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Pay date definitions

• Pay period: The recurring time period for which an employee receives payment. And therefore the recurring time period where pension contributions are deducted from Pay.
• Pay date: The date in any pay period when employees are paid and pension contributions deducted from earnings.
• Pay reference period: The pay period which relates to the pay date in question. I.e. which Pay Period does a certain Pay Date fall within (often different to the ‘pay period’ if paid in arrears).
• Payroll start date (aka actual start date of registration): The first day of the ‘pay reference period’ to which contributions will be deducted from pay and paid to Cushon.

Examples:

• If a pay period is calendar monthly and the pay date is the last working day of the month. The 1st of the month which the pay date falls within is the pay period start date. For example:
  • Pay period 1st June to 30th June (calendar monthly)
  • Pay date is last working day (30th June)
  • Pay reference period is 1st June to 30th June (as the pay date of the 30th June falls within this pay period).
  • Payroll start date is 1st June.
• If a pay period is mid-month to mid-month, the start date is the first date of the pay period that the pay date sits within. For example:
  • Pay period 16th June to 15th July and pay date is the 20th July
  • Pay reference period is the 16th July to 15th August (as the pay date of 20th July falls within this pay period).
  • Payroll start date 16th July
• If a pay period is weekly, and paid in arrears, the start date is the first date of the pay period that the pay date sits within. For example:
  • Pay period Mon 2nd June to Sun 8th June and pay date is Fri 13th June
  • Pay reference period is the 9th June to 15th June (as the pay date of the 13th June falls within this pay period. Payroll start date 9th June)

Application stage - Contribution details

When setting up your new Cushon Pension scheme, you will be asked for your ‘Start date with Cushon’ and also asked ‘What is the start date of the 1st pay period with Cushon?’ These should reference the same start date.
 

Please note that if a payment is paid in arrears (where the Pay Date is after the Pay Period), make sure that the ‘start date’ and ‘1st pay period with Cushon’ are based on the pay reference period start date and not the pay period start date. 

For the purposes of the pension set up, what is important is the pay period where payment and contributions are paid, not when they are earned.

The following are examples of how your pension scheme and start date may be set up:

Application stage - Payroll setup

As part of the Pension Fast Track set up application, once you’ve completed the ‘contribution details’ section, you will then be asked questions about your ‘payroll setup’.
You can choose from any of the following payrolls:

• Monthly
• 4 weekly
• Fortnightly
• Weekly

The application will guide you through the set up for each of these payroll frequencies.
Please note: If your payroll is paid in arrears, please follow the start date guide above.

Note:

These represent the only pay date frequency options in the Cushon Employer Portal system. Schemes that use pay date frequencies not listed, such as the last Friday of the month, should select the frequency that best matches their payroll setup. 
 

For instance, the 28th of the month for a last Friday set up.
Pay dates in the Cushon Employer Portal system are used as a reference only and employers can upload contribution data whenever convenient to them irrespective of the stated pay date.