pensions Archives - Financial Planning in Surrey

Pensions and Inheritance Tax

Dominic Thomas
Jan 2025 • 2 min read

Pensions and Inheritance Tax

In the first Labour Budget of the current Government, Rachel Reeves announced that from 6^th April 2027, pension funds (investment-based pension funds) would form part of an estate for inheritance tax assessment. This made a number of folk choke on their gin and tonic as they considered their estate in light of this pension reform.

Despite only being elected on 4^th July 2024; now barely six months on and only about three months since her Budget on 30^th October, the Government has been facing growing criticism for lack of economic growth since they took office. To be candid, I’m not sure who is so vexed about this; as any reasonable person would appreciate that the impact of a new Government and policy decisions generally take a while to have any impact on economic growth. So this has probably rather more to do with sentiment than fact (all political bias aside).

Anyway, some of the biggest companies have collaborated to tell the Chancellor that her plans to include pensions within inheritance tax assessments are “bonkers” (my word not theirs!). This includes AJ Bell, Quilter, Hargreaves Lansdown and Interactive Investor, who between them manage £430bn of pensions across around 3.4m people.

I’m not sure how much attention will be given to their pleading, however meritorious, as there is a rather obvious conflict of interest (if the funds are not taxed, then investment firms continue to manage the higher amount).

It would certainly seem that the UK needs some serious spending on its infrastructure, healthcare, education and welfare – so the money has to come from somewhere, but so far the billionaires seem to have been able to reside in their silos like Bond villains and declare that they will move outside the UK should they be required to pay any more tax – perhaps Mars.

There is obviously some unfairness about the Government proposals. It punishes those who saved and didn’t spend it all. There is ample opportunity for not simply one tax (IHT), but the likelihood of further double taxation. One might add that this doesn’t help the younger generations to finally buy a property either. Frankly the complexity of tax rules and pensions will make any adviser (let alone Executor of an estate) squirm with uncertainty when totting up all the assets and calculating the liability (failure for doing this accurately can result in a custodial sentence).

In short, a week is a long time in politics, the few months since the Budget already feel like a lifetime and there may well be a lot of changes before April 2027. So before you panic and blow your retirement planning into some irrevocable strategy, please do consider that change is possible and may be probable.

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Pensions and Inheritance TaxJemima Thomas2025-02-17T17:01:29+00:00

Government Pension Reforms

Matt Loadwick
Dec 2024 • 5 min read

Government Pension Reforms

Chancellor Rachel Reeves recently announced plans for major reforms to UK pension schemes, described as “the biggest pension reform in decades”, with possible implications for both UK public sector pension funds and private sector pensions.

These plans formed a key part of her first Mansion House speech as Chancellor, which is the annual address given by the incumbent Chancellor to senior bankers and financial industry leaders at the Annual Financial and Professional Services Dinner.

Typically, this speech is used to indicate future plans for the industry and is closely watched by those wanting to keep a close eye on the Government’s next steps.

What is the Government trying to achieve?

Through these reforms, it seems that the Government is seeking to achieve two objectives in particular;

To increase investment in UK projects / businesses to help stimulate economic growth; and
To increase returns on savings for UK pensioners

It is understood that the Government will not mandate where the funds will be invested, but it is hoped that a significant proportion will naturally end up invested in UK-based projects and growing businesses.

Some savers may find the framing of these reforms unsettling, as in the first instance they appear to be promoted as a vehicle for economic growth, rather than looking primarily at the needs of savers.

What are the plans?

According to the official Government press release, the reforms, (which will be introduced through a new Pension Schemes Bill in 2025) will merge the 86 Local Government Pension Scheme assets, and consolidate defined contribution schemes into ‘megafunds’.

It is understood that smaller defined contribution schemes from private businesses across the UK would also be pooled into funds of £25bn to £50bn

These megafunds would reflect set-ups in Australia and Canada, where pension funds take advantage of size to invest in assets that have higher growth potential. The Government hopes that this could deliver £80 million of investment in new businesses and critical infrastructure, while boosting the pension pots of defined contribution savers.

Are these new ideas?

It should be clarified that these plans are not exactly ‘new’ ideas from a UK government perspective, with the previous Conservative Governments proposing similar reforms in the last decade, most notably so with David Cameron in 2015, and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt as recently as Autumn 2023. It would seem that the fact that these reforms have cross-party support, at a time when UK politics is increasingly polarised, this would suggest that this is not altogether a terrible idea.

What opportunities might Megafunds offer?

The idea is that the larger the fund, the larger the sums of money that can be invested, into a wider range of both higher risk and longer-term assets, increasing the chances of improved returns for savers.

