Retirement planning involves managing your pension pot for income during retirement to ensure that your money provides you with the best quality of life.
You can choose between income drawdown for flexible withdrawals, leaving the rest invested, or opting for an annuity, which provides a regular income from your pension savings. These choices allow you to shape your retirement income strategy to suit your needs and preferences.
Taking an income from your pension can be confusing.
There are a number of different ways you can use your pension pot to provide you with an income. One option available to you is income drawdown.
Income drawdown allows you to take a flexible income directly from your pension as and when you need it, whilst leaving your remaining pot invested. You can control the frequency and the amount of income you take to suit your needs.
You even have the ability to stop taking an income from your pension, either temporarily or permanently, in line with your requirements.
Funds held within a drawdown pension can also be used to purchase an annuity at any given point in the future, should you wish to do so.
The rules (as per other pension regulations) are under constant review and subject to change but clients going into drawdown with their pension now will primarily use what is called flexi-access. If you have been in drawdown for a number of years you may be using what is called capped drawdown. If you want information on your existing capped drawdown plan you can discuss this with an adviser as there are various elements to this type of drawdown that differentiates it from flexi-access.
Flexi-access drawdown, previously known as flexible drawdown, is the term for a drawdown pension that allows you to take as much or as little income from your pot as you like with no maximum limit.
Any new income drawdown arrangements entered into since 6 April 2015 will automatically be flexi-access pensions.
Any individual who has reached the minimum pension age can move their pension fund to an income drawdown plan.
The minimum pension age is currently 55, although the government has stated that this will rise to 57 by 2028.
Not all pension products have the flexibility to provide income drawdown. This includes many workplace pensions arranged by employers. Where this is the case, you will have to transfer your pension to an alternative plan should you require flexi-access to your pension.
As with any pension transfer, care must be taken as some pensions offer guaranteed benefits or apply transfer charges that could make a move less advantageous.
Other than the 25% tax-free lump sum, any withdrawals taken from your drawdown pension will be subject to income tax at your marginal rate. You can make use of your personal allowance, meaning that some or all of the income could potentially be taken tax-free.
Your pension provider will deduct tax from your withdrawals before paying them out to you. They use the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) system to calculate the tax due, taking into account the personalised tax code that HMRC have provided. Just like starting a new job, the tax coding applied to a pension (especially when first setting it up or making adjustments) can take some time to reconcile itself. It is your responsibility to ensure the correct amount of tax is paid each year, so it may be appropriate to complete a self-assessment tax return.
Yes, you can still contribute to a pension if in drawdown. However, the maximum amount that you can contribute tax efficiently and receive tax relief on may reduce.
Individuals who have previously taken an income from a flexi-access drawdown plan will have a reduced maximum annual allowance of £10,000 for all future contributions to defined contribution pensions. This is known as the money purchase annual allowance.
The money purchase annual allowance is only triggered once an income has been taken from the plan. Therefore, if you have a flexi-access drawdown pension that you have never taken any income from, you could still have the standard maximum annual allowance of £60,000.
The money purchase annual allowance rules do not apply to withdrawals from capped drawdown pensions. Individuals with capped drawdown plans could therefore continue to be subject to the standard maximum annual allowance as long as withdrawals are kept within the maximum limit.
With a drawdown pension, you can choose to leave the funds invested. This provides a tax-efficient home for your pension fund until it is required to provide an income.
Most older pension products will only offer access to a limited selection of investments, so it is important to check with your provider. Remember, the value of investments and the income derived from them can fall as well as rise. You may not get back what you invest.
Whilst invested, any income and capital gains generated by the investments within your drawdown plan are not subject to tax.
It is important to be aware of the considerable risks inherent in certain investments. Making the wrong decisions could have a detrimental impact on your pension and the income you receive from it over time.
In some cases, a provider may levy additional charges for drawdown pensions. This is due to the additional administration. However, this is not always the case.
The investments you hold within your drawdown pension will also affect the cost of your plan.
Any remaining balance held within a drawdown pension on your death will usually not be subject to inheritance tax. It can be used by your nominated beneficiaries to provide flexible income by continuing with the drawdown pension. Alternatively, they can withdraw the balance as a one-off lump sum or use it to provide a secure lifetime income by purchasing an annuity.
If you die before age 75, any income or lump sums taken by your beneficiaries will be tax free. If you die after age 75, any income or lump sums taken will be taxed at the recipient’s marginal rate of income tax.
By keeping the balance within a drawdown pension they will be retaining the relevant tax advantages of a pension. They can also nominate their own beneficiaries to receive any remaining balance in a flexible manner on their death, these are known as successors.
A drawdown pension could be a good idea if you require a flexible income from your pension and are comfortable taking some investment risk.
However, it is important to be aware that a drawdown pension does not provide a guaranteed income for life.
What this means is that you could run out of money if you withdraw too much income, you live longer than expected or your investments do not perform in line with your expectations.
It is for these reasons that drawdown requires a more ‘hands-on’ approach, where your level of income and the type of investments held needs to be kept under review throughout your retirement.
An annuity is a long-term investment made using your pension pot, which provides a regular income from the proceeds.
Annuities can be for a fixed term or for the rest of your life. Annuity planning can help you decide how long you want to make regular payments last – and how often you get them.
There are several types of annuity product available. The one that suits you may depend on different factors including:
A lifetime annuity plan provides regular payments for the rest of your life. The amount of these payments depends upon when you purchase the annuity.
You even have the ability to stop taking an income from your pension, either temporarily or permanently, in line with your requirements.
Funds held within a drawdown pension can also be used to purchase an annuity at any given point in the future, should you wish to do so.
The rules (as per other pension regulations) are under constant review and subject to change but clients going into drawdown with their pension now will primarily use what is called flexi-access. If you have been in drawdown for a number of years you may be using what is called capped drawdown. If you want information on your existing capped drawdown plan you can discuss this with an adviser as there are various elements to this type of drawdown that differentiates it from flexi-access.
Some providers offer lifetime annuities that take your health and history into account and pay a higher rate to customers who meet specific criteria.
If you’ve ever smoked, are overweight or spent a lot of your working life in hazardous environments, you may be offered larger regular payments based on perceived risk to life expectancy.
Other types of annuity can be discussed with your wealth advisor.
Standard annuities provide a fixed monthly income, but this means the spending power of your pension could fall over time because of inflation.
An escalating annuity increases the amount you receive by the rate of inflation on the anniversary of your taking the annuity out. Because the income increases over time, you generally have to pay more for this type of annuity or accept a lower starting value.
You can nominate a member of your family – such as a spouse or dependant – to continue to receive a portion of the income from your annuity once you pass away.
Along with the duration and regularity of your payments, knowing how you want to receive payments from your annuity can help an adviser recommend the most suitable type.
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