TPR flexes muscles on auto enrolment fines

The Pensions Regulator recently announced that the very first escalating fines had been issued to employers failing to comply with the new auto enrolment duties.

Up until October 2014, only three £400 fixed penalty notices had been issued, meaning that the majority of the larger firms in the UK had successfully managed to meet their duties. Over the course of the next three months this figure suddenly increased by 166, with a further 198 issued in the first 3 months of 2015 alone.

For many of the larger employers advisers are already in place, as are resources and budgets which mean that they can adapt quickly to the changing legislation and ensure they are fully compliant. What we are seeing as the size of the employers staging reduces, is that the access to these things becomes more and more limited, ultimately resulting in a failure to comply.

There are three stages of non-compliance: Firstly an unpaid contribution notice, carrying no monetary penalty The second stage is the aforementioned £400 fixed penalty notice The third is final escalating daily fine, dependant on the size of your firm. The Pensions Regulator is yet to confirm the size of the four escalating fines issued however it can be assumed that these are around the £1,000 – £2,500 per day mark.

Daniel Foy, auto enrolment specialist at Astute Wealth Management, said: “This can only be the beginning, it is The Pensions Regulator showing that they will get tough if they need to, and with the number of SME’s approaching chances are that the number of fines issued will increase rapidly.

"The daily penalties aren’t there to be given out for small admin errors in setting things up, you have to be doing something really wrong to get this far. If there are larger employers out there getting things this badly wrong, it really does concern me what will happen further down the line to the smaller, local shops such as your high street café.”

So far, it is estimated that around 49,000 employers have reached their staging dates and with over 1.2 million companies yet to stage awareness and planning is key. He added, “Auto Enrolment is certainly here to stay and so the focus for SME’s has to shift to making the best out of it. Don’t treat this simply as a new piece of legislation, engage with it, consider it and make it work for your business in the best way possible.”

Enjoyed this? Read more from Astute Wealth Management Ltd

Latest news

1

Villa at Wrea Green bought for £3.6m by Haythornthwaite family The Villa Wrea Green courtesy of The Villa Wrea Green

Villa at Wrea Green bought for £3.6m by Haythornthwaite family

16 Sep 2025

2

Fourth Lancashire Bodycare store to shut Nick Holloway of administrators Interpath

Fourth Lancashire Bodycare store to shut

16 Sep 2025

3

Family business relocates in Blackburn Tristar relocation

Family business relocates in Blackburn

16 Sep 2025

4

Taste Lancashire Producer Awards 2026 open for applications Taste Lancashire Producers awards

Taste Lancashire Producer Awards 2026 open for applications

15 Sep 2025

5

Stuart Buckley appointed head of sales and account management at Netcentrix Stuart Buckley

Stuart Buckley appointed head of sales and account management at Netcentrix

15 Sep 2025

Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
Sub36 Networking - Follow the signs
Sub36 Deaf Village Social1200
Networking
17 Sep 2025

Sub36 Networking - Follow the signs

The Deaf Village, Blackburn, BB2 5EN

10:00 - 12:00

LBV124 September/October Launch Event
MBP Arc Cinema Preston Opening 205
Networking
18 Sep 2025

LBV124 September/October Launch Event

The Arc Cinema, Preston, PR1 2BL

08:30 - 10:30

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course

Preston Campus, Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 17:00

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course

Preston Campus, Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 17:00

Preston Tech Connection - The Ultimate Tech Quiz!
Preston Tech Connection Sept 25.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
16 Sep 2025 - 16 Sep 2025

Preston Tech Connection - The Ultimate Tech Quiz!

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

18:00 - 19:00

Business Breakfast Networking Event
business workshop photo.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
17 Sep 2025 - 17 Sep 2025

Business Breakfast Networking Event

Media Factory, University of Lancashire, Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 10:30

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
17 Sep 2025 - 17 Sep 2025

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire

Stanley House, Blackburn, BB2 7NP

11:30 - 14:15

Ladies Lunch
Lancs-cham-logo.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Networking
18 Sep 2025 - 18 Sep 2025

Ladies Lunch

Lancaster Golf Club, Lancaster, LA2 0AJ

12:00 - 16:00

Cumbria Business Expo 2025
https---cdn.evbuc.com-images-880461633-4862066883-1-original.20241022-110415.jpeg.jpg
LBV Hub Exhibitions
19 Sep 2025 - 19 Sep 2025

Cumbria Business Expo 2025

Carlisle Racecourse, Carlisle, CA2 4TS

09:00 - 15:00

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: September
Sept Freelancer (1).png.png
LBV Hub Networking
23 Sep 2025 - 23 Sep 2025

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: September

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

10:00 - 11:30

Your Business, Your Region: Making sense of devolution and Local Government Reorganisation
Chorley Council breakfast event new
LBV Hub Networking
23 Sep 2025 - 23 Sep 2025

Your Business, Your Region: Making sense of devolution and Local Government Reorganisation

Worden Hall, Leyland, PR25 3DH

08:00 - 11:00

Speed Networking with BNI
2.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
24 Sep 2025 - 24 Sep 2025

Speed Networking with BNI

Chorley Football Club, Chorley, PR7 3DU

16:00 - 19:00

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more LBV124 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin