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Pensions

Expert commentary and practical guidance from ICAEW related to pensions in the UK personal tax regime.

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Need to know

UK tax rates, allowances and reliefs
  • Helpsheets and support
ICAEW’s Tax Faculty provides links to help practitioners find the latest tax rates, allowance and reliefs.
HMRC contact information
  • Helpsheets and support
HMRC contact information, including telephone numbers, online options and postal addresses, together with tips.
Tax Faculty
  • Promotional material
Tax is a fast-moving and ever-changing world. Our expert staff and volunteers, and consultation work with government, means we can bring you the latest developments and expert opinions. Join today to access our resources and keep on top tax form.

Practical guidance

Exclusive TAXguide 05/23: Tax relief for pension contributions – recent changes
  • Technical release
  • 24 Aug 2023
Explaining top ups for low earners in net pay arrangement schemes and the digitalisation of top up claims by pension scheme administrators for relief at source pension schemes.
Exclusive TAXguide 04/23: Payroll and rewards update 2023 – Q&A
  • Technical release
  • 03 Jul 2023
ICAEW's Tax Faculty hosted a payroll and rewards webinar on 16 April 2023. This TAXguide shares to the answers raised at that webinar covering topics such as rates, thresholds, payroll, P11Ds, pension contributions and residence.
Exclusive TAXguide 17/19 - Pensions - saving and drawing - a roundup of recent changes
  • Technical release
  • 24 Dec 2019
This guide is intended as a roundup of some of the changes to registered pension schemes since 2006. It is not intended to be a definitive guide to pensions, more an index alerting the reader to changes that perhaps require further research.
Exclusive TAXguide 05/15
  • Technical release
  • 12 Aug 2015
  • PDF (143kb)
Company Directors - PAYE Real Time Information. A questions and answers guidance note.
Exclusive TAXguide 02/13
  • Technical release
  • 04 Mar 2015
  • PDF (188kb)
Employer taxes and NIC questions and answers as agreed by HMRC and published by ICAEW Tax Faculty.
See all TAXguides

Features and articles

Tax news in brief 11 December 2024
  • Article
  • 10 Dec 2024
Highlights from the broader tax news for the week ending 11 December 2024, including: an evaluation of rent-a-room relief; a new HMRC tool relating to umbrella companies; and an update on freeports.
Chart of the week: US federal debt
  • Article
  • 06 Dec 2024
Our chart this week looks at how US federal debt has almost doubled over the past decade from $17.8tn in September 2014 to $35.5tn at the end of the most recent financial year in September 2024, with debt held by the public increasing from $12.8tn to $28.3tn.
How agents can help with McCloud tax changes
  • Article
  • 03 Dec 2024
ICAEW explains how agents can make use of HMRC’s online service to correct the tax position of a client affected by the public service pensions remedy (also known as McCloud).
Chart of the week: Economic outlook
  • Article
  • 07 Nov 2024
Our chart this week looks at how the OBR is forecasting growth in economic activity per person of 1.1% a year between 2024 and 2030. While better than the average of 0.3% a year achieved over the past 16 years, it is significantly lower than the 2.3% a year seen in the 50 years before that.
Exclusive UK pension reform and investment in real estate
  • Article
  • 31 Oct 2024
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: Autumn Budget 2024
  • Article
  • 31 Oct 2024
Our chart this week looks at how the fiscal baseline inherited by the Chancellor has changed as a consequence of the Autumn Budget, with higher capital investment driving up borrowing needed to fund the deficit over the next five years.
Chart of the week: pre-Budget fiscal baseline
  • Article
  • 24 Oct 2024
Our chart this week looks at the fiscal baseline inherited by the Chancellor ahead of her first Budget next week.
Chart of the week: a new debt target?
  • Article
  • 17 Oct 2024
Our chart this week takes a look at how the debt target in the Autumn Budget later this month could change and what that might mean for the Chancellor’s capacity to borrow to invest.

Bloomsbury Accounting and Tax Service

Eligible firms have free access to Bloomsbury Professional's comprehensive online library, comprising around 80 titles from some of the country's leading tax and accounting subject matter experts. Find out who is eligible and how you can access the Accounting and Tax Service.

Exclusive Pension funds
  • eBook chapter
  • 2024
  • Jacquelyn Kimber, Julie Bell
  • Tax Advisers Guide to Trusts
Chapter providing information for tax advisers on UK tax rules relevant to pension schemes.
Exclusive Pensions, state benefits and tax credits
  • eBook chapter
  • 2024
  • The TACS Partnership
  • Bloomsbury Professional Tax Guide
A chapter on pensions taxation, containing worked examples.
Exclusive Providing for pensions and life assurance
  • eBook chapter
  • 2024
  • David Whiscombe
  • Partnership Taxation
Expert guidance on pensions and life assurance taxation in relation to business partnerships.
Exclusive Pensions and investments
  • eBook chapter
  • 2024
  • Lucy Webb
  • Bloomsburys Tax Rates and Tables
Tax rates and tables for pensions and investment schemes, updated to reflect measures passed in the Finance (No 2) Act 2024.
Exclusive Bloomsbury's tax rates and tables 2024/25: Finance (No. 2) Act Edition
  • eBook
  • 2024
  • Lucy Webb
Tax rates and tables updated to reflect measures passed in the Finance (No 2) Act 2024.
Exclusive Pension scheme strategies
  • eBook chapter
  • 2024
  • Peter Rayney
  • Tax Planning for Family and Owner-managed Companies
Advice on tax planning for pension schemes, written for anyone who advises or runs a family or owner-managed company.
Exclusive Pensions
  • eBook chapter
  • 2024
  • Rosalind Connor
A chapter on pensions taxation, within this textbook providing readers with an understanding of the law relating to all areas of UK taxation.
Exclusive Pensions and benefits
  • eBook chapter
  • 2024
  • John Hiddleston Azets
  • Income Tax
A full chapter on the taxation of pensions and benefits in the UK, written for tax practitioners.
Terms of use

You are permitted to access, download, copy, or print out content from eBooks for your own research or study only, subject to the Acceptable usage terms.

eBooks

The Library & Information Service provides a collection of eBooks as a benefit of membership. Please log in to access these titles. If you are unable to access an eBook, please see our Help and support or contact library@icaew.com.

Exclusive Pensions
  • eBook chapter
  • 2024
  • Malcolm James
  • Spiramus
  • Taxation of Small Businesses
A full chapter on UK pensions taxation, intended for advisors to small businesses. Includes sections on the scope of the UK pensions regime, registration of pension schemes, pension payments, pension advice, purchase of shares in a sponsoring employer, loans to employers and unauthorised payments charges.
Exclusive Good retirement guide 2024: everything you need to know about health, property, investment, leisure, work, pensions and tax
  • eBook
  • 2024
  • Jonquil Lowe
  • Kogan Page
Contains information, suggestions and advice on all aspects of retirement and beyond.
Exclusive State and private pensions
  • eBook chapter
  • 2023
  • Telegraph Media Group
  • Kogan Page
  • The Telegraph Tax Guide
A chapter covering the tax treatment of income from state and private pensions, and the payment of pension contributions. The author gives tax saving tips, and illustrates points with real-world examples.
Exclusive Pensions
  • eBook chapter
  • 2021
  • Malcolm James
  • Spiramus
A full chapter on UK pensions taxation, written for tax practitioners and students.
Terms of use

You are permitted to access, download, copy, or print out content from eBooks for your own research or study only, subject to the terms of use set by our suppliers and any restrictions imposed by individual publishers. Please see individual supplier pages for full terms of use.

View all

Articles and books in the ICAEW Library collection

The collection of the ICAEW Library & Information Service includes a range of articles, books and reports on pensions taxation. A selection of recent books covering this topic is set out below.
The taxation of private pension schemes and their beneficiaries, 7th ed.
  • Library book
  • 2024
  • M. Harrison
  • Sweet & Maxwell
This book covers the taxation of private pension schemes and the beneficiaries of such schemes. It is split into two parts dealing respectively with registered and unregistered pension schemes. All private pension schemes are included- occupational and non-occupational, large and small, whether providing money purchase or defined benefits.
Workplace pensions
  • Library book
  • 2024
  • P. Cogher
  • LexisNexis
A brief digest on pensions taxation, considering the position for employers, employees, directors and the self-employed.
Pensions: the post-April 2024 landscape
  • Library book
  • 2024
  • P. Cogher
  • LexisNexis
A brief digest examining the state of play with regard to pensions taxation, as of August 2024. Covers issues including the abolition of the lifetime allowance, the new lump sum allowances, and the tax treatment of state pensions.
Pension tax guide, 2024-25
  • Library book
  • 2024
  • K. Lindley
  • Claritax
Annual guide to the taxation of pensions, and to the role they play in tax and financial planning, intended for accountants, financial advisers and other tax practitioners.
Pension magic: how to make the taxman pay for your retirement, 2024/25
  • Library book
  • 2024
  • N. Braun
  • Taxcafe UK
This book 'shows you how to build a big retirement pot by claiming thousands of pounds of extra tax relief on your pension contributions'. Includes sections on pension contribution rules, pension freedom rules, pensions v ISAs, higher-rate taxpayers, auto-enrolment, salary sacrifice pensions, company directors, family pension planning and pension planning for the self-employed and property investors.

To find out how you can borrow books from the Library please see our guide to borrowing books.

You can obtain copies of articles or extracts of books and reports through our document supply service.

Webinars

Payroll and rewards 2024 webinar slides
  • Webinar
  • 12 Apr 2024
  • PDF (1,677kb)
Slides accompanying the Tax Faculty Payroll and Rewards webinar, broadcast on 10 April 2024.
Tax in Practice - April 2023
  • Webinar
  • 26 Apr 2023
Join the Small Practitioners Community, ICAEW Tax Faculty and guest speaker Rebecca Benneyworth as they talk about HMRC service performance and ADL restrictions, MTD ITSA small business review, change to HMRC digital services, tax consultations and more.
TAXbite: Check your NIC record!
  • Webinar
  • 13 Nov 2019
An introduction to checking your national insurance contributions.

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Information

Some of the content on this web page was provided by the Chartered Accountants’ Trust for Education and Research, a registered charity, which owns the library and operates it for ICAEW.