Retirement Benefits and Social Security Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Compensation and Benefits Managers, HR Managers and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-CB-032

Before you join: Participants should have practical experience in HR, payroll, rewards, benefits administration, finance or employee relations.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Retirement benefits sit at the intersection of workforce strategy, payroll compliance, employee financial security and long-term cost management. HR and benefits professionals must interpret statutory social security rules, maintain employer-sponsored pension arrangements, explain entitlements clearly and identify gaps that leave employees financially exposed at retirement. Errors in contribution calculations, eligibility administration, member records or plan communications can create regulatory penalties, employee disputes and unplanned benefit costs.

This course develops the practical knowledge needed to manage retirement benefits and social security programmes with confidence. Participants examine public pension systems, employer retirement plan designs, contribution structures, vesting, portability, tax treatment, governance and member communications. They use replacement-rate analysis, contribution adequacy modelling, cohort analysis and benefits benchmarking to assess whether arrangements meet workforce needs while remaining affordable and administratively workable. The course also addresses mobile employees, mergers, outsourcing, plan amendments, disability-related retirement issues and employee data controls.

Delivery combines short instructor briefings with structured case work, group analysis, payroll and benefits scenarios, communication reviews and decision-making simulations. Participants work with realistic materials such as benefit statements, pension plan rules, contribution records, governance documents and change proposals. Each participant leaves with a Retirement Benefits Improvement Portfolio containing an entitlement assessment model, benefits governance checklist, communication review tool, compliance control map and 90-day application plan.

The course is suited to HR, rewards, payroll, benefits, finance and employee relations professionals responsible for retirement arrangements, social security compliance or employee financial wellbeing. It is particularly relevant where organisations operate pension plans alongside mandatory national schemes or employ staff across multiple jurisdictions.

What you will be able to do

  • Analyse retirement income arrangements using the three-pillar pension framework
  • Calculate social security and employer pension entitlements from contribution and service records
  • Design retirement benefit provisions covering eligibility, contributions, vesting and portability
  • Model retirement income adequacy using replacement rates and scenario assumptions
  • Assess pension governance controls using fiduciary duties, decision rights and provider scorecards
  • Reconcile retirement contributions across payroll, fund records and general ledger accounts
  • Create member communications using plain-language testing and behavioural insight principles
  • Develop a retirement benefits improvement plan with priorities, owners, milestones and measures

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Improved ability to explain retirement benefits accurately to employees and managers
  • Stronger confidence reviewing pension plan rules, contribution records and benefit statements
  • Practical methods for identifying retirement adequacy gaps among workforce groups
  • Better preparation for benefits, payroll, rewards and pension governance responsibilities
  • Reusable tools for managing benefit changes, employee queries and compliance reviews

For your organisation

  • Reduced risk of incorrect retirement contributions, late remittances and reporting failures
  • Clearer retirement benefit decisions supported by affordability and adequacy analysis
  • More consistent employee communications on pension choices and social security entitlements
  • Stronger governance evidence for trustees, auditors, regulators and senior management
  • Better workforce retention through retirement arrangements aligned with employee needs

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can assess how public, employer and personal retirement arrangements combine to support workforce financial security.

  • Three-pillar retirement income architecture: public, employer, and personal provision
  • Defined benefit, defined contribution, and hybrid plan risk allocation
  • Replacement-rate targets linked to salary, service, and retirement age
  • Longevity, inflation, investment, and employment risks affecting retirement adequacy
  • Map mandatory and voluntary benefits within total rewards strategy
  • Segment workforce needs using life-stage and income-profile analysis
  • Distinguish accumulation, decumulation, and preservation phases of retirement saving

Participants can interpret core social security entitlement rules and identify employer administration responsibilities.

