Configure your Auto Enrolment pension pay codes to ensure all employee and employer contributions report correctly in your Revenue PSR (Pay and Service Request) submissions.
To do this, you need to ensure your Auto Enrolment pension pay codes meet two requirements:
No pension type mapping: The pension type field needs to be blank.
Unique pay codes: Pay codes used for Auto Enrolment cannot be reused from other pension schemes.
⚠️Warning: Auto enrolment pension contributions should not be reported to Revenue in Payroll Submission Return(PSR) files.
Why this matters
Incorrectly configured Auto Enrolment pay codes can cause the following:
Auto Enrolment contributions incorrectly reported in Revenue PSR files
NAERSA stopping AEPNs (Auto Enrolment Pension Numbers) for affected employees
Requirement for Revenue PSR correction/resubmission
Stopped AEPNs require direct contact with NAERSA to resolve (no automatic reopening)
Check your configuration
To check your configuration, follow the steps outlined in the relevant section.
Portal
Click Manage Payroll then highlight the relevant pay group.
Click the Outputs tab then click ROS.
Click the PAYE Modernisation then click Pay Code Parameters.
Beside the relevant Auto Enrolment pay codes, check the Pension Type dropdown menu.
Check the Pension Type dropdown menu is blank.
Verify that no other pension scheme uses the pay code.
Back Office
Click CorePay then click Update.
Click PAYE Modernisation then click Pay Code Parameters.
Beside the relevant Auto Enrolment pay codes, check the Pension Type dropdown menu.
Check the Pension Type dropdown menu is blank.
Verify that no other pension scheme uses the pay code.
Fix the incorrect configuration
Pension types mapped
When a pay code has a pension type mapped, follow the steps below in Portal.
Click Manage Payroll then highlight the relevant pay group.
Click the Outputs tab then click ROS.
Click the PAYE Modernisation then click Pay Code Parameters.
Beside each affected Auto Enrolment pay code, clear the Pension Type field.
To save changes, click Save.
Reused from other pension schemes
If you are reusing a pay code from other pension schemes, you have two options:
Create a new unique pay code
To create a new unique pay code for Auto Enrolment, follow the steps below.
Click Settings then under Codes, click Pay Codes.
Click Create New Pay Code.
Fill the following fields:
Description
Pension Type: Leave blank.
To save the pay code, click OK.
To use new pay codes, update the employee records.
For affected pay periods, process the relevant corrections.
Stop using pay codes on other schemes
To stop using pay codes on other schemes, follow the steps below.
Remove the pay codes from the other pension schemes.
Create different pay codes for those other schemes.
Ensure that the Auto Enrolment pay codes have a blank Pension Type field.
Submitted incorrect PSR returns
If you've submitted incorrect PSR returns, please follow the steps below to resolve the issue:
Correct the Pay Code Configuration: Ensure the pay code settings are accurate.
Resubmit Revenue PSR Returns: Check the Revenue PAYE MOD user guide.
Check for stopped AEPNs: If NAERSA has halted Auto Enrolment Pension Notifications (AEPNs) for affected employees, you will need to contact NAERSA directly. Please note that there is no automatic process to reopen Auto Enrolment schemes once they have been ended by NAERSA.
⚠️Important: NAERSA Contact Details:
Website: NAERSA portal
Contact NAERSA through your employer portal for AEPN reinstatement
Common scenarios
We've complied a list of potential scenarios where an incorrect PSR return may occur.
Pay code has EE1, EE2, EE3, or ER pension types
Problem: Auto Enrolment employee and employer contributions are incorrectly reported to Revenue.
Impact: High - This directly affects Auto Enrolment reporting and AEPN status.
Action: Clear the pension type fields immediately and resubmit the PSR if it has already been submitted.
Pay code has only ADJ_EE_PRE, ADJ_ER, or AVC_PRE pension types
Problem: Adjustment or AVC codes are mapped incorrectly.
Impact: Low - This may be acceptable if the employee and Employer deductions are correct.
Action: Verify that the EE and ER codes are correct and clear the pension types for adjustment or AVC codes.
Pay codes shared between Auto Enrolment and other pension schemes
Problem: The same pay code is used across multiple pension schemes.
Impact: High - This creates reporting conflicts.
Action: Create unique pay codes specifically for the Auto Enrolment scheme.
Checklist
To ensure that your Auto Enrolment pay codes for all employee and employer contributions report correctly in your Revenue PSR submissions, please check the following:
Auto Enrolment pay codes have a blank Pension Type field.
Auto Enrolment pay codes are unique and not used in other schemes.
If an incorrect PSR has been submitted, ensure that the Revenue correction and resubmission are completed.
If AEPNs have stopped, contact NAERSA for resolution.
If you need further assistance, please contact our support team referencing this article title. Include the following information:
Auto Enrolment pension scheme number.
Affected pay codes.
Confirm if your Revenue PSR returns have already been submitted (and the date of submission).