Auto-Enrolment: What Hybrid Earners in the West Need To Understand Before Joining
Auto-enrolment is no longer a “coming soon” headline. From 1 January 2026, Ireland’s new system, MyFutureFund, began automatically enrolling eligible workers who are not already paying into a pension through payroll.
For many people in the west and midlands, the tricky part is not the concept. It’s the reality of how modern income works.
Plenty of households now have a mix: a PAYE role during the week, alongside freelance work, contracting, weekend shifts, seasonal work, or a side business that fills the gaps. That combination can raise practical questions quickly. Will you be enrolled? What if you already have a personal pension? What happens if income rises and falls? Do you need to do anything?
If you split your income between payroll work and other earnings, these are the points worth knowing.
What MyFutureFund is
MyFutureFund is a workplace retirement savings system that sits alongside the State Pension. You contribute a percentage, your employer contributes too, and the State adds a top-up.
In 2026, the starting rates are:
- Employee: 1.5% of gross pay
- Employer: 1.5% of gross pay
- State top-up: 0.5% of gross pay
These rates are scheduled to rise in stages over time.
Who gets automatically enrolled
You are auto-enrolled if you are an employee and you meet the key conditions:
- aged 23 to 60
- earning €20,000 or more per year across all employments, or assessed as likely to meet that threshold based on earnings of more than €5,000 over a 13-week reference period
- not paying into a pension through payroll
That last point is where many hybrid earners get caught out.
If you have a personal pension you pay into from your bank account, that can still mean you are “not paying through payroll” for auto-enrolment purposes. In practice, that is why some people find they are enrolled even though they already have a pension pot elsewhere.
Hybrid earners: the situations that cause most confusion
“I have freelance income, so does that count?”
Auto-enrolment is built around employment and payroll. Freelance income still matters to your overall planning, but the trigger for auto-enrolment is your employee earnings and whether you contribute via payroll.
“I have two PAYE jobs.”
The scheme looks at earnings across employments, not just one job. Two part-time roles can still bring you over the threshold.
“I had a workplace pension years ago, but I stopped.”
Eligibility is tied to whether you are currently paying into a pension through payroll. If contributions stopped, you may be brought into MyFutureFund again.
“I want the employer match, but I also want the tax relief I already get.”
MyFutureFund contributions do not get tax relief in the same way many private pension contributions do. Instead, the State provides a top-up that is presented as equivalent to 25%, expressed as €1 from the State for every €3 you contribute.
Depending on your income, your existing pension setup, and what you’re trying to achieve, the best route can differ.
How much of your pay is included
There is a cap on earnings used for MyFutureFund contributions. Contributions apply to gross pay up to €80,000 in a calendar year (across all enrolled employments). Once that threshold is reached, contributions stop on earnings beyond it for that year.
Opting out, pausing, and how that works in real life
You must stay in MyFutureFund for at least 6 months, and then you have a two-month window (months 7 and 8) to opt out.
If you opt out in that window, your own contributions are refunded, while employer and State contributions remain in your pot.
Outside the opt-out window, the main alternative is to suspend contributions rather than leave entirely. After the initial mandatory period, you can suspend, and contributions from your employer and the State pause during that time as well.
The practical question to ask yourself
For people with mixed income, the decision is rarely “auto-enrolment yes or no”. It’s usually: how does this fit with what you’re already doing, and what you want later?
A few helpful prompts:
- If side income varies, do you need a plan that can flex without being abandoned?
- Are you already contributing to a pension outside payroll, and are you clear on why you chose that approach?
- Would employer matching change the balance for you, or are you already prioritising a different structure?
- If your work changes, will you remember to review your setup, or will it drift for years?
Keeping track and staying in control
You can view and manage your fund through the MyFutureFund portal using a verified MyGovID.
Whether you stay in, opt out, or suspend, it helps to keep records tidy:
- save your enrolment notices
- keep a simple log of any changes you make
- review your setup after job changes, income shifts, or major life events
A note on support
Some people will be happy to follow the standard route and leave it at that. Others, especially those with mixed income, multiple pensions, or changing work patterns, may want a second set of eyes.
Rockwell Financial works with Irish professionals and business owners who want structure in long-term financial planning, including retirement planning where income is not neatly predictable. Questions around the new pension auto-enrolment (note:this will link to the new pension auto-enrolment service page that’s not live on the site yet) often sit alongside existing pensions and contribution habits, so the first step is usually getting clear on what you already have, how payroll deductions will apply, and what choices make sense before changing anything.
Keeping your plan joined up
If you have a straightforward PAYE job, it may feel simple. If your income is blended, it is still manageable, but it rewards a bit of attention.
The aim is not to chase a perfect pension setup. It’s to make sure what you’re doing lines up with how you actually work, how you actually earn, and how you want retirement to look when you get there.