Category: Pension

The government has confirmed that its triple-lock guarantee on pensions is to be abandoned for one year. The guarantee was first introduced in 2010 and has remained in place until now. This guarantee has seen the full yearly State Pension increase by over £2,050 in this period.

The triple-lock is the mechanism used to calculate increases to the state pension each year. Under the triple-lock guarantees the basic state pension rises by whichever is the highest out of average earnings growth, inflation or 2.5%.

The government is concerned that the growth in earnings will be between 8% and 8.5% and has decided that setting aside for one year the use of average earnings growth figures for State Pensions would be prudent. This large growth figure has been caused by the unprecedented fluctuations to earnings caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The other two elements of the triple-lock will remain in place, meaning that the State Pension will be uprated by the higher of inflation or 2.5%.

The government has argued that this pause in the triple-lock is the fairest approach for both pensioners and younger taxpayers. However, this decision will leave many of those in receipt of the State Pension deeply disappointed with this decision and worried that this is the start of further broken promises.

It had been rumoured for quite some time that HM Treasury was exploring ways to suspend the triple-lock as it became apparent that the earnings growth figure would appear to be artificially high.

The annual allowance for tax relief on pensions is currently set at £40,000. The annual allowance is further reduced for high earners. This means that if your income is in excess of £240,000 you will usually begin to see your £40,000 annual allowance tapered. For every complete £2 your income exceeds £240,000 the annual allowance is reduced by £1. The annual allowance can also be reduced if you have flexibly accessed your pension pot.

If you have not used all your annual allowance in a tax year, then the unused allowance can usually be carried forward to the current tax year and added to the current year’s annual allowance. The calculation of the exact amount of unused annual allowance that can be carried forward can be complicated especially if you are subject to the tapered annual allowance. 

Normally, you can carry forward unused allowance from the three previous tax years. You do not need to report this to HMRC. If you have unused annual allowances from more than one year, you need to use the allowance in order of earliest to most recent. Any remaining balances can be used in future tax years, subject to the usual time limits. You do not need to report this to HMRC.

HMRC’s pension calculator can also help you check if you have any unused annual allowance to carry forward.
 

The lifetime allowance is the maximum amount of pension and/or lump sum that benefits from tax relief. The lifetime allowance is currently set at £1,073,100. The annual allowance for tax relief on pensions is currently £40,000 and there is a three year carry forward rule that allows taxpayers to carry forward unused annual allowance from the last three tax years if they have made pension savings in those years. 

If you have a reduced (tapered) annual allowance the first step is to calculate your net income. Your net income is your taxable income for the year less any tax reliefs such as payments made to your pension scheme that had tax relief but were paid before the relief was applied. You will also need to quantify your pension savings, threshold income and adjusted income.

Those with an adjusted income over £240,000 will begin to see their £40,000 annual allowance tapered. For every complete £2 income exceeds £240,000 the annual allowance is reduced by £1. In recent years, both the annual and lifetime allowances have been gradually reduced removing the amount of tax relief on pensions available to high earners.

New Powers of Pension Regulator There were few changes to the pension scheme Act few weeks ago. The new Pensions Scheme Act received Royal Assent on 11 February 2021.

The Act has been described by government as “the biggest shake-up of UK pensions for decades”. The new Act will provide for enhanced powers for the Pension Regulator, including the power to impose civil penalties of up to £1 million and three new criminal offences.

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2021/1/contents/enacted/data.htm

One of new criminal offences, that could result in up to seven years in prison, will target bosses who run pension schemes into the ground, or plunder pots to line their own pockets. This is expected to strengthen the regulators’ powers to take efficient and timely actions to protect members’ hard-earned savings.

The legislation also introduces a new pensions dashboard creating one single platform to access and review pension pots, and the creation of new style collective defined contribution (CDC) schemes. CDCs have the potential to increase returns for millions, whilst being more sustainable for both workers and employers.

The Act also aims to ensure that pensions help with climate change governance by moving towards a net zero future through climate risk reporting.

The measures in the Act will come into force at different times as secondary legislation is introduced.

If you are looking to know more this new and related laws; feel free to book a free consultation.

The annual allowance for tax relief on pensions has been fixed at £40,000 since 6 April 2014. The annual allowance is further reduced for high earners. Since 6 April 2020, the tapered annual allowance increased from £150,000 to £240,000.

https://www.gov.uk/tax-on-your-private-pension

This means that anyone with income below £240,000 is no longer affected by the tapered annual allowance rules. Those earning over £240,000 will begin to see their £40,000 annual allowance tapered. For every complete £2 income exceeds £240,000 the annual allowance is reduced by £1. The annual allowance can also be lower if the taxpayer flexibly accessed their pension pot.

There is a three year carry forward rule that allows taxpayers to carry forward unused annual allowance from the last three tax years if they have made pension savings in those years. The calculation of the exact amount of unused annual allowance that can be carried forward can be complicated especially if you are subject to the tapered annual allowance.

There is also a pensions lifetime allowance that needs to be considered. The lifetime allowance limit is currently £1,073,100.

or most workplace and personal pensions, how much you get depends on:

• the amount you’ve paid in
• how well the pension fund’s investments have done
• your age – and sometimes your health – when you start taking your pension pot