SE13500 - Termination payments and benefits: Section 148 ICTA 1988: exemptions, reliefs and reduction

Schedule 11 ICTA 1988 (or Section 188 ICTA 1988 for payments received before 6 April 1988)

There are exemptions, reliefs and a reduction for payments and benefits chargeable under Section 148 ICTA 1988. These are set out in the Table below.

The reduction relates to "foreign service" (see SE13700) and must be claimed within five years from 31 January following the year of assessment (six years from the end of the year of assessment for years of assessment up to and including 1995/96). All the exemptions are given without a claim if the conditions are satisfied.

Ensure that all Section 148 ICTA 1988 charges in respect of an employment are added together before an exemption or relief is given. For example:

  • a charge on the provision of assets (see SE13020) must be added to any cash payment for that termination before the exemption is given
  • payments and benefits must be aggregated in some circumstances (see SE13530)
Exemption, relief or reductionNotesGuidance
£30,000General exemption for charges within Section 148 ICTA 1988SE13505 to SE13550
Death SE13600
Injury and disability SE13610 to SE13650
Lump sum from retirement benefit schemeDoes not exempt lump sum from a non-approved scheme (see SE15000 onwards)SE13660
Lump sum from overseas retirement benefit schemeExtra-Statutory ConcessionSE13670
Indemnity insurance SE13675
Benefit from an overseas territory SE13710
H M Forces payment SE13720
Double taxation SE13730
Contribution to approved retirement benefits scheme SE13735
Payment to meet legal costs connected with terminationExtra-Statutory ConcessionSE13740
Payment for outplacement counselling SE13745
Additional lump sum compensation paymentPayable to civil servants and ex-civil servants with retained rights from 1987SE13747
"Foreign service"A full exemption: if the conditions are not met, a "foreign service" reduction may still be due: see next entry belowSE13680 to SE13690
"Foreign service" reductionReduces the amount of the payment that is chargeableSE13700

The changes introduced by Section 58 FA 1998 did not change the available exemptions but altered their statutory references (see SE13040 first bullet). The old and new references are shown in the relevant instructions for the particular exemption.