These pooled funds would be managed by professional investors, which should in turn help to cut costs by reducing fees paid to the various teams of advisers / lawyers / asset managers employed by individual firms each year.

What are the issues?

Risk and reward is inherent in all investments, and any investment decision should be defined through the investor’s attitude to risk, capacity for loss, and their need for returns.

Pension savers across the UK will all wish to see good returns on their investments in order to support a comfortable retirement, and in this regard the proposed reforms could be seen as a positive move.

However, not all savers will have the same attitude to risk, and an individual’s capacity for loss on their pension funds will change throughout their working lives. For instance, a saver in the early part of their career would be more likely to accept their funds taking a significant hit, as there would be plenty of time for them to recover before they retire. Conversely, a saver who may be looking to retire imminently would have less capacity for loss, as there would be less time for their funds to recover in the event of any significant losses.

These Canadian / Australian models often have a higher proportion of their funds invested in higher risk assets such as private equity, with a lower proportion held in assets that are typically less volatile, such as Government bonds or shares in listed companies.

Such investments come with particular risks, that not all savers have an appetite for. A key example of such investments going wrong is the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement Scheme, who invested into utility provider Thames Water. Well-documented financial issues have led the pension fund to reduce the value of its 31.7% stake in the parent company of Thames Water to zero.

Undoubtedly, there will also be plenty of examples of success stories of these funds, whereby investments into higher risk assets provide the returns that investors hoped they would. But given the nature of our news and media cycle, which tends to focus on the negative, we are less likely to hear about such stories.

Implications?

As ever with these things, the devil will be in the detail, and given that the Bill will not be officially introduced to Parliament until next year, there is time for some of this detail to change.

Solomon’s will be on hand to support all our clients through whatever comes of these reforms; so if you have any questions or concerns – please let us know.

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Government Pension ReformsJemima Thomas2025-01-21T15:02:04+00:00

Autumn 2024 Budget

Dominic Thomas
Oct 2024 • 5 min read

The Autumn 2024 Budget

I expect further analysis to be necessary, here are some of the initial Autumn Budget highlights. I think firstly there is some good news. The tax-free cash from pensions has not been abolished (I didn’t think it would be).

The Taxman on Steroids

Whatever your political persuasion, the Government is raising an extra £40bn and raising an estimated £1,229bn in 2025-26. One might conclude that all the fuss amounts to a total increase of 3.3% which isn’t that far off the rate of inflation. This merely fuels my general, (admittedly cynical) belief that a Budget is a bit like rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic. Is ‘the system’ fixed? and will it benefit the nation? are always the questions without answer.

What we do know is that Labour are going to ramp up tax collecting, which in truth is probably a continuance of previous Conservative policy. By the end of November 2024 there will be 200 new HMRC compliance staff, with the intention of creating 5,000 new compliance jobs at HMRC. This is part of the strategy to collect more of the unpaid tax (tax gap) that is owed. HMRC are also launching an app for your phone. HMRC do have powers that enable them to take money from your account and I would expect to see more of this sort of thing occur for frequent late payers.

Similarly, Labour will be aggressively going after those who cheat the welfare state, with fairly tough consequences for those who are caught.

Inheritance Tax

Agricultural property relief and business property relief will alter from April 2026. These will retain 100% relief from inheritance tax up to £1m but thereafter be subject to a 20% inheritance tax rate (half the actual rate). So this is probably a better result than many feared, but there cannot be many agricultural properties worth much below £1m. The reduced IHT exemption will also apply to AIM shares (a commonly used but very high risk tool used by some within the sector) which will inevitably now be less appealing.

Surprisingly, there has been some certainty provided in that the Nil Rate Band of £325,000 is now secured until 2030 as is the Main Residence Relief Rate of £175,000 for estates up to £2m. There is no inheritance tax between spouses.

Farmers will certainly be caught by the changes and I wonder if there may be an amendment for smaller farms (sub £5m in value). It isn’t a good idea to upset those who provide our food and rural management, but it is evident to many that some are considerably more prosperous than others and shouldn’t be totally exempt from IHT.

Pensions

Sadly but not unexpectedly, your unused pension pots will begin to be part of IHT assessment for anyone who dies after 5^th April 2027. Currently, unused pension pots are exempt from IHT, but this will end in two and bit years time. This may change some strategies for leaving your pension pot as long as you can, but we have time to make adjustments if necessary. This slight change in policy was always expected and remains one of the many reasons for keeping your retirement provision under review.

The truth is that this will create more administration for Probate which will likely increase the time that the process takes. It is also yet another opportunity for HMRC to learn the value of your pension assets.

Tax-free cash on pensions remains as it was, as does the tax relief on contributions (the latter being a surprise to me). As ever, it rather suggests that you really shouldn’t listen to ‘news’ reports, which are sadly driven by ideology rather than actual facts.

