New restriction for those in pension drawdown (SIPPs pension funds)

 

£4,000 pension input limit for SIPPs pension funds

One of the measures affecting pensions announced in the Spring 2017 Budget that was not included in the first Finance Act, concerns a new £4,000 pension input limit for those who are drawing income from their money purchase pension fund, such as a SIPPs pension fund.

Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs) are esentially a pension investment ‘wrapper’ that holds a collection of investments until you retire and start to draw a retirement income. It is a type of personal pension and works in a similar way to a standard personal pension.

The new flexible drawdown rules introduced from 6 April 2015 has allowed those with money purchase schemes such as Self Invested Personal Pension schemes (SIPPs pensions funds) to draw as much or as little as they wish each year. Other than the 25% tax free lump sum, the amounts withdrawn are taxed as income on the Individual. The new £4,000 (previously £10,000) annual limit in the latest Finance Bill is intended to be an anti-avoidance measure to deter pension “recycling” where the amounts withdrawn are reinvested in the pension scheme to obtain further tax relief.

Please contact us if you wish to discuss any aspects of pension planning.