HMRC: LTA casualties should delay retirement

Last March, George Osborne reduced the lifetime limit on pension savings from £1.25 million to £1 million. A protection regime was also introduced for people who already had over £1 million saved to protect their pension from the lifetime allowance tax charge.

HMRC will introduce a new online service for people to apply for individual and fixed protection on their pension savings from July.

However people who want to apply for fixed protection before July need to use an interim process with a temporary reference number.

A HMRC newsletter explained:

"We are aware that some members affected by the reduction in lifetime allowance will want to or need to retire on or immediately after 6 April 2016 and that these members may not have received their temporary reference number, confirming protection, from HMRC.

"Members in this situation may wish to postpone taking their benefits until they have received a temporary reference number from HMRC or take benefits up to the standard lifetime allowance and defer taking their remaining benefits until they have received a temporary reference number from HMRC.

"Alternatively scheme administrators can test members benefits against the standard lifetime allowance of £1m, pay the tax charge on the accounting for tax return and the once the temporary reference number is obtained, re-calculate and then submit an amended AFT return to receive a repayment."