---
title: "Employer managed NEST pension submissions"
slug: "employer-managed-nest-pension-submissions"
updated: 2026-06-23T08:56:44Z
published: 2026-06-23T08:56:44Z
canonical: "help.cintra.co.uk/employer-managed-nest-pension-submissions"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.cintra.co.uk/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Employer managed NEST pension submissions

If you manage your own NEST pension submissions, this article will explain how you can now submit these directly through Cintra People, including enrolment, contributions, and payment authorisation.

### 1. Set up your credentials and assign payroll(s)

You can store your NEST credentials directly in Cintra People. You will only see **Pension submissions** if you have full access to at least one payroll.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/fc2cda72-4645-4b36-96bf-60439ec11f11/Images/Documentation/image-Z3M5FNJ4.png)

#### If you are setting up the connection for the first time:

1. Go to Pension submissions.
2. In the banner, click the Connect button.
3. Enter your NEST username and password.
4. Enable NEST submission for the relevant payroll

#### If you are updating your credentials or adding further payrolls:

1. Go to: **Payroll → Pension submissions → Settings → Connect to provider**.
2. Select **NEST**.
3. Enter your NEST username and password.
4. Click **Connect**.
5. Navigate to the **Manage Payrolls** tab.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/fc2cda72-4645-4b36-96bf-60439ec11f11/Images/Documentation/image-K4TR10Y4.png)

### 2. Setting submission data for each payroll

Complete the following for each payroll:

| **Field** | **What to do** |
| --- | --- |
| Enable submission | Turn on |
| Start date | Enter the date submissions should begin from (earlier periods won’t appear) |
| End date | Leave blank unless you're stopping submissions |
| Managed by | Employer (this is the only supported option) |

If you want to hand over submissions to a bureau, contact the bureau administrator via messaging.

### 3. Submit pension data

1. Go to: Payroll → Pension submissions
2. NEST-enabled payrolls with a closed period that are ready to submit will show as Due.
3. Check Total contributions against your payroll report to confirm the figures balance.
4. Select Submit from the Actions menu
  - The status will change to Pending: Contributions can take up to 15 minutes and enrolments up to 45 minutes

> [!NOTE]
> **Note**: Cintra People submits enrolments, contributions, and authorises payment in NEST.

You can also submit multiple payrolls at once, if all the payrolls have a status of Due. To do this, tick all the boxes beside the payrolls, then at the top-right of the list, select **Submit selected**.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/fc2cda72-4645-4b36-96bf-60439ec11f11/Images/Documentation/image-KR5R4MEJ.png)

### 4. Submission statuses

![](https://cdn.document360.io/fc2cda72-4645-4b36-96bf-60439ec11f11/Images/Documentation/image-JTZXA8OI.png)

| Tab | Status | Meaning | What you can do |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Action required** | **Due** | Period closed and ready for submission | - **Submit** - **Refresh contributions:** Pull the latest contribution values before submitting. - **Mark as complete:** Use only if submission via Cintra People is not possible (e.g. errors have been fixed on the Nest account rather than in Payroll). - **View data:** Check what will be included. |
| **Action required** | **Pending** | Sent to NEST and awaiting a response | Check back after ~15 minutes (contributions) or ~45 minutes (enrolments). - **View data:** See what was included in the submission. |
| **Action required** | **Failed** | Submission contains errors | - **View data:** Review errors. Fix issues in Cintra iQ, then resubmit. - **Refresh contributions:** Use if setup or values have changed since the failed submission. - **Mark as complete:** Last resort only (e.g. manual submission or fix required in NEST). |
| **History** | **Completed** | Submission successful | No action needed. - **View data:** Check what was included. |

### If you encounter any problems

See the [FAQs and troubleshooting guide](/payroll/docs/nest-pension-submission-faqs-and-troubleshooting).

### Current limitations

| **Limitation** | **Detail** |
| --- | --- |
| Direct Debit only | Debit card and Direct Credit are not supported. Customers must use Direct Debit |
| NEST only | People's Pension API integration is not yet available |
| Monthly pay date only | Regardless of the periodicity of the payroll, the payment date for NEST can only be once a month |