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Pensions articles

Latest ICAEW articles and insights on pensions.
Displaying 1-40 of 67 results
Economy explainers: what is the public balance sheet?
  • Article
  • 28 Nov 2025
  • ICAEW Public Sector Team
What is the 'public balance sheet' and what does it mean for people and businesses? ICAEW experts offer this simple guide on the public balance sheet – the government’s assets and liabilities – why they matter and the future outlook.
Budget: Freeze on personal allowance extended
  • Article
  • 26 Nov 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
The Chancellor extended the period during which the personal allowance will be set at £12,570 and the higher rate threshold at £50,270 by three years, until April 2031. The amounts have been frozen since April 2021.
A hand holding a magnifying glass looking at some papers
New rules to clarify validity of changes to pension schemes
  • Article
  • 25 Nov 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
The government has published draft legislation to address issues arising from the Virgin Media pension ruling on historic amendments to defined benefit schemes. ICAEW’s Audit and Assurance Faculty explains what the rules mean for pension trustees.
Tax news in brief 7 October 2025
  • Article
  • 08 Oct 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Highlights from the broader tax news for the week ending 7 October 2025, including: an update on testing of Making Tax Digital (MTD) for income tax; and the publication of new HMRC guidance on umbrella companies and residence.
London Westminster
Influencing policy to support you: September 2025
  • Article
  • 30 Sep 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
This month, ICAEW engaged with ministers to address issues ranging from employment rights and pensions reform to trade, inheritance tax and business growth.
Evidence required for all new PAYE claims for pension tax relief
  • Article
  • 04 Sep 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
From 1 September 2025, all pay as you earn (PAYE) claims for pension tax relief must be made online or by post and must be supported by evidence from the pension provider or employer.
Exclusive Exploring the arguments for reforming UK DB Pensions Schemes
  • Article
  • 14 Aug 2025
  • Reuben Wales, Head of ICAEW Financial Services Faculty
After more than a decade marked by concerns over rising liabilities, falling gilt yields and underfunding, the UK Defined Benefit Pensions (DB Schemes) sector now finds itself in a stronger, if somewhat more complex, position.
Exclusive Navigating the McCloud Remedy: a must-watch webinar
  • Article
  • 28 Jul 2025
  • Lisa Pennington, MHA Moore and Smalley
Are you ready to support your NHS clients through one of the most significant pension reforms in recent years?
A team of people at their desks working on their laptops
PRAG launches call for comments on new-look pensions SORP
  • Article
  • 03 Jul 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Industry stakeholders are encouraged to contribute thoughts on proposed changes to pensions SORP, as work to update the document for the first time since 2018 continues.
Check the tax relief method of workplace pensions, says ICAEW
  • Article
  • 30 Jun 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Confusion between the employer and the workplace pension scheme provider over which tax relief method to use can cause significant issues. ICAEW’s Tax Faculty explains how the confusion can occur and how to deal with any issues that do arise.
HMRC changes its policy on VAT and investment costs
  • Article
  • 24 Jun 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
In Revenue & Customs Brief 4 (2025), HMRC has revised its policy on an employer’s entitlement to deduct VAT paid on services relating to the management of assets held by an occupational pension fund.
isio logo
The most important decision you are yet to make regarding your DB pension scheme
  • Article
  • 30 May 2025
  • ISIO
Managing Defined Benefit (DB) pensions can be complex and costly and schemes that do not have a clear long-term plan could be missing out on opportunities to fully remove risk or release cash surplus. The insurance market is now more accessible than ever, and operational consolidation is levelling the playing field – ensuring smaller schemes gain the scale and efficiency of larger counterparts.
Tax news in brief 29 April 2025
  • Article
  • 29 Apr 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Highlights from the broader tax news for the week ending 29 April 2025, including: updates to HMRC’s guidance on, and software page for Making Tax Digital (MTD) for income tax; and new guidance on VAT grouping in the care industry.
International tax treatment of pension lump sums clarified
  • Article
  • 27 Mar 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
HMRC has updated its international manual to include long-awaited guidance on the tax treatment of lump sum pension payments under the UK’s double tax agreements (DTAs).
alarm clocks stacked in lines like a bar chart on an orange background
Exclusive Efficient pensions audits for trustees – common information requests
  • Article
  • 13 Mar 2025
  • Helen Pierpoint and Amelia Pickard
Understanding more about common requests for information can make them easier for pension scheme trustees to deal with. Helen Pierpoint and Amelia Pickard share some insights.
Group of people having a meeting round a table
Technical round-up: February 2025
  • Article
  • 27 Feb 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
This month’s top stories feature new tax return requirements for sole traders and directors; changes to size thresholds for off payroll working; and a reminder to check for state pension gaps by 5 April 2025.
A hand holding a magnifying glass looking at some papers
Virgin Media pension ruling poses challenges for auditors
  • Article
  • 26 Feb 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
The 2024 Virgin Media Ltd v NTL Pension Trustees II Ltd ruling on pension amendments poses financial and reporting challenges for trustees, sponsors and auditors. ICAEW’s Audit and Assurance Faculty explains the impact on defined benefit schemes.
Tax relief for pension contributions can be claimed online
  • Article
  • 13 Feb 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
Pay as you earn (PAYE) taxpayers who want to claim additional tax relief for contributions to a personal or workplace pension scheme can use a new HMRC online form.
Check for state pension gaps by 5 April 2025, says HMRC
  • Article
  • 11 Feb 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
HMRC is encouraging people to check if they could increase their state pension by making voluntary national insurance (NI) contributions by 5 April 2025.
31 January deadline for public sector pension scheme members
  • Article
  • 28 Jan 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
ICAEW explains why 31 January 2025 is a key deadline for members of public sector pension schemes disclosing McCloud tax charges and highlights HMRC guidance on completing the 2023/24 tax return where a pension statement is received late.