I cannot find anything about changes to Lifetime Allowance, Annual Allowance or Small Pensions rules in the 164 pages of the report. Indeed, it is confirmed that there are no other changes to existing pension rules and allowances, except for offshore pensions, which you do not have anyway! This impacts QROPS (if you know, you know, but you don’t need to if you don’t!).

ISAs

There were no changes to the ISA, LISA or JISA rules and allowances, despite what media pundits suggested. Clearly use of these allowances is sensible, don’t waste yours. The one thing they have scrapped is the British ISA which was announced but never implemented. I think it best assumed that this was a flag-waving attempt for the election.

Non-Dom

Nothing to do with me, but non-domiciled. The rules are changing with the intention being to ensure that people who live in the UK pay their taxes in the UK, both whilst alive and deceased. So this impacts people born outside of the UK. Ultimately, if you have made the UK your home then your worldwide assets will be liable to UK inheritance taxes. Reading between the lines, this is really aimed at very wealthy people with jets and large yachts.

Capital Gains Tax

Capital Gains tax will rise for any disposals from Budget Day (deeply embedded on page 129) this will make our calculations particularly onerous for 2024/25. However, the increase is much as expected, though frankly still lower than I thought might be the case. CGT will increase to 18% (for basic rate taxpayers) and 24% (for higher and additional rate taxpayers). This is still less than income tax. This makes an even stronger case to ensure you use your ISA allowances (£20,000) where CGT does not apply.

There was no change to the CGT allowance of £3,000 – the gain you can make before paying the tax; also no changes to your ability to use realised losses as well

Allowances and rates

There was no change to the annual giving allowance, inheritance tax rates or allowances (other than the above exemptions). The tax bands remain frozen (as previously planned and expected). This means that more people will end up paying tax as they drift into higher tiers.

Business Owners

Arguably business owners (like me) were the ‘hardest hit’ in the Budget. Whilst employees may not pay more National Insurance, employers will collectively pay rather more, some £24bn more from the next tax year and beyond. The employer rate will rise from 13.8% to 15% and be paid from a lower starting level of £5,000 rather than £9,100 (this alone is an extra £615 a year). However small businesses do get Employment Allowance, so the calculated NI they pay only applies after £5,000, this is extended to £10,500 from the new tax year and will apply to all businesses.

This is going to make salary sacrifice schemes more appealing for employers, but I wonder if they might otherwise be even more circumspect about new appointments. This also prompts thoughts about bonuses and pay rises being paid into pensions rather than as salary.

If you do own your own business, then the first £1m you get from selling it has a reduced capital gains tax rate (10%); gains above this are at normal CGT rates. This is known as Business Asset Disposal Relief (BADR) and Investors Relief. The £1m allowance will persist but the rates will increase to 14% for 25/26 and 18% for 26/27. So if you were planning to sell or close your business you probably don’t have enough time to take advantage of the lower rate. In practice the extra tax is no more than £40,000 in 25/26 then £80,000 from 26/27.

Business rates (the council tax businesses pay for having an office, shop or factory without any right to local vote or waste disposal) are going to rise. The temporary discount of 75% on rates expires in April and will become a 40% discount.

Corporation tax will remain at the same rate (25%) – that’s business profit taxed at 25% before the balance is distributed as dividends (which are also taxed). The small business rate (profits under £250,000) is retained at 19%, but is of course reduced in real terms (which is what politicians mean by retained or frozen).

Families With Young Children

For those of you with children and are paying for private education or plan to do so, VAT will now be added to your invoice (20%). You may also find that the fees increase as Public Schools will not be able to claim rates relief.

Child benefit rules are remaining as they were. Long gone are the days when families collected child benefit for each child, irrespective of income or need. Today the benefit is withdrawn (or more accurately must be repaid) if the higher earner’s income tops £80,000 (High Income Child Benefit Charge). The one change is that this can now be resolved through the PAYE system rather than dealing with self-assessment returns which invariably are forgotten by employees – leading to fines.

Helping First Time Buyers

There is little attempt to help any first time buyers in the south of the country. The Stamp Duty Land Tax (Stamp Duty), currently has a threshold of £425,000 before SDLT is paid. This is going to be reduced to £300,000. So First Time Buyers and indeed anyone, will now pay more tax when purchasing a home, so make sure it’s the right location, location, location. Those buying a second property (not their main residence) will see SDLT increase further.

There was noise about building homes and allowing councils to keep funds from sale of council houses under the Right to Buy scheme, which it is hoped will aid the housing market crisis of overpriced and not enough. Perhaps the extra tax on pensions may result in more beneficiaries selling inherited homes as well.

