providers, you should continue to use the payment method you used prior to joining Pento. This would usually be by Direct Debit or a Debit card
The figures on the Smart Pension Portal are different to the Pension Report
Smart Pension delay some payments for new starters who are within their opt-out window, instead, if they are still in the scheme after their one-month opt-out period has ended, they will take payment on the next suitable direct debit trigger. This is to reduce the need for you to request a refund from them. If the difference is not relating to any new starters, then you will need to contact our support team who will be able to assist you.
I am trying to enrol an employee but it has failed
If you are trying to enrol an employee into the pension scheme and it fails, you will first need to check all the relevant information is complete for the employee, please see below:
If all the details are correct, it could be that the employee is already enrolled/active in Smart. You will need to log into your Smart portal to check. If they are already enrolled, please contact a member of support to reset the pension record, once reset, you will need to select the Already enrolled option. For further guidance on enrolling employees, please refer to our help article How to enrol staff into an integrated Pension Scheme
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