Public opinion on the future of pension tax relief is sharply divided, according to new research from PensionBee - with views split along age and income lines, and even unexpected support for reform among the highest earners. Posted on Monday Nov 24
Much of the discussion over recent weeks has focused on potential changes to the amount of tax free cash members can withdraw (though this has reportedly been ruled out by the Treasury) and more recently on abolishing, or perhaps more likely limiting, salary sacrifice arrangements for pension contributions (the latest rumours suggest a £2,000 cap is anticipated). Posted on Monday Nov 24
Directing just £200 a month from overtime into your pension could grow into a six-figure boost for your retirement savings. Those who work overtime for a limited period could also see significant benefit - an individual contributing an extra £200 a month between ages 30 and 45 could still see their pension boosted by £52,000. Income tax thresholds could be frozen for longer at the Autmn Budget - using overtime to top up your pension could protect your earnings from the impact of higher tax bands Posted on Monday Nov 24
Market volatility remains the top concern, cited by one in three (33%) trustees. Data quality and illiquid assets continue to shape readiness for endgame transactions, according to one-third (31%) of trustees. Confidence is increasing as nearly one in five (17%) schemes report no barriers to endgame planning Posted on Monday Nov 24
The Treasury has confirmed that it will increase the State Pension by 4.8% for 2026/27 under the earnings trigger of the Triple Lock mechanism. Posted on Monday Nov 24
The Society of Pension Professionals (SPP) has today published a comprehensive Diversity, Equity & Inclusion paper, “Inclusive futures” which covers Social Mobility, Neurodiversity, LGBTQ+, Disability, Gender and Ethnicity. Posted on Monday Nov 24
Employers will end up taking most of the responsibility for helping to solve the retirement adequacy problem if we are to see real and impactful change in retirement outcomes, according to a new paper by Hymans Robertson. Posted on Friday Nov 21
The Aon UK DC Pension Tracker fell over the quarter, with the younger savers seeing decreases in their expected outcomes, while the older members’ expected retirement income increased slightly over the quarter.The April increase in the state pension improved the position for all savers but this was offset by changes to the Pensions UK Retirement Living Standards Posted on Friday Nov 21
The European Commission (EC)’s proposals, published today as part of the Savings and Investments Union (SIU) Strategy, are important steps toward further developing supplementary pensions across the EU. This initiative comes at a critical time as public finances and pension systems across Europe face mounting pressure from demographic change, with a declining ratio of active workers to retirees and profound shifts in the labour market. Posted on Thursday Nov 20
Ahead of next week’s Autumn Budget 2025, and with rumours circulating about potential changes to salary sacrifice changes, please see the below comment from David Brooks, Head of Policy at Broadstone about the impacts of this possible reform, if announced. Posted on Thursday Nov 20
As COP30 focuses global attention on the policies and intervention needed to deliver a net-zero future, LCP has analysed sixteen of the UK’s largest master trusts, representing over £200 billion in assets. The findings reveal a growing awareness of climate policy advocacy but also highlight key areas where further action is required. Posted on Thursday Nov 20
With-profits funds delivered an average return of 5.6% in 2024, down from 8.3% in 2023 but beating high street fixed saving rates The biggest differentiator to overall fund performance was allocation to overseas equitiesBW analysis covers approximately £185bn of assets, spread over 82 with-profits funds from 21 insurers. Posted on Thursday Nov 20
With forthcoming legislation, from Inheritance Tax on unused pension pots to the 2025 Pension Schemes Bill set to have considerable implications for pensions administration, the Society of Pension Professionals (SPP) recently held an event to examine how administrators can best navigate this raft of new requirements and how scheme advisers can support the smooth running of pension schemes to deliver the best outcome for savers. Posted on Thursday Nov 20
Total fiduciary mandates decline, and assets remain flat for the first time since 2008, as UK defined benefit market matures. Buy-ins more than doubled year-on-year, with almost half (48%) of mandate reductions linked to insurance transactions. Seven in ten (72%) fiduciary management mandates have funding levels above 90%, and over one-third (37%) are fully funded – a 44% increase in three years. These trends reflect the market’s maturity and fiduciary managers’ strategic importance as they support more schemes to reach their endgame. Posted on Wednesday Nov 19
The Society of Pension Professionals (SPP) has published a comprehensive paper on the issue of pre-1997 pension scheme indexation. Defined Benefit (DB) pension scheme members who accrued pension benefits before April 1997 do not have a statutory right to inflation-linked increases on that part of their pension. Many scheme rules require such increases to be paid, but a significant minority do not. Posted on Tuesday Nov 18
Commenting on the potential changes to pension tax ahead of the Chancellor’s Budget, Hannah English, Head of DC Corporate Consulting, Hymans Robertson, said: “We’re concerned to see speculation that the Chancellor may remove Salary Sacrifice on National Insurance Contributions over £2,000 in next week’s Budget. Posted on Tuesday Nov 18
Engagement exercise with hundreds of schemes reveals significant progress on data quality but some trustees place too much reliance on administrators. New guidance also published to help foster new era of robust, consistent data practices. Posted on Tuesday Nov 18
XPS Group estimates UK DB pension schemes maintained a £240bn aggregate surplus against long-term funding targets, up £4bn in October 2025 and £57bn year-on-year. Posted on Tuesday Nov 18
Only 3% of people think they won’t be affected by Budget tax rises - from income tax to council tax, inheritance tax, capital gains tax, stamp duty and VAT. Just 3% of people say they would be happy to pay more tax after the Budget – falling to 2% among women and the squeezed middle (aged 35-54). There’s only nine more days until the Budget, but there’s still time to protect yourself. Posted on Monday Nov 17
The cricket teams of England and Australia resume their near 150-year-long hostilities on Friday [21 November] as another battle for The Ashes commences. Much has been made of the unusually old Australian squad, but while the players are mature by historic standards, they are not yet pensionable. Posted on Monday Nov 17
PPF proposes a zero PPF levy for conventional schemes. Zero levy dependent on remaining passage of levy measures in Pension Schemes Bill. To align decision making with Bill progress, PPF proposes flexible approach. Consultation sets out changes to ACS levy; invites views on future methodological review. Posted on Monday Nov 17
£1,427 shortfall between the ‘minimum’ of the PLSA’s Retirement Living Standards and the full new State Pension. A pensioner living only on the full new State Pension would exhaust their annual pension income this weekend spending at a daily rate equal to this ‘minimum’ Standard. Retirees must find significantly more annual income to achieve the higher ‘moderate’ or ‘comfortable’ of the PLSA Retirement Living Standards Posted on Monday Nov 17
More than 3 million households unable to cover more than a month of lost income – but new Nest Insight trials could unlock multiple, scalable support mechanisms Posted on Thursday Nov 13
The Society of Pension Professionals (SPP) has today published a wide-ranging paper on the topical issue of surplus release from DB pension schemes. Posted on Thursday Nov 13
Two in five (38%) Brits will save less into their pension if the salary sacrifice scheme is capped in the Chancellor’s upcoming Budget. The ABI, who conducted the poll with Opinium Research, is warning the government that this would result in millions of employees facing a poorer retirement. Posted on Thursday Nov 13
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