Understanding the failure email
A NEST pension failure email contains all the information about the pension scheme. It includes the Employer pension scheme reference, payment source name, payment frequency, and date of the period being submitted. The email also outlines the error, and the team member it relates to where applicable.
To find out who the error relates to, you will need the Unique Record Identifier, which is provided above the error message in the email. Head to the History section within ‘Payroll’, and download the PAPDIS file to locate the team member with the corresponding identifier.
Once you have identified the team member, you can begin to interpret the error message. There are several error messages that you can receive in your NEST email.
Error – Team member already enrolled
You’ve already enrolled a worker in NEST using the alternative unique identifier ‘(number)’. Please use a different ID to enrol this worker.
This means the unique ID / payroll ID already exists in NEST against another user.
Error – Can’t find team member
We can’t find a record of this member for this employer account. Please check that the member has been enrolled and the information you entered for them is correct.
This means NEST can’t identify the team member from the details included in the submission. This could be because:
They haven’t been set up in NEST, but in Paycircle they have been given an enrolment date prior to the period being submitted
Their NI number in Paycircle doesn’t match their NI number in NEST
Their pension ID in Paycircle doesn’t match the alternative ID in NEST
The submission only includes a team member’s NI number and pension ID, and no other personal details
Nest pension failure - no record of employee
Error – Submission doesn’t match schedule
The information you’ve entered for this member doesn’t match this schedule. Please check that the earnings period for this member matches this schedule. You should also check that the payment source or start date for this member matches this schedule.
This could mean:
The pension period being submitted isn’t the one NEST are expecting
The team member is tied to a different pension group in NEST than the one they are assigned to in Paycircle
Error – Below minimum contributions
One or more contributions you’ve entered for this member are less than the minimum you’ve agreed to pay for them. Please check that the pensionable earnings and contributions you’ve entered match the group this member belongs to, or that you’ve used the correct reason code.
This could mean:
The team member is in NEST without their NI number and/or they don’t have ‘Eligible for tax relief’ set to ‘Yes’
The employee and/or employer pension contribution is below the minimum percentage needed
The team member is tied to a pension group in NEST that has higher percentage thresholds than the group they’re tied to in Paycircle
Error – Valid header
You must provide a valid header or trailer record. Please ensure the payment source and frequency are correct and that the payment due date is in the correct format – it should match an existing contribution schedule on the system. Please check your data and try again.
This is a very generic error message. The problem could be that:
The schedule start and/or end dates in NEST don’t match the pension dates in Paycircle
The team members are tied to a different pension group in Paycircle than in NEST
Nobody is enrolled or active in NEST, so no pension schedule has been created
Fixing the Issue
For the majority of failures, you will need to correct the issue with NEST directly. If the pension period dates are mismatched, however, you can correct this by heading to the Pensions area, and choosing the Settings section. From here, you can edit the pension periods dates by editing the Pension settings.
Once everything matches, and you have fixed the issues reported by NEST, you can resubmit the period from the Status tab within Pensions.