CHECK 1 – Pay date calendar
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To complete this check, you need to review and update any exceptions to your pay date calendar.
Reviewing your pay date calendar
During configuration you will have provided us with your pay dates. When we set up your scheme we populate the next 12 months of your calendar for you however we are aware that your pay dates can vary, for example, weekends or Christmas, so this is where you need to make changes.
Just click on the red review button and updated where necessary. Once done, remember to save your changes and click on the confirmation box. This will then show the calendar as being reviewed and green tick will be visible. You are now ready to proceed to Check 2.
CHECK 2 – Communication methods & Postponement
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This check allows you to choose your communication preferences for each scheme section. It will also show you if any postponement has been requested.
Are your communication methods right?
Firstly, make sure your communication methods are correct. A default preference will be shown as agreed at outset however if your preference has now changed this can be amended here.
PDFs
If using PDFs, these will be created once you have completed your assessment and a task will be available on the homepage allowing you to download, save and issue to your employees.
You access these PDFs at anytime from the communication area on the homepage but you can only search at an individual level. If you need the bulk file then you need to make sure you save this initial document which is produced or contact our support team who can help you.
Emails
If email is your preference, these are generated automatically to your employees once you have completed your assessment with postponement notices and/or assessment letters being attached in the form of a PDF. The email address provided on your data file will be used.
You will not see this email prior to being issued however it may look something like this with a subject of "We need to talk about your pension. Changes are coming. Here's what you need to know.":
Dear Employee,
Have you heard about the new government legislation to encourage all employees to save for their retirement?
One stand-out feature is automatic enrolment. If you're eligible, you're automatically enrolled into a pension scheme – unless you choose to opt out.
So, what does this mean for you? Possibly quite a lot – so do look at the attached information to find out. And please don't put off reading it, it's important.
Kind regards,
Company Name
For specific email settings you should refer to the technical requirements in our user guide. The AssistMe domain is a sub domain of scottishwidows.co.uk(assistme.scottishwidows.co.uk).
For some new AssistMe users, the encrypted credentials email sent out to new users containing their username and password may end up in their Junk Mail. If an expected credentials email does not arrive, please check your Junk mail folders.
Checking your postponement periods
Before you complete this check, you also need to check your postponement periods.
Employers can postpone (defer) the automatic enrolment of any new joiners or employees becoming eligible for up to three months and if this applies you will have provided this during configuration with your Scottish Widows contact.
Based on the information you supplied, the postpone period will read as the following:
- Staging postponement – deferral of the assessment for all employees at staging date
- New hire postponement – new employees hired after your staging date
- Eligibility postponement – employees becoming eligible after your staging date
Why use postponement? An example could be:
You're staging during March and setting up enrolment of your work force. You have 2 pay groups, management and admin. During November you recruit new staff to help process work during the busy festive period. You need to include these new joiners when assessing your next pay reference periods for November, December and January. However due to the temporary employment of these members you wish to postpone these employees for 3 months to the pension scheme. You must reflect this on the standard data file prior to uploading onto AssistMe. By doing this the system will recognise these new joiners and postpone them accordingly.
CHECK 3 – Contacts on notices
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The final check point consists of reviewing your employee communication settings.
Checking your contact details on notices
All the information showing here was supplied in the Configuration document, which you will have completed with your Scottish Widows contact. These details will be reflected in your employee communications so it's important these are correct, so if anything has changed you should amend these now.
You are responsible for ensuring the setup is accurate and inline with your payroll/HR systems. Please review every section, including your company logo if you're using one, before clicking the box confirming the information is correct.
Company Logo
You can add, amend or delete your company logo in this section. It's not mandatory to include a logo on your communications but here you have the ability to cater for one if necessary.
Please ensure that your logo meets the following criteria:
- Should be .jpg format (JPEG)
- Should be no more than 400 pixels wide by 100 pixels high
- Has a horizontal and vertical resolution of 96dpi
How can I change my company logo?
Simply click on Upload/Replace and upload the logo file straight from your computer. The logo will then be displayed in the box onscreen which reflects the actual size. By clicking on 'Print sample letter' you will also be able to see what this will look like on your communications. If you not happy you have delete or replace the logo and try again by using the options available.
You can also change your logo after set up through the amend employer details section on your homepage.
Next steps
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Once you have completed Check 1, 2 and 3 and confirmed all the check boxes, the 'Start using AssistMe' button will activate at the bottom of the page. To proceed and finalise your set up, just click this!
Additional Information
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Once your initial set up checklist has been completed you can then proceed to preparing your data file and completing your scheme certificate if applicable.
Scheme Certificate
If your pension contributions are based on a definition of earnings that is different to the qualifying earnings band and/or when total earnings tend to fluctuate then you will need to complete and retain a 'scheme certificate'
This scheme certificate is valid for a maximum of 18 months. You can access our 'scheme certificate'
You can also access our 'Scheme Certification' guide.
Preparing your payroll data
The expectation is that you will have already prepared your payroll data at this stage and your standard data template should be complete. Your file must meet specific requirements and it is important you adhere to these. We recommend you refer to the 'Data Requirements' guide and/or speak with your Scottish Widows contact if necessary before proceeding to the assessment stage.
