Employers facing fines by failing to comply with changes in pension legislation have prompted Accrington-based chartered accountancy firm, Haworths, to host two free seminars to help businesses to get to grips with the legal obligations of auto enrolment.

Legislation changes will make it compulsory for all firms to enrol eligible workers into a pension scheme by 2017, with those with fewer than 50 employees beginning to be affected by the new rules. With 166 penalty notices handed down in quarter four of 2014, non-compliance could have serious cost implications for businesses of all sizes.

The first seminar will take place on the Wednesday 27 May at Bentham Golf Club near Lancaster and the second on the Thursday 28 May at the Mercure Dunkenhalgh Hotel near Blackburn.

The talks will explain every aspect of the new legislation and will commence at 4.30pm, following registration at 4.00pm. Andy Rimmer from Now Pensions will also be present at the seminars to discuss the fundamentals of auto enrolment.

Director of Haworths, Mark Schofield, said: “We understand that identifying and implementing a Workplace Pension scheme is a significant burden for many SMEs, many of whom are still recovering from the recession and have no experience of pensions.

“That’s why it’s important to plan ahead and work with finance professionals that can help reduce the impact of your staging date and ensure that you avoid a fine.”

For further information visit http://www.haworths.co.uk/