Specifics and Personal – Get In Touch

Of course, more detail may be needed for your specific personal situation, but these are the main headlines. I think most of us know that Government like to tax fuel, alcohol and cigarettes. Your green holiday flight tax will also rise by £2 for economy. If you go by private jet, the levy will increase by 50%. Reeves rather pointedly glared at Sunak as she gave an example of a flight to California.

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Autumn 2024 BudgetJemima Thomas2025-01-23T10:49:36+00:00

Have you been scammed?

Dominic Thomas
Sept 2024 • 2 min read

Have you been scammed?

According to a recent report for LV, roughly one in seven adults have been the subject of an attempted pension scam in the last 12 months! That’s an enormous number, translating into about 7.3 million people.

A staggering 14% were encouraged to transfer money from their pensions by text message. It may interest you to note that about 4 million British adults lost money to such scams over the same period. That is an awful lot and begs the question – are the regulators really focussing on the right things?

Pensions are both simple and complex. Simple in the sense that they are a savings plan that you access to provide income in your retirement. Ideally this needs to last for the remainder of your lifetime, which then presents the inevitable question “how much is enough?” which of course is subjective and dependant on your expectations and lifestyle.

Pension rules are ludicrously complicated, made by successive Governments, each of which has been utterly lacking any long-term thinking. Complexity is perhaps a double-edged sword. Most people know enough to realise that they probably need advice, but the cost of this is prohibitive. A lot of the cost is due to regulation, but in fairness most of the regulation is well intended.

A problem we all face is that scammers are getting better. Deepfake technology makes a decent scam difficult to spot. It is relatively easy to set up an email, phone number and website that all look perfectly legitimate. Something like 36% of scams were reported as fake HMRC emails and text messages.

Regulators, pension companies and advisers would all likely say the same thing – please seek advice. The scam rate amongst regulated advisers is very low (contrary to press-driven opinion). The majority of scams take place through the everyday technology you use at home. If you come across friends or family who you suspect may be about to make a catastrophic blunder, please (please!) get them to call us. Certainly not everyone is going to be a suitable client for us, but if we can save someone from self-destruction, we are happy to take calls or emails.

Don’t wait for a friend to get scammed, get them in touch with us, so that we can ensure that they don’t get caught out.

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Have you been scammed?Jemima Thomas2025-01-21T15:19:59+00:00

Recycling: The possibilities are not endless

Daniel Liddicott
Aug 2024 • 3 min read

Recycling: The possibilities are not endless

There has been a great deal of speculation on potential changes to pension rules, amongst others, as we lead up to Labour’s Autumn Budget on 30^th October. However, one rule that we do not expect to change is the ability to take 25% of your pension pot as a tax-free lump sum.

Whilst Sir Keir Starmer did insinuate during the pre-election process that this current tax-free cash entitlement may not be safe from alteration, it was fairly swiftly followed by various Labour spokespeople claiming that this was “an old-fashioned mistake”. It does not appear therefore that this will change – after all, removing the 25% tax-free lump sum entitlement from pensions would be something akin to political suicide.

So, with this likely to remain for the foreseeable future, it is a good time to remind you of the rules on ‘recycling’ the tax-free cash from your pensions. Recycling in this instance is the act of paying any tax-free cash taken from your pension back into the same or another pension in order to benefit from additional tax relief. There are rules in place to prevent people from exploiting this loophole; otherwise it would be possible to repeatedly withdraw tax-free money from a pension and reinvest it to unfairly boost your pension savings.

When might you break pension tax-free cash recycling rules?

In order to break these recycling rules, ALL of the following must have occurred:

You must have received tax-free cash from a pension
Received more than £7,500 in tax-free cash over 12 months
As a result, pension contributions must have increased by more than 30% of what was expected (e.g., you paid in £10,000 each year before and are now paying in more than £13,000)
The additional amount you are contributing must be more than 30% of the tax-free lump sum received (e.g., you received £30,000 in tax-free cash and are now paying £9,000 or more into pensions)
The recycling was pre-planned

If only one of the above did not occur, you will not have been deemed to have broken the rules.

If all five points had occurred, you will have been deemed to have broken these rules and would likely be forced to pay tax on what would have otherwise been a tax-free lump sum.

In reality, it is not easy to hit all of the above criteria and break the recycling rules. However, it is useful to be aware of these rules to help to avoid paying unnecessary tax on those precious tax-free lump sums from your pensions. We are also, of course, here to help you to avoid such pitfalls. Please get in touch should you have any concerns about the above.

In direct contrast to, and to paraphrase a national TV advertisement campaign from the early 2000s, the message here is this – “Recycling: The possibilities are not endless.”

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Recycling: The possibilities are not endlessJemima Thomas2024-08-23T16:20:43+01:00

Are you taking too much?

