Contact

News & Insights

Pensions Update – by Laura Mann, Regional Manager Canary Islands

For expats who are not resident in the Canary Islands and intend on drawing down income benefits in the coming months, and wish to avoid being subject to emergency tax, we recommend you contact HMRC in advance, in order to obtain a personal tax code and thereby automatically claim any personal allowances due. Please note that this process can take some time. 

Malta:

At the moment, if your Pension Fund is held under the jurisdiction of Malta there is no flexibility available with regards to accessing your Pension Funds early (at the age of 55 years), however, new primary legislation has already been passed to mirror the aforementioned developments in the UK. Following discussions with the Malta Financial Services Authority, further updates and guidance are expected later this year.  It is expected that most Maltese Schemes will be offering flexibility no later than 1st January 2016.

Gibraltar:

If your Pension Fund is held under the jurisdiction of Gibraltar, flexible access is currently under discussion with HMRC.  At this stage the 70 / 30 rule still applies, with drawdown subject to capped income of 150% of GAD rates.  

Isle of Man:

Currently, the Isle of Man is looking to add flexi-access to its legislation. This will be debated in the Manx Parliament this Autumn. In the meantime the 70 / 30 rule still applies, with drawdown subject to 150% of GAD rates.

Flexi-drawdown plans set to impact delisted QROPS in Guernsey

If, on the other hand, your Pension Funds come under the jurisdiction of Guernsey, your ability to access flexi-drawndown may be affected by new legislation, especially if your scheme has been delisted QROPS.  If you are unsure about this, please contact us NOW so that we can review your circumstances and advise how this will affect you.

This communication is for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, investment advice, investment recommendations or investment research. You should seek advice from a professional adviser before embarking on any financial planning activity. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the information contained in this communication is correct, we are not responsible for any errors or omissions.

Other News

Spanish Asset declaration: Modelo 720

Breaking NewsAs we are aware, in November 2012 the Spanish authorities approved a new law that obliged any person, permanent establishment or company who is resident of Spain (regardless of nationality ) to declare all assets they hold outside Spain worth more than €50,000 (per Asset Class). These Assets have to be reported on the Modelo 720.

Read More

Savings important to expats on frozen pensions

Although having solid expat regular savings is important no matter what the financial climate, it is good to see that recent efforts by campaigners to end the freeze on state pensions currently endured by more than half a million retired expats abroad may be gaining momentum.

As it stands around 550,000 retired Brits abroad have to rely on their expat regular savings to top up a state pension which was frozen at £67.50 a week; nearly a full £40 less than the sum received by other pensioners.

The unfairness of their situation is compounded by the fact that the Government has struck individual deals with certain nations ensuring the full, unfrozen pension, but has left the expat residents of another 150 countries stuck with the year 2000-level pension.

Read More

Select your country

Please select your country of residence so we can provide you with the most relevant information: