Using Your Pension Plan For IHT Planning
If you die before 75, the fund can pass tax free to your beneficiaries. After age 75 however you can transfer the income to children / grandchildren who would then only pay tax on the income generated from the fund.
Richard suggested borrowing the cash to maximise benefits which (if the allowances and relevant earnings were available) does look very attractive:
| Existing Pension Fund | £140,000 |
| Client Borrows: | £80,000 |
| Net Of Tax Contribution | £80,000 |
| Basic Rate Addition | £20,000 |
| Gross Equivalent Contribution | £100,000 |
| Client Now Has A Pension Fund Of: | £240,000 |
| Client Gets Additional Tax Relief Of: | £20,000 |
| Client Takes 25% Of Total Pension Fund Tax Free | £60,000 |
| So Net Borrowing Becomes | – |
| Client Now Has A Pension Fund Of | £180,000 |
This can then be passed onto dependants.
Please remember that the July statement is likely to remove tax relief on pension contributions for those earning over £150,000, so now may well be a “buy now whilst stocks last” moment.
These more esoteric uses of pensions do require specialist skills which we can offer. We specialise in high net worth individuals and will be happy to assist other professionals to maximise their clients’ tax allowances.