Dominic Thomas
June 2024 • 3 min read

Are you taking too much out of your pensions and investments?

It would seem that many people are. According to research conducted by NFU Mutual, over half of people accessing their pensions for the first time cleaned the entire pension pot out. If that is even half-true, it’s a concern.

A dig into some of the data suggests that 739,535 pensions were accessed for the first time in 2022/23 up from 420,727 the year before. The research found that over 75% of people taking their pensions were not advised, so will have no recourse. Many will likely have paid emergency tax and failed to reclaim it if they had been over-taxed.

It seems that on one hand the former Chancellor Mr Osborne (I cannot now remember how many we have had since) would be pleased that people are using their own money to fund their lifestyle. However, this sort of data, when viewed in conjunction with the regulator’s concern about ‘retirement income’ and a heavy, detailed questionnaire that seeks ‘big data’ rather than the nuance of real life, leaves me concerned. Osborne made pensions rather like a bank account. Prior to his changes, there were limits on how much people could access, which whilst often seemingly at odds with reality, at least was a sense check. Today you can blow your life savings as quickly as you can say Ferrari.

The problem is that this might lead to a return to restrictions, in a world where pensions are already ludicrously complex. I hope not, but certainly some reimagining of what a pension pot could and should do for us all is required.

Here at Solomon’s, we plan income withdrawals very carefully for our clients. Many people are lucky enough to have decent old-style final salary pensions (NHS, Teachers, Local Government and old large companies) which provide a good base income. For all its problems, the State Pension begins at an individually specific time and often there is a gap in the need for income between retirement and the State Pension starting. Of course, some will need and want more and so we plan with all the options in mind on an individual basis.

We model scenarios, attempting to build a plan that has a very high chance of success, which in plain English simply means ‘not running out of money’. However, we don’t know how long you will live and what the future holds (we are neither magicians nor fortune tellers). We use historic data and run multiple scenarios. We stress-test the plan and just as importantly review progress and make adjustments. There are no absolute certainties, but we do our best to ensure that your plan is set up to pay minimal fees and taxes, so that your money has the best chance of lasting as long as you do.

If you know someone who could use our help with this, please send them along. We specialise in working with people approaching retirement and those in it, who have two key questions – will I have enough? And will I run out? (which are much the same).

There are limitless things to spend money on, but not having enough to turn the heating on is a problem no-one should ever have.

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Are you taking too much?Jemima Thomas2025-01-28T10:03:18+00:00

Lost pensions

Dominic Thomas
July 2023 • 8 min read

Lost pensions

The world of pensions is ever changing, a phrase that three decades ago I thought could never be uttered with a straight face, such was my naivety. The last three decades have seen a vast amount of change which has left most of us attempting to follow a paper trail of who took over who, a bit of head scratching, trying to remember who took over Clerical Medical or Friends Provident, Sun Life, Equity and Law, Norwich Union and hundreds of others.

KNOW YOUR EAGLE STAR FROM YOUR COMMERCIAL UNION

Today, the pension provider landscape looks nothing like it did. Indeed, traditional pension companies have largely disappeared or sold their legacy of pension funds to someone else. This has often not been a spectacular success, with constant promises that you (and we) are important, but evidently not important enough to answer the phone before a change of Chancellor.

1 IN 4 PEOPLE HAVE LOST A PENSION

Add in the regular movement of investors as their careers unfold and you have such a mess that not even an angry teenager’s bedroom would surpass. A recent survey (warning with them all about extracting data from a small sample to 66m people, but that said..) showed that 1 in 4 people believe that they have a missing or lost pension. I’m a little surprised it isn’t a higher proportion.

There are a multitude of small pots of pension benefits, sometimes pennies but sometimes thousands of pounds. Many of you may remember “contracting out of SERPS” in the late 1980s or early 90’s… some of these pensions have had several decades of growth and worth a princely sum. It is certainly worth checking.

PROCRASTINATION WILL COST YOU INCOME

Too regularly good intentions to “sort out my pensions” is deferred until a better time. I understand this very normal reality but it carries a cost. A lot of old pensions are very expensive by today’s standards and those charges are eating away at returns. Then of course, there is the issue of the returns themselves – are the funds appropriate, suitable to your long-term ambitions?

The good news is that even the Government have a service for lost pensions. You can find the link in our conveniently entitled “useful links” page – Lost Policy Finder. Of course, if you already have the details and they are sitting in a drawer somewhere, send us a copy so that we can assess it for you, don’t leave it until you take your retirement more seriously, we want to help you avoid using the phrase “if only I had got this to you earlier”.

