Starting in 2026, you'll automatically be enrolled in a pension scheme. Here's everything you need to know about your contributions, benefits, and retirement savings.
Private sector workers currently without a pension
Total contribution to your pension (starting rate)
Effort required - it's automatic!
You'll be automatically enrolled if you meet these criteria:
You must be between 23 and 60 years old
Combined annual income of €20,000 or more (across all jobs)
Not already receiving employer pension contributions through payroll
You contribute
From your salary
Employer adds
Matched contribution
State tops up
Government bonus
Going into your pension pot
Contributions Increase Over Time
Your contributions will gradually increase, reaching 6% from you, 6% from your employer, and 2% from the State by 2034 - that's 14% total!
For every €1.50 you put in, your employer adds €1.50 and the State adds €0.50 - that's €2 in free money for your future!
Change jobs? No problem. Your pension pot follows you throughout your career, growing with every contribution.
Your savings are professionally managed by leading investment firms (Irish Life, Amundi, BlackRock) at minimal cost.
No paperwork, no hassle. Everything is handled automatically through your payroll - you don't have to do anything!
If you earn €40,000 per year
That's €1,400 going into your pension every year, but you're only paying €600 of it. The rest comes from your employer and the State!
Your contributions will increase gradually over time
1.5% you + 1.5% employer + 0.5% State
3% you + 3% employer + 1% State
4.5% you + 4.5% employer + 1.5% State
6% you + 6% employer + 2% State
FAQs
If you have a question that's not answered here, please email us at damien@irishtaxhub.ie
You must stay enrolled for the first 6 months. After that, you can opt out in months 7-8 and receive a refund of your contributions. However, you'll be automatically re-enrolled again after 2 years.
You can access your Auto Enrolment pension savings from age 66, which is the current State pension age in Ireland.
If your combined income from all jobs reaches €20,000 or more annually, you'll be enrolled. Your pension contributions will be based on each job's individual earnings.
Unfortunately, you cannot make additional voluntary contributions (AVCs) to the Auto Enrolment scheme. If you want to save more, you would need to set up a separate pension arrangement.
Your pension pot stays with you! One of the great benefits of Auto Enrolment is that your retirement savings follow you throughout your career, regardless of how many times you change employers.
The Annual Management Charge (AMC) on Auto Enrolment accounts is kept minimal - targeted to stay below 0.5% of your assets annually. This is much lower than many traditional pension schemes.
Explore our other resources helping you understand and plan for auto enrolment
Estimate the value of your retirement fund under the government’s new auto-enrolment scheme.