  • Eligibility rules, contribution bases, benefit formulas, and qualifying periods
  • Calculate contributory pension entitlements from earnings records and service credits
  • Means-tested benefits, minimum pensions, and non-contributory social assistance
  • Apply totalization agreements to cross-border insurance periods and claims
  • Survivor, disability, unemployment, and maternity protections within social insurance
  • Identify reporting deadlines, contribution remittance controls, and audit evidence
  • Compare statutory retirement ages, early-retirement reductions, and deferral credits

Participants can evaluate and document employer retirement plan provisions that balance employee value, cost and administration.

  • Compare employer pension vehicles, eligibility designs, and vesting schedules
  • Set contribution formulas using matching, flat-rate, and age-based designs
  • Assess auto-enrolment defaults, opt-out patterns, and participation outcomes
  • Preservation, portability, and transfer rules following employment termination
  • Coordinate retirement plans with severance, health cover, and life insurance
  • Benchmark plan provisions against peer practices and workforce demographics
  • Draft eligibility and enrolment provisions using plain-language benefit design

Participants can assess likely retirement outcomes and prioritise practical interventions for identified gaps.

  • Estimate retirement income using replacement ratios, projections, and scenario assumptions
  • Model contribution adequacy under salary growth, inflation, and investment returns
  • Stress-test outcomes for career breaks, late entry, and longevity
  • Compare annuity, programmed withdrawal, and lump-sum decumulation choices
  • Use cohort analysis to identify coverage gaps and participation inequities
  • Interpret actuarial valuation assumptions without performing actuarial calculations
  • Prioritize interventions through cost, adequacy, equity, and administrative feasibility

Participants can establish governance arrangements that clarify accountability, control provider performance and protect member interests.

  • Fiduciary duties, sponsor responsibilities, and delegated authority boundaries
  • Governance charters defining trustee roles, committees, and decision rights
  • Establish investment policy statements, risk appetite, and review cycles
  • Monitor service providers through mandates, fee disclosures, and scorecards
  • Conflict-of-interest registers, related-party controls, and trustee conduct requirements
  • Apply ISSA good-governance principles to pension administration oversight
  • Document benefit decisions, member complaints, and escalation routes

Participants can manage retirement contribution processes, reconciliations and evidence required for compliance reviews.

  • Separate employee, employer, and government financing responsibilities within statutory schemes
  • Build payroll contribution controls from earnings definitions and contribution ceilings
  • Reconcile payroll deductions, remittances, fund records, and general ledger balances
  • Assess tax treatment of contributions, investment income, and benefit payments
  • Apply employer reporting requirements for retirement benefits and social security
  • Identify mobile-worker exposures using residence, work-location, and treaty tests
  • Design evidence trails for inspections, corrections, refunds, and appeals

Participants can communicate retirement benefits clearly while maintaining appropriate boundaries between education and regulated advice.

  • Translate pension provisions into member-centred messages and decision prompts
  • Annual benefit statements: balances, projected income, charges, and assumptions
  • Apply plain-language testing to retirement notices, forms, and digital content
  • Use behavioural insights for enrolment, contribution escalation, and retirement timing
  • Structure financial education boundaries, referrals, and regulated advice disclosures
  • Handle member complaints using root-cause analysis and service recovery
  • Measure communication effectiveness through comprehension, action, and channel metrics

Participants can identify inclusion risks and administer retirement benefits fairly through significant employee life events.

  • Assess retirement impacts of disability, caregiving, and interrupted employment
  • Apply non-discrimination principles to eligibility, contributions, and benefit access
  • Review gender pension gaps using pay, service, and caregiving data
  • Accommodate religious, accessibility, and language needs in benefit communications
  • Coordinate disability income, workers' compensation, and retirement benefits
  • Establish hardship and exception processes with documented decision criteria
  • Audit beneficiary nominations, marital-status changes, and dependent records
  • Protect member data through access controls, retention schedules, and consent

Participants can plan and control retirement benefit changes arising from organisational or workforce transitions.

