Member Article

York Charities Get Pensions Help Thanks To JWPCreers

Top–class help with implementing auto enrolment (AE) pensions is on the way for hundreds of voluntary and charity workers in York thanks to a partnership between accountants and business advisers JWP Creers and York Centre for Voluntary Service (CVS).

AE specialists at York-based JWP Creers are training staff at York CVS, which provides payroll and AE services to more than 70 charities and voluntary groups to generate income.

York CVS based at the Priory Street Centre, supports a diverse range of voluntary groups and social enterprises and has been helping them with a wide range of issues, from individual funding advice to advocating on behalf of charities, since it was founded in 1939.

To supplement public funding from York City Council and others, York CVS also provides business services, including human resources, finance and payroll services, and leases space to 20 charities after gaining National Lottery funding to convert its premises into offices.

York CVS finance manager, Joanne Abbott, says: “As the charities and voluntary groups we support are created for community purposes, the prospect of implementing AE has been a real worry for them due to its added cost and complexity.

“York CVS sought formal training on AE from JWP Creers so we can offer a high level of expertise to help charities and voluntary groups set up AE pensions in line with legislation.

“JWP Creers has a great deal of AE expertise and uses the same payroll software as us so it is a good fit. Our partnership enables small voluntary groups, who would not naturally go to a large professional firm, to access support based on its high level of expertise. It is working well for all of us.”

JWP Creers’ AE team, part of its Payroll Department, has so far staged 53 of its own clients with a combined total of more than 3,000 staff, into the Government’s NEST pension and a variety of private schemes and will have a further 44 staged by December. The firm’s biggest AE client was among the first in the UK to implement AE.

Companies have been helped UK wide and include manufacturers, retailers, distributors, professional services, retailers, charities, private schools, security companies, health sector enterprises and hauliers.

JWP Creers payroll manager specialising in AE, Leanne Talbot, says: “AE is a good initiative but a burden for many companies already snowed under with bureaucracy and the tough business environment. Charities and voluntary groups are vital to our community, and often have only part-time voluntary management committee members, so we are pleased to be supporting York CVS.

“Because of AE’s complexities, some businesses delay thinking about it but the significant penalties for failing to proceed are an incentive to get to grips with AE and seek advice.”

JWP Creers helps businesses assess which staff are eligible, deducts staff contributions and uploads company AE contributions to the selected scheme and the firm is due to have a further 100 businesses staged in 12 month’s time.

JWP Creers, based at Park Street, Selby and York Science Park, York, is among York and North Yorkshire’s largest firms of accountants, taxation professionals and business advisers with eight partners and more than 70 staff.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Mike Clarke Communications .