There are some things you can do now to help ensure a smooth transition including:

• Make sure your files are in the correct format (.csv)
• Check your file headers against the accepted headers in this guide so that Workplace Connect can understand what is in your file
• Make sure you’re ready to provide correct and up-to-date pay period earnings for each member, as Workplace Connect has increased validation in the pay journey to help you meet your duties
• Ensure that your pay file includes members full names, rather than preferred names or initials, as Workplace Connect will use check names against our records
• Ensure you’re using an up-to-date browser, Internet Explorer is no longer supported

You’ll be able to access the new portal in the same way as before – the web address and login details remain the same, and you don’t need any new data points but you may need to:

• Confirm the scheme payroll date and start of pay period. This ensures the personalised dashboard is set up correctly
• Confirm the pensionable pay definition. This is required to validate contribution amounts. Visit our auto-enrolment contributions page for more information

When you use Workplace Connect for the first time, we recommend logging in earlier than normal. This will allow time to familiarise yourself with the new layout and resolve any data queries that the new validation may highlight.

Have a look at our user guide to see what to expect when you first log in.

All new members must be joined before you submit a payment for them.

If you need to join new members, please do this first via the ‘Join Members’ tile. We’ll then include/recognise the new members in your payment file for the current pay period.

Have a look at our user guide to see the Join journey.

You can choose whether to update your payment online or upload a payment file in standard .csv format - we recommend using the update online option if there are only minimal changes from your last submission.

If you choose the upload option you can use your existing file or the template available in your current portal (i.e. Group Pension Zone or Workplace Hub). If you use your own file you need to include:

• Pay period pensionable earnings
• Regular employer payment in £
• Regular employee payment in £

You can also tell us about any one-off contributions, leavers or contribution holidays in the file – remember to include the date of leaving.

You may find that you need to update the column headers in your file so that Workplace Connect recognises the data. We've created this Assess, Join, and Pay - top tips and column header guide that you can download, and for more information check out the portal help centre.

Have a look at our user guide to see the Pay journey.

Workplace Connect is designed to help ensure your scheme data is up to date and compliant with regulatory requirements. We’ll automatically check:

• That payments are included for all active members
• That member personal details on your pay file match our records
• That percentages match the pay period earnings

We'll check that all contributions meet auto-enrolment minimums based on the pay definition provided and we'll highlight any which are below the minimum amount. You'll need to provide a reason for any underpayments as part of completing your payment.

For Group Pension Zone Users

• The new portal will need information in your payroll file to check that employees are getting the right contributions. You may already be providing this. For some Group Pension Zone users your file may not have everything that’s needed. To help you get your files ready, take a look at our guide.

To make it easier for you to identify employees, Workplace Connect gives you the option of using a ‘unique employee identifier’ such as a staff number. If you wish to use this, you need to let us know the unique identifiers first by accessing the ‘Employees’ tab in Workplace Connect and selecting the ‘Bulk Unique ID’ option.

Please allow one working day for the system to be updated, then the unique identifier will be included if you download a payment template, or you can include this in your payment file going forward.

Please note this is optional, if you download a template and the column is blank you don’t need to add this information to your pay file

Workplace Connect allows you to tell us about someone who has left at the same time as you make the last contribution for them. If you include the leaving date in your file the system will automatically process the leaver. We’ve also made it easier to see all members in your scheme on a contribution holiday and for you to process them as a leaver. We’ve introduced a new section called ‘Manage member status’ where you can view and download a list of all members currently on a contribution holiday. This enables you to check their status off-line at any time. If they’ve subsequently left, Workplace Connect gives you the flexibility to process them as a leaver next time you log in.

Payment history going back 12 months will be available in Workplace Connect. If you need to know about payments that were made more than 12 months ago, please contact us to request this information.

Our digital applications, including existing Workplace portals and the Standard Life mobile app, will be unavailable over the weekend and bank holiday of the portal switch on to help make sure the changes are safe, secure and smooth. We'll also use messages on the portals and app in advance to notify users of any downtime.