RPSM03104090 - Technical Pages: Protecting pension rights from tax charges: Enhanced protection: Cessation: Permitted transfers

Cessation of enhanced protection - permitted transfers

[Para 12(7) & (8) Sch 36] [Article 35 The Taxation of Pension Schemes (Transitional Provisions) Order 2006 – SI 2006/572]

A transfer is a ’permitted transfer’ if

  • all or part of the sums and assets or pension rights under an arrangement are transferred to form all or part of the assets of one or more other money purchase arrangements under a registered pension scheme or recognised overseas pension scheme. So any type of arrangement may transfer to an other money purchase arrangement. Pension rights may be transferred to other money purchase arrangement under more than one scheme. This, for example, will allow a transfer to a scheme that cannot accept protected rights whilst at the same time transferring the protected rights element to another scheme that is contracted out and so can accept those rights;
  • all or part of the sums and assets or pension rights under a defined benefits or cash balance arrangement are transferred to form all or part of the assets of a defined benefits or cash balance arrangement under a registered pension scheme or recognised overseas pension scheme, but only
  • where the transfer is made in connection with the winding up of the original pension scheme containing the cash balance or defined benefits arrangement, and the receiving cash balance or defined benefits arrangement relates to the same employment as the transferring arrangement that is being wound up, or
  • where the transfer is made in connection with a relevant business transfer - see RPSM03104091, or
  • where the transfer is made as part of a retirement-benefit activities compliance exercise - see RPSM03104091.
  • sums and assets being used for the provision of a scheme pension (crystallised benefits) are transferred to an insurance company as a result of the winding up of the transferring pension scheme;
  • where defined benefit or cash balance pension rights are transferred to a money purchase arrangement, the value of the sums and assets received by the money purchase arrangement are actuarially equivalent to the rights being transferred.

Where a permitted transfer is made enhanced protection will not be lost and all of the constraints relating to enhanced protection apply equally to the arrangements to which the transfers are made.

A transfer to another scheme of rights for an ex-spouse following a pension sharing order may still be made. Such a transfer does not affect the enhanced protection of the individual whose rights are being reduced under the pension sharing order.



Glossary ( RPSM20000000)