Welcome to Smart Pension
This page is for all employers with Crystal who are merging into Smart Pension
Introducing Smart Pension
After an in-depth due diligence process, the Crystal Trust has decided to merge Crystal into the award-winning Smart Pension Master Trust. This will mean you and your employees still have access to a high-quality pension scheme with excellent value plus amazing new membership benefits.
Hear from Nikki Moss, Head of Implementation & Relationship Management at Smart Pension and Jessica Rigby, Director of Strategy at Evolve, about how Smart Pension is run for the benefit of both employers and their employees.
Click the button below to view frequently asked questions about the move to Smart Pension.
A like-minded partner, adding value for
your employees
Smart Pension app
Your employees will be able to keep track of their pension savings wherever they go and whenever they like. They can change their investments, check their beneficiaries and more.
Smart Rewards
Your employees will have access to Smart Rewards, a free benefit with over 1,200 rewards, helping them to save an average of £400* a year in discounts at major retailers across the UK.
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Financial wellbeing
Your employees can access meaningful financial support about their finances, not just their pension. Our hub is full of money saving tips, tools and techniques, plus they can access financial guidance through Octopus Money.
Annual member webinars
Each year we run a webinar focused on helping our members get the most from their savings, including how we’re managing and investing their pension savings.
Smart speaker integration
You can ask Alexa or Google Home how much your pension is worth, or how to increase your contributions.
AI customer service agent, SAVA
Our virtual assistant avatar, SAVA, is capable of responding to your employees’ pensions questions in real-time across all devices, providing customer support 24/7, 365 days a year.
*Source: Smart Pension / Office of National Statistics.
Sustainable investment options
Tackling climate change is very important to us. That’s why we’ve set a target for the fund most of our members are invested in to be net zero by 2040, and since 2019 we’ve already halved the fund’s emissions.
Find out more about sustainable investing.
What happens next?
We’re working together to keep you informed, so over the coming weeks and months you’ll continue to receive communications from both Crystal and Smart Pension.
Frequently asked questions
Why is this change happening?
The sponsor to Crystal, Evolve, has been bought by Smart Pension with a view to transferring Crystal’s members to the Smart Pension Master Trust. The Crystal Trustee has undertaken an in depth due diligence exercise and agrees this is a positive move with an opportunity for greater value for money and access to state of the art member tools, financial wellbeing support and member rewards.
What communications have been sent so far?
The sponsor to Crystal, Evolve, has sent the following communication(s):
Do I need to tell my employees about this transfer?
The Crystal Trustee contacted members in October 2023 once The Pensions Regulator had reviewed and approved details of the implementation plan. We’ll also be writing to members in January 2024 to ensure they are reassured about the process, how to find out more information and if they need to take any specific action. You don’t need to formally notify your employees but please share this information if you feel this is appropriate.
How will my employees’ retirement savings be protected during the transfer?
An extensive and robust plan is now in place which will be monitored by the Crystal Trustee and overseen by The Pensions Regulator. The Pensions Regulator has approved this implementation plan, and you can access a copy here.
Do I need to continue to pay pension contributions to Crystal?
Yes, to continue to fulfil your auto enrolment duties it’s your responsibility to pay your contributions to Crystal as instructed on your payment schedule until you’re instructed to make the payment to Smart Pension. The last contribution payment to Crystal will be in respect of contributions deducted in March 2024, which you would be expecting to pay to Crystal in April 2024. Crystal will then stop accepting contributions and you must continue to comply with automatic enrolment duties by assessing your employees and contributing to Smart Pension.
What happens if I have new employees, can they still join the pension scheme?
Yes, please continue to assess and enroll your eligible employees into Crystal until 31 March 2024. After this date your new employees should be included in data sent to Smart Pension.
I have been talking to Evolve about the new employer portal, evoPlus, should I still proceed?
No, we are no longer accepting new employers to the evoPlus portal ahead of the change to Smart Pension. The Smart Pension employer account uses the same type of file format as evoPlus, PAPDIS (Pensions and Payroll Data Interface Standard), you may wish to talk to your payroll provider ahead of setting up your Smart Pension account.
Will I be charged anything for moving to Smart Pension?
There will be no charge for transferring your pension provider to Smart Pension.
Once I have joined Smart Pension, will there be any ongoing charges?
There’ll be no ongoing charges when you transfer to Smart Pension. Please note Smart Pension do review all Employer charges on an annual basis. If you’re an Employer based overseas, your current charges will continue and will be reviewed annually.
Smart Pension’s preferred method of contribution collection is by direct debit, which ensures a streamlined and cost-effective service. We’ll ensure you’re fully supported in setting up your direct debit. Other methods of contribution collection are available but may incur a cost.
I have an agreement with OPTESS and use the ROOT system to submit my payroll files. How does the transfer to Smart Pension affect me?
There will be no immediate change to the process, please continue to submit your schedule through ROOT and pay your contributions to Crystal as instructed on your payment schedule. The last contribution payment to Crystal through ROOT will be in respect of contributions deducted in March 2024, which you would be expecting to pay to Crystal in April 2024. Crystal will then stop accepting contributions and you must continue to comply with automatic enrolment duties by assessing your employees and contributing to Smart Pension.
By transferring to Smart Pension, you’ll be invited to sign up and register for the Smart Pension employer account. There is no cost to you for using the employer account and you’ll be provided with guidance and support through the registration process and the submission of your first payroll files.
Contact us
If you have any questions about the process you can contact Evolve Pensions on 01322 640530 (option 3) or by emailing [email protected].
If you have any questions about Smart Pension or how your new Smart Pension employer account will work, please use our contact us form.