HR and Payroll bulletin - January 2025

Pensions Automatic re-enrolment 1 January 2025 (including casual employees)

The automatic pension re-enrolment date for Lancashire County Council is 1 January 2025 for the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), Teachers Pension Scheme (TPS), NHS Pension Scheme and National Employers Savings Trust (NEST) Pension.

The auto-enrolment applies to employees including casual employees who meet the following criteria:

  • earn over £10,000 a year (over £833 per month)
  • are aged 22 or over and under State Pension age; and
  • are not a member of a pension scheme with this employer.

Anyone who meets these criteria will be automatically re-enrolled into the relevant pension scheme on 1 January 2025 and have been written to confirm that they have been re-enrolled.

Members of the 50/50 section of the Local Government Pension Scheme, will be returned to the main section of the Local Government Pension Scheme with effect from 1 January 2025.  To continue in the 50/50 section of the scheme, another election will need to be made.

When a new casual employee joins, they will be postponed from automatic enrolment into the pension scheme for three months from their start date. Once the three-month postponement period expires, they will be assessed and if they meet the current auto-enrolment criteria they will be enrolled into the pension scheme. 

If the auto-enrolment criteria are not met, employees will not automatically become members of the relevant scheme at this time. However, they can elect to join the relevant pension scheme if they wish.

If automatic enrollment criteria are not met and the scheme has not been joined, employees will automatically be enrolled if they meet the criteria in any future month. 

Employees will be written to, advising that we have done this.

Please note that the deadline to submit pension opt-out forms is the 13 of January. Forms received ­after this date will not be processed in time for January's pay and pension contributions will be deducted from your January pay.  

Guidance for inputting retirements on Oracle Fusion 

When searching for a leaver reason on Oracle Fusion, you may note that not all leaver reasons appear in the drop-down list that is immediately visible. However, if you start typing the reason, e.g., 'Retirement', all the relevant options will then appear.

Oracle Fusion screen shot showing retirement drop down list

It is particularly important to input the correct retirement reason, as this drives the actions that Payroll and Lancashire Pensions Partnership (for LGPS) take following notification of the retirement and an incorrect retirement reason could delay payment of retirement benefits. 

Below is a full list of retirement options, in the order they appear on Oracle Fusion:

  • Retirement – Actuarially Reduced Retirement (Teacher PS only aged 55 to 59) – available to members of TPS only
  • Retirement – Age (Teachers Pension Scheme) – available to members of TPS only
  • Retirement – Ill Health Retirement – available to TPS and LGPS members but only alongside a formal ill health retirement decision
  • Retirement – Phased – available to members of TPS only
  • Retirement – Voluntary Aged 60 or Over
  • Retirement – Voluntary/Early Retirement – Under 60  

Retirement applications (for members of the Teachers Pension Scheme only) 

Please ensure that retirement applications are submitted six months before your proposed retirement date, to allow those teachers affected by Transitional Protection to make and receive their choices.  

Don't submit applications before this, as there may be salary changes that could affect your benefits if submitted too early.   

It's also important that once you have submitted your retirement form that if a school employs you, they terminate your employment on Oracle Fusion.   

Change to terminations - Direct reports

If you are terminating a line manager who holds a hierarchy the ability to reassign direct reports has been removed. Any employee submissions by subordinates requiring approval after the termination date will automatically follow the existing hierarchy and be reassigned to the next manager up in the hierarchy.

If you require any hierarchy changes, please follow the guide on the intranet. 

Purchase Additional Leave Scheme (PALS) – Pension buy back (Local Government)

If you have recently received a letter about pension buyback for your period of deductions for PALS, it refers to deductions made for the 2022/2023 leave year only.

If your repayment period crosses over into two separate financial years you will receive two individual letters for payments made in each year.

More updates for the 2023/2024 periods will be provided later.

Pay Claims in Oracle Fusion - Personal Contribution

You submit or authorise a Personal Compensation Pay Claim in Oracle Fusion, please ensure that the date worked is not before the hire date of the position, otherwise, the claim will not be paid and the record will be deleted from the Personal Contribution record.

 Screen shot showing Oracle Fusion

 

Amendments to Terminations submitted on Oracle Fusion

A new form has been created for amendments to terminations. The Termination and Claims after leaving form should only be used after a termination has been submitted on Oracle Fusion and an error has been made on the original submission. The corrections include: 

  • incorrect termination date
  • wrong post terminated
  • change of termination reason
  • request to reverse termination
  • PILON and Accrued Holiday Pay for Leavers, if not included in the original termination 

Oracle Fusion – Manager Self-Service Task – Guidance document

There's a handy document available that breaks down the most common tasks that you need to do as a people manager in Oracle Fusion. The tasks are broken down by category and the document explains whether the task takes place either in Fusion or outside (via the intranet or Business Case).It then provides a quick overview of the navigation, showing where you need to go in the system, as well as a link to the Oracle Guided Learning (OGL) process guide, which opens directly in Oracle Fusion when you click it.

To access the document, open OGL and find ‘Manager Self Service Task - Guidance’ under Links.

Remember, there are regular training courses for managers on how to use Oracle Fusion. The course assumes no prior experience and is available to any new or long-standing manager.

The course covers the essentials:

  • Key Navigation Shortcuts: The quickest ways to get around Oracle Fusion
  • Oracle Guided Learning: Your trusty sidekick for help and guidance within Oracle Fusion
  • Hierarchy and Employee Info: Learn how to find essential information about your team
  • Documents of Records (DoRs): Understand what they are and how to add them for your team
  • Absences: How to manage sickness and maternity leave
  • Terminations: Ways to simplify the process
  • Reports: Access and generate manager reports with ease

Spaces are still available for January and February. Book your place here. 

Useful information, support and links. 

AskHR Enquiries

Service Requests

If you have a query that relates to a HR/Payroll enquiry, please raise a service request on Oracle Fusion. AskHR aim to respond in three working days.

01772 535355 (8am – 5pm) 

Payroll Deadlines 2024-25

Please make sure all payment claims are completed in line with our published payroll deadlines to guarantee changes are made in time for pay day. 

Payroll feedback 

If you would like to give any feedback to our Payroll team, email: payroll-feedback@lancashire.gov.uk.