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From 6 April 2016, the annual allowance will be tapered from £40,000 for those with earnings of £150,000 or more down to £10,000 for those with income of £210,000 or more.

Income will no longer just be comprised of someone’s salary. It will be “adjusted” to include employer pension contributions or any other income, including savings, bonuses or even buy to let property rental – taking many more people into a higher earnings bracket. The annual allowance will reduce by £1 for each £2 of adjusted earnings above £150,000 until it reaches £10,000.

If employees earning £150,000 or more don’t reduce their pension contributions from 6 April,
they will be taxed at 45% on any excess and face a surprise tax bill.

If people act now, they can reduce the possibility of their tax liability. They can either carry forward any leftover pension allowance from previous years or take advantage of the transitional pension input period (PIP) which will provide the opportunity of making a total payment of up to £80,000 into their pension pot this year.

The lifetime allowance is also reducing from £1.25m to £1m. After April 2016, anyone who breaks through the £1m threshold may be liable to 55% tax on any amount over the limit, if the excess is taken as a lump sum. If any of the excess is instead taken as income, the tax charge is 25%, although the income itself will still be subject to income tax at the recipient’s marginal rate.

Taking into account an annual growth rate of 5%, any individual with a fund currently worth £358,000 with 20 years to go until retirement is likely to hit the £1m ceiling. An unintended consequence is that most “death in service” benefits paid out will also count toward the £1m.

Source: Pensions World

For bespoke pension advice contact Credencis.

We are situated between Derby and Nottingham and visit clients nationwide.

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One of the big benefits of pensions has always been the tax free cash lump sum you can take when you retire. In general you can take up to a quarter (25%) of your pension pot tax free and until recently, you would have expected to start taking an income with the rest of your money at the same time.

The government has now changed the rules, you can still have the tax free cash lump sum but you no longer need to start taking an income with the remainder, you can just leave it to use at a later date. You still need to be at least 55 years of age but you don’t need to have retired from work.

What do we do

One of our qualified advisers will work through a series of questions with you to better understand your needs and objectives and after reviewing all the options will make a personalised recommendation.

What could you do with the tax free lump sum?

For many people, a tax free cash lump sum offers a great opportunity to help put their financial affairs in order.

Most common uses are typically:

• Help pay off a mortgage or other debts, such as credit cards and loans
• Paying for a holiday, a new car or just making life a little easier
• Help the children with a loan or to get them on the housing ladder
• Investing the lump sum to generate more income

For bespoke pension drawdown advice on releasing money from your pension fund contact Credencis.

We are situated between Derby and Nottingham, and visit clients nationwide.

Credencis

“Live for today, Invest for tomorrow”

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A full state pension from April 2016 will pay £155.65 a week. That is based on you having made a maximum 35 years of qualifying National Insurance contributions.

Only people living in Chile and Mexico live on less in retirement.

If you have saved for your retirement into a personal pension the report says you will retire on 67% of your former salary.

If you are relying on the state pension your retirement could be bleak.

To find out how much you need to start paying into a private pension please visit our calculator.

Source: OECD

For bespoke pension advice on your retirement contact Credencis.

We are situated between Derby and Nottingham and visit clients nationwide.

Credencis

“Live for today, Invest for tomorrow”

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This allows members of defined contribution (DC) schemes to access their entire pension pot from the age of 55 without incurring heavy tax penalties. Up to 25 per cent can be taken tax-free and the remainder is now taxed at the saver’s marginal rate.

The pension income provided by DC schemes is variable, being based on factors such as the amount paid in, charges and investment performance. DB schemes, in contrast, pay a guaranteed pension income based on earnings and length of service.

The problem is that while DB scheme members are often attracted to the flexibility offered in the new environment, many fail to appreciate the value of their guaranteed arrangements.

The number of people cashing in their DB pensions was on the rise even before the reforms, as employers sought to reduce their pension costs by offering members cash incentives to transfer out.

Usually the critical yield, the return that the alternative arrangement must achieve year-on-year just to match the DB pension, potentially could be high.

The current cash equivalent of the transfer value, providing a detailed breakdown of the calculations, is also important. This is where interest rate expectations might come into play.

The current cash value can fluctuate significantly and right now, due to low gilt yields, there are increasing inquiries about a potential window of opportunity to act before interest rates increase and currently high transfer values are likely to fall.

There are plenty more factors to consider, including objectives, other assets and income, and the individual’s health and family history.

There are some scenarios in which transferring out might be the best course of action. They include cases where health issues may curtail the individual’s retirement, or where there’s no-one to inherit the pension at death.

“I would advise most DB members to stay put and benefit from a guaranteed income in retirement that they’d be unlikely to get from any other arrangement”

“The thought of being able to turn an income stream into a large capital sum can often appear attractive at first glance, but you have to think about the returns and the risk associated with the alternative arrangement”

For bespoke final salary pension transfer advice contact Credencis.

We are situated between Derby and Nottingham, and visit clients nationwide.

Credencis

“Live for today, Invest for tomorrow”

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Mr Foster said employers do not want to play a huge role in helping savers plan for their old age adequately because they fear calls for compensation “even many years after they have offered guidance”.

He said the government should give employers “safe harbours” on their liability.

Mr Foster said: “This will encourage them to play their part in helping savers reach better decisions.”

Earlier today consultant Ros Altmann claimed that fundamental changes in pension advice and saving products were needed as she called for the launch of a ‘national retirement guidance network’ from April 2015.

Ms Altmann said a ‘national retirement guidance network’ should be brought in from April 2015 focusing on those about to retire and then this could expand into a wider ‘national wealth service’.

This could be integrated into workplace pension auto-enrolment providing regular “financial wealth-checks” for all savers, she said.

Also today, a think-tank listed simplified advice for mass market pension savers as one of several critical measures needed to cope with more than 1m people getting full access to pension savings from April 2015.

The UK International Longevity Centre warned that unless changes are made, pensioners could be worse off throughout retirement due to reforms abolishing the requirement to take an annuity and enabling pensioners to take all their pension as cash.

Source: Zurich

For bespoke pension advice contact Credencis.

We are situated between Derby and Nottingham and visit clients nationwide.

Credencis

“Live for today, Invest for tomorrow”

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