ICAEW’s view on plans to charge IHT on pensions
  • Article
  • 27 Jan 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
ICAEW is concerned that the proposed processes for bringing more pensions within the scope of inheritance tax (IHT) will cause delays in payouts to beneficiaries and place a significant administrative burden on pension scheme administrators (PSAs).
illustration of a pink piggy bank on an abacus with wooden beads
Exclusive Efficient pensions audits for trustees: relationships matter
  • Article
  • 17 Jan 2025
  • Helen Pierpoint and Amelia Pickard
Planning and communication between management, auditors and trustees are key to an efficient audit process that can reduce the burden on pension scheme trustees. Helen Pierpoint and Amelia Pickard outline why and how.
dec 13 COTW
Chart of the week: UK public sector pension liabilities
  • Article
  • 13 Dec 2024
  • ICAEW Insights
Our chart this week looks at how public sector net pension obligations reduced by £1.2tn from £2.6tn to £1.4tn during the financial year ended 31 March 2023 as a consequence of a sharply rising discount rate.
Paying workers over the festive period
  • Article
  • 10 Dec 2024
  • ICAEW Insights
HMRC has published guidance on applying real time information (RTI) and auto-enrolment rules to working arrangements over the Christmas holidays.
Exclusive UK pension reform and investment in real estate
  • Article
  • 31 Oct 2024
  • John Forbes
As has been covered in previous articles and webinars for the Construction & Real Estate Community, UK institutional capital has been undergoing a period of dramatic change. This is of huge significance to the real estate industry as UK defined benefit (DB) pension schemes and life insurers have historically been major investors in real estate as an asset class. Regulatory, demographic and other pressures have been driving a shift over decades, which has had a major knock-on impact on investment in illiquid asset classes, including real estate.
Chart of the week: UK pension funds
  • Article
  • 20 Sep 2024
  • ICAEW Insights
Our chart this week is on the £2.0tn market value of funded occupational pension schemes on 31 March 2024 and how their assets are invested.
isio logo
Counting the cost. How operational consolidation helps DB schemes achieve better outcomes.
  • Article
  • 03 Sep 2024
  • ISIO
Keeping control of pension scheme running costs can be challenging for trustees and employers. The amount a defined benefit (DB) scheme pays will vary depending on its design and complexity – with some costs more obvious than others – so understanding what you are paying is the first step in keeping costs down. Trustees and their advisers, working together, can enable the schemes in their care to achieve better outcomes at lower costs.
A pair of hands typing on the laptop keyboard
Canadian pensions: a model for the UK?
  • Article
  • 19 Aug 2024
  • ICAEW Insights
The UK government is exploring a Canada-inspired pension system to boost efficiency and infrastructure investment. We look at how this compares with the UK’s existing model.
A person holding a tablet device displaying various graphs
What role should AI serve in the pensions sector?
  • Article
  • 30 Jul 2024
  • ICAEW Insights
Amid healthy market conditions, the pensions industry is well placed to expand its use of AI, according to PwC. But there is significant complexity to overcome.
Houses of Parliament
Data, skills and building trust: what’s in the King’s speech?
  • Article
  • 18 Jul 2024
  • ICAEW Insights
A bumper King’s speech marked the state opening of parliament, containing 40 bills. These are the most relevant for business.
ICAEW and LGPS Scheme Advisory Board launch LGPS informer
  • Article
  • 06 Jun 2024
  • Public Sector
ICAEW and the LGPS Scheme Advisory Board are pleased to publish a Local Government Pension Scheme Informer.
HMRC publishes over 100 FAQs on lifetime allowance abolition
  • Article
  • 29 Apr 2024
  • ICAEW Insights
HMRC has published an update for pension scheme administrators on a range of issues, including the abolition of the lifetime allowance (LTA).
HMRC publishes extra guidance on lifetime allowance abolition
  • Article
  • 09 Apr 2024
  • ICAEW Insights
HMRC has published additional guidance for pension scheme administrators on a range of issues, including the abolition of the lifetime allowance.
How to tax interest paid by public service pensions schemes
  • Article
  • 26 Feb 2024
  • ICAEW
HMRC has provided guidance on the tax treatment of interest paid under the public service pensions remedy.
Tax news in brief 7 February 2024
  • Article
  • 06 Feb 2024
Highlights from the broader tax news for the week ending 7 February 2024, including: an update from HMRC on postmasters and self assessment; the transition to CDS for exports; and consultations on changes relevant to alcohol duty and legacy public service pension schemes.
HMRC publishes pension schemes newsletter
  • Article
  • 30 Jan 2024
HMRC has provided an update on the abolition of the lifetime allowance, as well as information on relief at source and pensions for retained firefighters.
Jon Moulton ICAEW Corporate Financier
Jon Moulton on pensions and PE
  • Article
  • 11 Sep 2023
  • Jon Moulton
Will recent pledges from pension funds to allocate cash to private equity achieve anything, asks Jon Moulton.
Navigating pension options for gig economy workers
  • Article
  • 19 Jul 2023
  • ICAEW Insights
Industry experts unravel the common challenges and potential for gig workers in pension planning. The first question is, how much should you save?
Home responsibilities protection may not be reflected in national insurance records
  • Article
  • 11 Jul 2023
  • ICAEW
Some individuals may be missing home responsibilities protection (HRP) from their national insurance record, which could impact the amount of state pension that they are entitled to. The government is identifying affected individuals and will be writing to them with their recalculated state pension entitlement.
UK pensions superfund could halt pensions decline
  • Article
  • 26 Jun 2023
  • ICAEW Insights
The UK’s first “superfund” proposes to undo years of capital market decline through the creation of large pension funds.
Displaying 1-40 of 67 results
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