  • Evaluate plan amendments against accrued-rights protections and consultation requirements
  • Model cost and employee impacts before changing contribution or eligibility rules
  • Manage pension obligations during mergers, acquisitions, and outsourcing transactions
  • Conduct retirement due diligence using plan documents, liabilities, and compliance records
  • Plan vendor transitions, data migration, and member communication milestones
  • Apply change-control logs, approvals, and implementation readiness criteria
  • Create consultation plans for unions, works councils, and employee representatives

Participants can prepare a prioritised improvement plan for a retirement benefits or social security issue.

  • Diagnose a retirement benefits issue using evidence, stakeholders, and root causes
  • Select interventions using adequacy, affordability, compliance, and equity criteria
  • Build an implementation roadmap with owners, milestones, dependencies, and controls
  • Define retirement benefit KPIs for coverage, cost, participation, and service
  • Present options through decision papers, assumptions, risks, and recommendations
  • Establish quarterly governance reviews and annual benefits strategy refreshes
  • Complete a 90-day application plan for a priority retirement benefits issue

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Retirement income adequacy assessment model
  2. Social security entitlement review checklist
  3. Pension governance charter template
  4. Payroll contribution reconciliation control map
  5. Member communication plain-language review tool
  6. 90-day retirement benefits improvement plan

Who should attend

  • Compensation and Benefits Managers — responsible for retirement plan design, costs and employee value
  • HR Managers — administering statutory and employer-sponsored benefit arrangements
  • Payroll Managers — managing contribution deductions, remittances and statutory reporting
  • Rewards Specialists — reviewing pension provisions within total rewards packages
  • HR Business Partners — advising leaders and employees on retirement benefit decisions
  • Finance and Internal Audit Professionals — reviewing benefit liabilities, controls and compliance evidence

Skills and tools covered

Retirement income analysisSocial security compliancePension plan designBenefits governancePayroll contribution controlsMember communication

Tools and standards

ILO Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No. 102), ISSA Guidelines on Good Governance, OECD Roadmap for Good Pension Design, Replacement-rate analysis

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short technical briefings followed by instructor-guided analysis of retirement benefit cases. Participants review pension plan extracts, contribution scenarios, social security claims, payroll reconciliations, benefit statements and governance papers. Group exercises examine plan design choices, employee communication problems and change proposals. Simulations test decisions on eligibility, contribution errors, mobile-worker cases and retirement adequacy gaps. Facilitated application planning helps participants translate course methods into actions for their own retirement benefits responsibilities.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have practical experience in HR, payroll, rewards, benefits administration, finance or employee relations. They should understand common employment terms such as salary, allowances, deductions, employee records and employer policies. Familiarity with their organisation's retirement plan, payroll process or statutory social security obligations is useful but not essential. The course does not require actuarial qualifications, pension trustee experience, advanced financial modelling skills or prior knowledge of a particular country's pension legislation. Jurisdiction-specific examples are used to illustrate transferable methods.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

Participants should have some exposure to HR, payroll, rewards, finance or benefits administration. No actuarial qualification or specialist pension trustee experience is required.

Participants may bring anonymised pension plan documents, benefit communications, payroll contribution reports or current retirement benefit questions. Bringing live employee data or confidential personal records is not appropriate.

The course suits professionals who administer, review, communicate or govern retirement benefits and social security obligations. It is especially useful for HR, payroll, rewards and finance staff with responsibility for employee benefit decisions.

General compensation courses cover salary structures, incentives and broad benefit design. This course concentrates on retirement income, social security, pension governance, contribution controls, member communications and long-term benefit adequacy.

Participants can use the templates to review plan eligibility, test contribution controls, assess retirement adequacy and improve employee communications. The final application plan identifies a specific retirement benefits issue and a practical sequence of actions.

The programme contains ten modules delivered in teaching order across five training days, with approximately 6.5 contact hours each day. Time is divided between technical instruction, case analysis, group work, simulations and application planning.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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