The law on workplace pensions requires that, if you are an eligible member of staff or casual worker, Imperial must enrol you into a  pension scheme supported by Imperial – this is called automatic enrolment because it is automatic for staff – you do not have to take any action to be enrolled into a pension scheme. Auto-enrolment is intended to encourage you to save into a pension scheme to provide for your retirement.

  • If you are already in one of Imperial's pensions schemes (USS, SAUL or NHSPS) your pension scheme membership will not be affected by these changes.
  • If you have opted out of the pension scheme already, you may be auto-enrolled at Imperial three year anniversary as required by UK law.
  • If you have opted-out because you have a Protected Lifetime Allowance please ensure you have told pensions@imperial.ac.uk (including your protection number), so that we can ensure you are not included in future auto-enrolment exercises.

‌‌‌Opting out of the Pension scheme

If you are a Imperial employee who is currently contributing to a Imperial pension scheme and wish to opt out/withdraw from the scheme, please follow the guidance  to either complete the relevant opt out form and return it to pensions@imperial.ac.uk  or follow the link and complete the opt out process as advised below. 

If you are a new employee you should return your opt out form to your Departmental Administrator along with all other new starter paperwork.  Please note that it is a legal requirement for Imperial to auto-enrol you into the relevant scheme before actioning your opt-out request.

Please refer to your contract of employment to check which scheme you will be auto-enrolled into. NOTE: You cannot opt out of a pension scheme before your start date, or, if you are a casual worker until you have been auto-enrolled into a pension scheme.

Worksave choice is the enrolment management service for Legal & General - Your welcome communication from Legal & General will confirm your enrolment code, and opt out deadline date. You will need these to complete the opt out process.

Manage your account is your Legal & General online account - Your welcome pack from Legal & General will confirm your customer reference number, which you will need to register and opt out.

If you would like further information about auto-enrolment please refer to the FAQS or visit the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) website.