A Self Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) is a Registered Pension scheme under the terms of the Finance Act 2004.
SIPPs are designed for investors who want maximum control over their pension without being dependent on any one fund manager or insurance company. As such, a SIPP requires active management and a degree of investment expertise. Furthermore, the charges (levied by the SIPP manager) may be higher than for a personal pension or stakeholder plan.
Unlike a standard personal pension, a SIPP holder has a much wider choice of assets to invest in, each of which can be selected to meet the individual's circumstances and requirements.
Investments which can be held in a SIPP include:
UK and overseas equities
Unlisted shares
OEICs and unit trusts
Property and land (but not most residential property) insurance bonds
It’s possible to use a SIPP to raise a mortgage to fund the purchase of commercial property, where the rental income paid into the SIPP either completely, or partially, covers the mortgage repayments and/or the property’s running costs.
Executive Pension Plans (EPP) are tax-efficient savings plans set up by the company for key employees. The employer (and sometimes the employee) pays into the plan, to build a tax-efficient fund, which is used at retirement to provide tax free cash and a pension income. In effect, EPPs are money purchase occupational pension schemes and operate for the most part like any other pension scheme.
EPPs are normally established by company directors or other valued employees for their own benefit, though, only the favoured can expect to be given the levels of investment that these schemes offer.
From an employer’s perspective, an EPP can form the core of a benefits package to attract, motivate and reward key executives. Additionally, there are financial benefits as contributions are allowable business expenses and can be set against taxable profits. Furthermore, there is no NIC liability and so extra pension contributions into an EPP can be made instead of salary increases.
SSAS — also known as a Small Self Administered Scheme (SSAS) — is a company pension scheme, the members of which are usually directors and key employees of the sponsoring employer.
Whilst subject to the same rules relating to contributions and benefits as a normal company pension scheme, SSAS schemes have considerably more flexibility and control over the investment policies and the scheme’s underlying assets. Contributions by individual members qualify for tax relief. Whereas contributions made by the employer might be deductible against profits, subject to certain conditions.
Other considerations are that only one scheme is permitted per employer, the scheme can have a maximum of 11 members and there can be limits on the amount of investment.
If you would like further details, please contact us.
(Please note – this is for information only and does not constitute advice. This is a potentially complex area and for further information or to obtain a State Pension statement please visit the government website at https://www.gov.uk/browse/working/state-pension)
About the state pension
A State Pension is a regular payment made by the government to people who have paid or been credited with a minimum amount of Class 1, 2 or 3 National Insurance Contributions and have reached State Pension age.
State Pension Age
The State Pension age for men and women is currently 66 but will increase to 67 between 2026 and 2028.
Under the current law, the State Pension age is due to increase to 68 between 2044 and 2046. However, the Pensions Act 2014 provides for reviews of the State Pension age at least once every 5 years, taking into account a range of factors that are relevant to setting the pension age, one of which will be changes in the life expectancy of the population.
A Stakeholder Pension (SHP) is a type of Personal Pension Plan designed to provide an optional lump sum and income in retirement. In common with a Personal Pension Plan, Stakeholder Pensions are available to any United Kingdom resident under the age of 75. The minimum age for Stakeholder Pension is 55.
You, in conjunction with your adviser, choose the pension provider and make the arrangements for paying the contributions to the plan.
You can start a SHP even if you have a workplace pension or if you’re self-employed and don’t have a workplace pension. You don’t have to be working to take out a SHP and you can also provide a SHP for your spouse/partner or your child/children.
When you contribute to a SHP, your money is invested by the pension provider (usually an insurance company) to build up a fund/pension pot over a number of years.
A Stakeholder Pension incorporates a set of minimum standards established by the government, which include:
A personal pension plan helps you save money for retirement and is available to any United Kingdom resident who is between the ages of 16 and 75 (Children under 16 cannot start a plan in their own right but a Legal Guardian can start one on their behalf). You, in conjunction with your adviser, choose the pension provider and make the arrangements for paying the contributions to the plan.
You can start a personal pension even if you have a workplace pension or if you’re self-employed and don’t have a workplace pension. You don’t have to be working to take out a Personal Pension Plan and you can also provide a Personal Pension Plan for your spouse/partner or your child/children.
When you contribute to a Personal Pension plan, your money is invested by the pension provider (usually an insurance company) to build up a fund/pension pot over a number of years.
(Please note - Income Drawdown is a complex and constantly changing subject and the information provided here reflects the current situation. For more information call us today or complete our short enquiry form and we'll be pleased to help you further.)
Traditionally, when the time came to retire, most people with defined contribution (DC) pensions, either used their whole pension fund to buy an annuity or used the remainder to do so after taking their entitlement to tax-free cash (normally 25% of the fund). They did so because they either didn’t qualify for income drawdown or were not willing to accept (or were unable to afford) the associated investment risk.
Since income drawdown was introduced some years ago, anyone of retirement age with a DC pension has been able to take income directly from their pension fund without needing to buy an annuity. Now, with the introduction of new 'income drawdown' rules, anyone with a DC pension and age 55 (57 in April 2028) or over, can use income drawdown to provide the income they need in retirement. Pension savers who are currently in a capped drawdown can move out of that arrangement whenever they choose.
(From April 2015, the rules involving annuities and income drawdown changed. Rather than having to purchase an annuity, pension savers can, if they wish, withdraw as much as they wish from their pension pots. In total, 25% of the pension pot can be taken free of tax; the balance being subject to income tax. Although this change may make annuities less attractive for some, many still prefer the security of knowing they have a guaranteed and secure income for life.)
What is an annuity?
An annuity is a contract between an insurance company and a pension scheme member, where the member uses some or all of their pension savings to purchase a regular and guaranteed income for the rest of his or her life or for a predetermined number of years.
The factors that determine the amount of income you can expect to receive include (but are not limited to) your age, state of health, your postcode, prevailing annuity rates, the type of annuity you buy and the size of your pension fund.
Every payday, a percentage of the employee’s pay is deducted automatically from their salary or wages and invested in the scheme. The employer also contributes to the scheme on the employee’s behalf as does the government in the form of tax relief.
Two types of scheme
In a ‘defined contribution scheme’, the employee’s retirement income is based on the contributions made, whereas in a defined benefit scheme, the employee’s pension income is based on his or her salary and length of service with the employer. Most occupational pension schemes are defined contribution schemes.
What happens if the employer goes out of business?
Whether the scheme is managed by insurance companies or by the employer, the pension funds are not available to creditors of the employer, so employees’ pension pots should not be affected if the employer goes bust. If the scheme is a trust-based scheme, employees will still get their pensions, although not as much because the scheme’s running costs will be paid out of members’ pension pots rather than by the employer.
When you retire you still need food and shelter as an absolute minimum, but of course you will want to maintain the lifestyle to which you have become accustomed, so unless you can guarantee a large inheritance or windfall, then you need to provide yourself with a secure income for the rest of your life.
A well prepared pension plan which is regularly reviewed should go some way to providing you with a reasonable level of income in your retirement.
A pension plan requires action as soon as possible, so start now - and if you have already started, take the opportunity to have a closer look at your existing arrangements to make sure you are on track.
How much am I going to need for my retirement?
The answer to this, of course, depends on your aspirations - what will you want to do? What will be the costs of day-to-day living for you (and your partner) in retirement? What else will you want to do now you have time on your hands? What expenses will disappear, for example children or mortgage repayments?
Quilter Financial Planning 