Do I get auto-enrolled into a pension if I have two part-time jobs?

Full answer

Automatic enrolment eligibility is worked out job by job, employer by employer -- there is no mechanism for HMRC or The Pensions Regulator to add together your earnings from two or more different employers when deciding whether you must be auto-enrolled. **The three earnings categories, applied per job** For each separate employment, you fall into one of three categories based on that employer's pay alone: - Eligible jobholder: aged 22 to State Pension age, earning above £10,000 a year (roughly £833/month or £192/week) from that employer -- must be auto-enrolled. - Non-eligible jobholder: aged 16-21 or State Pension age to 74, or earning between the lower earnings threshold (around £6,240/year) and £10,000 -- can opt in and get employer contributions, but is not auto-enrolled automatically. - Entitled worker: earning below the lower earnings threshold -- can ask to join a pension scheme but the employer does not have to contribute. **Worked example: two jobs, no auto-enrolment at either** Sofia works two part-time jobs, each paying £9,000 a year, for a combined income of £18,000. Because neither individual job reaches the £10,000 auto-enrolment trigger, neither employer is required to auto-enrol her, even though her total earnings comfortably exceed the threshold. She can, however, ask either employer (or both) to let her opt in voluntarily, and if she does, she should normally still receive at least the minimum employer contribution from that job. **Worked example: one job crosses the threshold** If Sofia's two jobs instead pay £11,000 and £6,000, only the £11,000 job triggers automatic enrolment, since it individually exceeds £10,000; the £6,000 job does not, though she could opt in there too if she wished. **Why this creates a gap for some part-time and multiple-job workers** This per-employer test means many people juggling two or more part-time jobs -- common among carers, parents balancing childcare, students, and people combining employment with self-employment -- can miss out on employer pension contributions entirely, even at a reasonable combined income, simply because their earnings are split across employers. Campaigners and some government reviews have flagged this as a known gap in the auto-enrolment system, but no change has been implemented as of 2026/27. **What you can do** If you are not automatically enrolled, actively ask each employer whether you can opt in and receive matched contributions, since many employers will still contribute if you ask, even where they are not legally obliged to. Alternatively, consider a personal pension or SIPP for the earnings that fall outside any workplace scheme, so you still benefit from tax relief on your own contributions even without an employer top-up.

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