Employer managed NEST pension submissions

Important: This feature has not yet been fully released to customers. Check the release notes for the latest updates. 

If you manage your own NEST pension submissions, this article will explain how you can now submit these directly through Cintra People, including enrolment, contributions, and payment authorisation. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• 1. Set up your credentials
  • First-time setup
  • Updating credentials or adding payrolls
• 2. Set up a payroll for NEST submission
  • First-time setup
  • Adding or managing payrolls later
• 3. Submit pension data
• 4. Submission statuses
• 5. Submission failures
  • Submission errors
  • Contribution errors
  • Payment errors
• 6. Fix incorrect Cintra iQ setups 
  • Issue 1: incorrect payment due date
  • Issue 2: incorrect period dates
  • Issue 3: incorrect payment source
  • Issue 4: incorrect NEST reference
  • Issue 5: incorrect or missing pension group
  • Issue 6: Zero contributions
• 7. NEST configuration issues (that the customer must resolve)
  • Issue 1: Earnings period starting on the 31st
  • Issue 2: Payment frequency set to Tax Monthly or Tax Weekly
  • Issue 3: Pay date set as number of days after period ends (non-monthly payrolls)
  • Issue 4: Payment authorisation
  • Issue 5: My organisation has multiple NEST credentials
• 8. Current Limitations

1. Set up your credentials and assign payroll(s)

You can store your NEST credentials directly in Cintra People. 

If you are setting up the connection for the first time:

1. Go to Pension submissions.
2. In the banner, click the Connect button.
3. Enter your NEST username and password.
4. Enable NEST submission for the relevant payroll

If you are updating your credentials or adding further payrolls

1. Go to: Payroll → Pension submissions → Settings → Connect to provider.
2. Select NEST.
3. Enter your NEST username and password.
4. Click Connect.
5. Navigate to the Manage Payrolls tab.

2. Setting submission data for each payroll

Complete the following for each payroll:

If you want to hand over submissions to a bureau, contact the bureau administrator via messaging.

3. Submit pension data

1. Go to: Payroll → Pension submissions
2. NEST-enabled payrolls with a closed period that are ready to submit will show as Due.
3. Check Total contributions against your payroll report to confirm the figures balance.
4. Select Submit from the Actions menu
   • The status will change to Pending: Contributions can take up to 15 minutes and enrolments up to 45 minutes

4. Submission statuses

5. Submission failures

Go to Actions → View data to identify the error type.

Submission errors

Contribution errors

Payment errors

6. Fix incorrect Cintra iQ setups 

These issues apply to customers who have access to Cintra iQ. 

Issue 1: incorrect payment due date

Solution A: update provider pay date

1. Go to: Payroll → Payroll Setup → Third Party Association.
2. Locate NEST under Pension Scheme Providers, then open the Payment Settings tab.
3. Select the correct day of the month; ensure it is set to the following month.
4. Select the Static option if the pay date falls on a UK non-banking day.

To verify the expected date, in NEST → find employer →  Manage contributions → Payment due date column.

Solution B: Change the payment due date calculation basis (if Solution A doesn't solve the problem)

1. Payroll → Payroll Setup → Employer Setup.

2. Open the employer record → PAYE & Payrolls tab → open the payroll record.

3. Change Pension Output Payment Due Date based on to one of:

Issue 2: incorrect period dates

Solution:

1. Payroll → Payroll Setup → Employer Setup

2. Open employer record → PAYE & Payrolls tab → open payroll record

3. Change Pension Output Period based on to: Pay Reference Period, Pay Period, or Custom Period

To verify: NEST → find employer → Manage contributions → Earnings period column.

Issue 3: incorrect payment source

Problem: Payment source in the NEST file doesn't match the NEST portal.

Solution:

1. Payroll → Payroll Setup → Employer Setup

2. Open employer record → AE Settings & Information tab → open Pension Scheme Reference

3. Update the Payment Source field to match the NEST portal value exactly

To verify: NEST → find employer → Manage contributions → Payment source column.

Issue 4: incorrect NEST reference

Problem: Employer NEST reference number (EMP) is wrong.

Solution:

1. Payroll → Payroll Setup → Employer Setup

2. Open employer record → AE Settings & Information tab → open Pension Scheme Reference

3. Correct the Reference field — must match exactly what is shown in the NEST portal

To verify: NEST → find employer → NEST employer ID is shown on the main screen.

Issue 5: incorrect or missing pension group

Problem: Employees aren't assigned to the correct pension group, or the group doesn't exist in iQ.

Assigning an employee to a pension group:

1. Open the employee's Employment record → Expenses/Benefits.

2. Select the correct Pension Pay Group from the dropdown.

Creating a new pension group in iQ:

1. Definitions (top menu) → Lookups

2. Search for Pension Groups in Lookup Administration

3. Click Insert, enter the group name exactly as it appears in NEST (case-sensitive)

To verify the group name: NEST → find employer → Manage groups.

Issue 6: Zero contributions

Problem: Total contributions showing as zero and the contribution tab is missing under view data.

Solution:

1. Check if the relevant period contributions schedule is present in NEST.  
   • If you don't have the contribution schedule on NEST, you won't be able to submit any data. 
2. If you make any updates in NEST, select Refresh Contributions in the Actions menu to retrieve the values once the contribution schedule is due on NEST.

7. NEST configuration issues (that the customer must resolve)

These cannot be fixed in Cintra iQ. You must make changes in your NEST account.

Issue 1: Earnings period starting on the 31st

Problem: Some NEST accounts have earnings periods starting on the 31st of the previous month (e.g. 31/12/2025–30/01/2026 instead of 01/01/2026–31/01/2026). Cintra iQ does not support this.

Fix:

1. Ask the customer to create a new pension group in NEST — copy an existing group rather than starting from scratch.

2. In the When is your current earnings period due to end section, set the value to 31st.

3. Transfer workers: NEST → Manage Workers → select employees → Change group → select new group and today's date → Move.

For further guidance: How to add a new group | Nest pensions

Issue 2: Payment frequency set to Tax Monthly or Tax Weekly

Problem: NEST supports Tax Monthly and Tax Weekly; Cintra iQ does not.

Fix:

1. Ask the customer to create a new pension group in NEST — copy an existing group rather than starting from scratch.

2. In Payment frequency, select one of: Monthly, Weekly, Four weekly, or Fortnightly. Do not select Tax Monthly or Tax Weekly.

3. Transfer workers: NEST → Manage Workers → select employees → Change group → select new group and today's date → Move.

For further guidance: How to add a new group | Nest pensions

Issue 3: Pay date set as number of days after period ends (non-monthly payrolls)

Problem: For non-monthly payrolls (e.g. weekly), NEST calculates a different pay date each period. Cintra iQ cannot accommodate a variable pay date.

Fix:

1. Discuss the appropriate fixed pay date with the customer before making changes — it may affect their cash flow.

2. Ask the customer to create a new pension group in NEST — copy an existing group rather than starting from scratch.

3. In Payment due date, select specific day of the following month (e.g. the 10th).

4. Transfer workers: NEST → Manage Workers → select employees → Change group → select new group and today's date → Move.

For further guidance: How to add a new group | Nest pensions

Issue 4: Payment authorisation

Problem: Cintra People completes the full end-to-end process, including payment for the Direct Debit method only. 

Fix: The customer must submit directly via Cintra People, including payment authorisation.

Issue 5: My organisation has multiple NEST credentials

Assuming you are a delegate under every scheme, you can set yourself up as a Nest Connector and access all your schemes under one log in for the API submission. For more information, see Set up Nest Connect with Nest Pensions | Nest Pensions

8. Current Limitations