• Auto-enrolment (AE) dates:

The AE date is the date the employee has been assessed and becomes eligible to join the scheme. Only Eligible employees should have an AE date in your data file. This is because they’re the only type of employees that are auto-enrolled.

• Opt in dates:

This is the date the employee asked to opt in to the pension scheme. Non-Eligible employees are those that have opted into the pension scheme, so should have an ‘Opt in date’.

• Scheme join dates:

This is the date the employee asked to join the pension scheme. Entitled jobholders have asked to join the pension scheme, so should have a ‘Scheme join date’.

File upload errors about AE, scheme join and opt in dates

There are a range of errors that you could see relating to these dates. These are covered in more depth within our ‘Troubleshooting error guide’.

Most of these can be fixed by checking the data in your file is correct. You should also make sure the employment start date, date of birth and file dates are correct. The file will error if you try to upload it with a date that is prior to any of these.

What if you’ve submitted a date in error?

If you’ve realised the date you’ve submitted isn’t right, please get in touch with us and we’ll be able to help.