GETTING READY FOR RETIREMENT… THE SOONER THE BETTER

As a not very aside, side note…. Do also have a go at our “Retirement Ready?” quiz if you are yet to retire, and please SHARE this information with people you care about, helping everyone to become more financially informed as well as financially independent, is one of our reasons for being here.

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Lost pensionsJemima Thomas2023-12-01T12:12:30+00:00

Flat pack fever

Daniel Liddicott
March 2023 • 4 min read

Flat pack fever

Flat pack furniture – a phrase that strikes fear into the hearts of most people, and often for very good reason – the poorly labelled pieces; the multitude of supposedly vital fixtures and fittings; the cryptic instructions seemingly written with the sole purpose to confuse and annoy.

I am delighted to say that my wife and I are expecting our first child at the end of March! This is, and has been, an extremely exciting and often anxiety-inducing time. I am sure that I am describing a period of time that is familiar to many of you. In amongst all of the preparations, baby book reading and antenatal classes, there is the inevitable task of assembling our unborn bundle of joy’s nursery furniture. Unless, of course, you wisely paid for the outsourcing of said assembly process – alas, we did not.

So began an entire Sunday of unpacking boxes, organising various pieces, deciphering assembly instructions and good old elbow grease – not to mention dusting off our toolbox that is used so sparingly. It took a great deal of patience, persistence and a coffee or three – but my wife and I ended the day proud that we had persevered, feeling that little bit more prepared for our baby’s arrival.

Financial planning requires persistence and perseverance. It requires all of those vital ‘fixtures and fittings’ – your savings, investments and pensions. Whilst sticking to the plan can feel painful at times, particularly through the current cost-of-living crisis and the adverse market conditions that we have seen over the past 12 months; enduring through the difficult moments will help you to achieve what you set out to do at the beginning.

I would be lying if I told you that the mental and physical strain of piecing together those jigsaw puzzle-esque pieces of furniture didn’t give me pause, but the sense of achievement from staying the course and completing the task at hand gave me a great sense of achievement at the end of the day. The increased preparedness that I felt for our baby’s arrival after having set up the nursery was profound – and a welcome, cathartic surprise.

If you feel the need to reach out during these testing times, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us. We are here for you when you need us, to guide you and be the reassuring voice that encourages you to stick to your well-made plans.

And speaking of testing times, I am due to be extremely busy in both my personal and professional life in the very near future – tax year end baby on the way!

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Flat pack feverJemima Thomas2023-12-01T12:12:35+00:00

Inflammatory budget?

Dominic Thomas
March 2023 • 10 min read

Inflammatory budget?

These are the days of being offended. It seems that, unsurprisingly, opposition parties and in particular the Labour party are having kittens about announcements around pensions in the Budget. The criticism is that this helps the rich and not the poor. There is some truth in this of course, but this goes to the political heart of wealth redistribution. In case you are concerned about my political bias, I don’t like any of them.

A million pounds seems like a lot, (it is!) but it’s not as much as it was. The sense we have of £1m is due to ‘anchoring’ as most of us grew up believing that £1m was a lot of money; a millionaire was a very rich person. Search for a home online in the south east and quickly you appreciate that perhaps a million doesn’t buy very much. The TV show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” with the prize of £1m was first aired in April 1998, almost 25 years ago. £1m then bought you rather more than the same prize fund does today. In fact in real terms, the prize should be adjusted to £1,776,802 … but that doesn’t really fit with the show’s title.

An adult approach is of course to recognise the impact of inflation. I’m going to speculate that politicians know this, but are always selective about the things that vex them. Your house is worth more perhaps because you have done some refurbishment, but also due to inflation. Anyone living in the South East (or indeed swathes of the country) knows that house prices are eye-watering and this is a problem for those trying to buy and for those paying inheritance tax. Inflation in house prices has been higher.

THE PENSION REFORMS WERE REALLY ABOUT NHS CONSULTANTS

The main thrust of the pension reforms are aimed at NHS Consultants, because they have been leaving in droves, because simply by working a normal week they end up owing tax on income that they have not had, in a pension they dont get until 67 at best. Ask any doctor. If we assume health and the NHS is important, it would seem that Labour politicians suggesting that they will reverse pension changes announced in the Spring Budget 2023 have not understood very much at all. If Labour are serious about looking after the health of the nation, we need to rethink pension rules that basically punish them from working. Sadly, few politicians understand the true impact of pension rules.

An alternative would perhaps be to have a simplistic approach, cut doctors and those in similar schemes out of the annual allowance tax calculations entirely. I suspect this would make them happy, it would certainly make my life easier. However the NHS pension is a Defined Benefit or Final Salary scheme, what you do for one, legally you have to do for others. The only other group of people with excellent “old school” final salary pensions are people with long service in big companies or institutions and almost certainly on high incomes – precisely the sort of people that Labour seem to loathe along with their multinational employers. So such a “cut out the problem” isnt actually a solution.

