March 9, 2010
Pensions Advice
Wherever you are with your retirement plans, do not be put off from taking action, it s not too late. There are still steps you can put into place to improve the income you ll receive when you finish working.
Pensions are a highly tax-efficient way to invest. If you already have a pension, now would be a good time to talk to us about making a single premium contribution to improve it, especially as the end of tax yr is quickly drawing near, or starting a self invested personal pension to widen your options. You will not have to take all your pensions at the same time.
If you are employer or self employed, you can contribute up to 100 % of the value of your applicable UK earnings (salary and other earnings), up to a maximum of 245,000 for the 2009/10 tax year rising to 255,000 for the tax year 2010/11. Investments above this yearly limit are allowed but will be taxed. You can invest into any number of pension schemes (personal and/or company) each year.
You ll obtain tax relief on your Investments, so if you are a forty percent tax payer a 20,000 investment would cost just 12,000. Basic rate tax relief is added by the government to all contributions at a rate of twenty percent.
Forty percent tax payers can claim up to a further twenty percent tax relief via self assessment. If you earn more than 150,000 you will see the tax relief on your pensions cut from April 2011, tapering from 40 to 20 % for those earning more than 180,000. Wage Earners beneath 130,000 will not be impacted.
There s a lifetime limit on the amount of your pension pot, which is currently £1.75m in the tax year 2009/10 but rises to £1.8m for the 2010/11 tax yr. If your investment fund passes this, you ll incur tax charges of 55 per cent if the extra gains are taken as a lump sum and 25 % if taken as income. The income will then be subject to income tax at your highest rate.
From 6th April 10, the age at which you can start taking your pension increases to fifty five. If you need to, pension benefits can be deferred until you are up to 75 yrs old. You may still be able to take your pension before age fifty five in some circumstances, for example if you retire through ill-health.
Consilium Asset Management offer pension advice and retirement planning advice.
The value of investments and the income from them can go down as well as up and you may not get back your original investment. Past performance is not an indication of future performance. Tax benefits may vary as a result of statutory change and their value will depend on individual circumstances. Thresholds, percentage rates and tax legislation may change in subsequent finance acts.
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