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Pensions, whether private, workplace or state, are essential to the retirement planning of UK expats all over the world, whether they live as close to the UK as the Netherlands or Norway or as far away as Grand Cayman or the Grand Canyon.

However, around half a million British expats suffer a pensions shortfall of as much as £4,000 a year simply because they have chosen to live in a country or region without a reciprocal agreement with the UK and their pensions have been frozen.

Many of them feel it is unfair that they have no choice but to live on a lesser income or to take steps to redress the situation by consulting their expat financial advisers for inventive solutions. But, things may be about to change as MPs have created a parliamentary alliance to change the expat pensions law.

Juicy lottery-sized sums are being offered to savers to tempt them out of gold-plated workplace pension schemes and into personal plans. We’ve explored whether you should consider taking a final salary pension, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of withdrawing.

What is a final salary pension?

A final salary pension, sometimes referred to as a gold-plated pension, is a special style of retirement fund that is based on your final or average salary.

The main difference between this and a defined contribution pension is that a final salary scheme gives you a guaranteed sum annually for the rest of your life when you retire.

To work out the value of your final salary scheme, consider a few factors: 

1. Your final or average salary at your place of employment (confirm this with your employer)
2. Your length of service
3. The final salary scheme’s accrual rate (this is often 1/80^th)

Your final salary pension will take each factor into account, and the resulting figure will be the guaranteed annual sum you are entitled to.

For instance, if you worked somewhere for ten years, and leave on a salary of £100,000, with an accrual rate of 1/80^th, you will have a guaranteed retired annual income of £12,500.

It is possible to undertake a final salary pension transfer. Depending upon how long you expect to enjoy retirement, this could be a favourable choice. However, it’s important to consult a financial advisor to make your final salary pension transfer values work harder.

What are the benefits of transferring a final salary pension?

Assessing your final salary pension transfer value, you might consider it worthwhile to withdraw. We’ve outlined the main benefits of taking your final salary pension:

Receive the cash value of your final salary pension

Withdrawing from a final salary scheme allows you to receive a cash lump sum in return for forfeiting your guaranteed income in retirement. This final salary pension transfer value is the main reason to withdraw from a scheme, as it offers you financial freedom.

Remove ties with your employer

This is an especially important point if you’re concerned that your employer may not exist throughout your full retirement. For most, the pension protection fund (PPF) will cover your pension, but, for especially high earners, there is a PPF ceiling of £41,461 (as of April 2020).

Enjoy a flexible income in your retirement

A final salary scheme entitles you to a guaranteed annual income when you retire, but if you go down the route of transferring your final salary pension you will be able to enjoy a little more flexibility in how you receive your income. Usefully, by withdrawing from your final salary scheme, you can choose to take more out in your younger years.

Choose how you want to invest your pension

A final salary scheme is controlled tightly to accommodate all employees and their interests. When withdrawing from the scheme, however, you can take complete control over how your pension fund is invested.

The considerations you should make before transferring your final salary pension

While there are certainly benefits of going down the route of transferring final salary pension funds into various other pots, it’s important to consider what you’ll be giving up:

• Entitlement to a fixed annual income for the rest of your life
• A safe income that doesn’t fluctuate with volatile markets and share prices
• Spousal and family benefits that come with a final salary scheme

 Example: Should I cash in my final salary pension?

An example is Mrs Dee (not her real name), 4 years ago she asked for her final salary transfer values, which came in at £250,000 – a nice sum, you may think. After reviewing all the facts and figures available, however, I advised Mrs Dee to leave her final salary pension where it was, which she duly did.

Towards the end of last year, because of favourable market conditions, I applied again to see the value of transferring her final salary . This one came in at just under £600,000.