Reality is always an irritation for an MP or political party of any persuasion. A few non-partisan (I hope) facts for you to consider. The last time Labour won an election was in 2005. David Cameron formed a Coalition Government following the election in May 2010 (tax year 2010/11).

Under the new proposals, those earning £200,000 or more do not get an automatic allowance of £60,000 into pensions. This is the threshold at which a lot of calculations need to be done, some doctors will still have to do this. As a result, they may well suffer a reduced annual allowance (how much they can put into a pension).
Those earning £260,000 or more will certainly have a reduced (tapered) annual allowance from £60,000 and will need to do some sums.
Those earning £360,000 or more can only contribute £10,000 gross into pensions, which is less than they can pay into an ISA. So these three facts would suggest that Labour are not happy that people paying 45% tax and have no personal allowance are somehow able to load pensions like a kid in a sweet shop. Its not true.
The tax-free cash from a pension is capped at 25% of today’s lifetime allowance (£268,275). That means those retiring in the future have an allowance that does not keep pace with inflation, meaning in real-terms lower tax-free cash sums will be available. Tax-free cash of 25% of £1.8m or Primary/Enhanced protection, was higher under the last Labour Government than at any point since. Pension income is taxable, it is a future revenue for HMRC. It is also a possible solution to care costs rather than the State paying, I digress.
The last Labour Government had an annual allowance (how much can be paid into a pension) of £255,000, there was no Tapered or reduced Annual Allowance.
The main gripe of Labour about salary austerity wage inflation would appear not to apply to pension benefits being inflation/austerity-repaired since 2010. In short, the LTA would be £1.8m+ inflation, the Annual Allowance would be £255,000+inflation. Tax-free cash from pensions would be higher at a minimum of £450,000+ inflation. Additionally, the £100,000 income threshold for loss of the personal allowance has reduced in real terms. In short they are using the same facts to argue for higher wages, but not higher allowances that benefit… well, taxpayers.
A-Day was introduced by Labour and will turn adult (18) on 6/4/2023. Perhaps adults should be allowed to save for their own financial independence rather than penalised/restricted on both what you can pay in and what you can take out. The original intention of pension simplification and A-Day was to increase the Lifetime Allowance, it started at £1.5m and increased substantially each year until 2010.
The current Government will, from 6/4/2023 take more tax, starting the 45% rate of tax at £125,140 rather than £150,000. There are more people are paying additional rate tax.
The personal allowance is currently £12,570 (up substantially from 2010 but removed from those earning over £100,000. In tax year 2009/10 it was £6,475, the rule to gradually remove the personal allowance for those earning £100,000+ came into effect in 2010/11 set by Labour, in the likely event of a change of Government and in light of the credit crunch.
According to the Bank of England’s own inflation calculator, £100 in 2010 would be £141.10 now. If this were applied the following might be observed.

The £6,475 personal allowance would be lower at £9,155.82 (its actually £12,570, so brownie points for Conservatives?)
£100,000 income before loss of personal allowance would be £141,402 (it’s still £100,000)
The Lifetime allowance of £1,800,000 would be £2,545,248 (its currently £1,073,100 and about to be abolished, this is what they are complaining about)
25% tax free cash would be £636,312 but it is not even half that amount, capped at £268,275, reducing in real terms every year.
The annual allowance of £255,000 would have become £360,576, yet apparently it is act of serving the wealthy to increase it from 6/4/23 from £40,000 to £60,000. Note that those “rich people” earning over £360,000 will be able to put in £10,000 as opposed to £4,000 into their pension, which has been the case for several years now. Just for the record someone earning £360,000 pays a lot of income tax.
In Labour’s last tax year, the basic rate of income tax (20%) applied to £37,400 if this had been linked to inflation, it would now be £52,885, the higher rate extended up to £150,000, which would otherwise be £212,104. In short, Conservatives have evidently cut allowances and increased tax

Chancellors of all persuasions have a knack are implying positive changes are their own doing all whilst completely ignoring the impact of inflation. You think you have been paying more tax? Well, clearly you have. We all have paid for the mismanagement of the economy by our underqualified political masters. Despite what is said in the media, even by supposed pension experts, if you earn more than £360,000 you can only place £10,000 into a pension and get tax relief, for the record a minor (child) can place £9,000 into a tax free Junior ISA.

We will have to see if Labour really will win an election and then change the lifetime allowance again. It seems entirely unhelpful to keep messing around with people’s planning for retirement and financial independence, apparently this is democracy in action. It would seem that politicians from both parties do not really like you benefitting from earning more, particularly if you earn between £100,000 and £200,000 or have I missed something? As for the media, well they don’t like you either unless you own the newspaper you are reading.

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Inflammatory budget?Jemima Thomas2023-12-01T12:12:35+00:00

THE SPRING BUDGET 2023

Dominic Thomas
March 2023 • 10 min read

Pension reforms of sorts…

If you are under 75 and have a pension, today is a better day than yesterday. You may breathe a sigh of relief; the Chancellor has done something to directly benefit you. As with all Chancellors, there is of course some politics at play. Whatever your view of the rabble at the House of Commons, we finally have a Chancellor who seems to both understand maths and has an ability for some long-term thinking as well as valuing the concept of financial independence in his Spring Budget 2023.

As a reminder, it was the Blair Government who introduced the Finance Act 2004 which ushered in new pension rules from April 6th 2006 known as A-Day and termed “Pension Simplification”. The basic premise was to simplify pension funding, enabling anyone to make payments and get tax relief, restricted by a maximum annual contribution allowance and a lifetime allowance for the value of your pensions, be they final salary or investment based. It sounded so simple, something akin to the battery level on your mobile phone.

Next month, “pension simplification” turns 18 years old. Simple is certainly not a term that anyone would consider in the same breath as pension rules. A veritable smorgasbord of metrics are needed to monitor if you fall foul of the rules.

A-DAY TURNS ADULT

Today though, Mr Hunt has abolished the Lifetime Allowance, a welcome and grown up but unexpected move (it had been hinted that it would return to the level at which the Conservative Government inherited it at £1.8m. No, it’s abolished, completely! The Lifetime Allowance, which is something everyone had to assess pension benefits against will be gone from 6th April 2023. Do not retire before then – or more accurately do not crystallise any pension until then.

ANNUAL ALLOWANCE – UP BUT STILL TAPERED

He has not however returned the Annual Allowance to the 2010 level of £255,000 but has increased it from £40,000 to £60,000. In addition, the Tapered Annual Allowance has not been scrapped, but increased from £240,000 to £260,000 from 6 April 2023. The threshold test at income of £200,000 has not been altered. In theory therefore the new standard annual allowance of £60,000 will still reduce by £0.50 for each £1 over £260,000 but stopped at £360,000 when you will get the minimum maximum annual allowance of £10,000.

By way of example, someone with income of £300,000 would be £40,000 over the £260,000 threshold and thus see the annual allowance reduce from £60,000 to £40,000.

Those of you that have taken income from a personal pension (not a defined benefit/final salary pension) will be able to continue towards a pension under the Money Purchase Annual Allowance (MPAA) which is being increased from £4,000 back to £10,000. I understand this will double up as the minimum maximum (if you see what I mean) that anyone with income over £360,000 can also contribute (gross).

NEGATIVE TURNS POSITIVE

Medics (and a few others) that on occasion have a negative pension value for the year will now be able to offset this, something that was not possible previously.

25% TAX FREE CASH IS GOING FOR BIG PENSION POTS

There is a slight “fly in the ointment”. Under pension rules tax free cash is capped at 25% of the fund value, buried in page 100 of the Budget is the statement that advisers understand but most investors do not. “The maximum Pension Commencement Lump Sum for those without protections will be retained at its current level of £268,275 and will be frozen thereafter”. In other words, the tax free cash lump sum (PCLS) link is to be broken. 25% of the current lifetime allowance is £268,275 and this is therefore being retained, meaning that whether your pension fund is more than this, you cannot withdraw more than £268,275 as a tax free lump sum. In plain a pension fund of £2m does not produce tax free cash of £500,000 (25%) but £268,275.

One other “minor” point is that those with Primary, Enhanced, Fixed or even Individual Protection from 2006, 2012 (max £450,000), 2014 (max £375,000) and 2016 (max £312,500). Therefore some people will have a higher tax free cash entitlement than the new limit of £268,275).

ISAs, JISAs, VCTs, EIS, SEIS

All as previously.

INCOME TAX, CORPORATION TAX, CAPITAL GAINS TAX, INHERITANCE TAX

As previously announced for 2023/24.

On occasion, Budget plans get revised (remember the glove puppet of a PM?) so there is a possibility that after a little more thought, pressure and checking, some of the points in the Budget might need a tweak, but in general this is a rarity.

If you have questions, that I have the realistic possibility of answering (not “where is Cloddach Bridge?” which gets a sum for refurbishment…. which I imagine is one of those times we may remark, “what, a million pounds?” (actually £1.5m) is either a lot or a little, that old price and value thing… much like the criticism that will inevitably be made of the abolition of the lifetime allowance, which is, from my perspective of working with you, a very good thing indeed.

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THE SPRING BUDGET 2023Dominic2025-01-27T17:01:00+00:00

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