Tag: Pensions

The secret to a happy retirement? £26,000 per year, says Which?

Two-person households need an average annual income of £26,000 for a comfortable retirement, Which?’s latest research has found. 

With the past year altering many people’s spending habits or potentially accelerating their plans for retirement, finding out how much money is needed to finance a reasonable standard of living in later life has taken on an increased importance. 

Which? surveyed nearly 7,000 retirees in February about their spending to develop retirement income targets for one-person and two-person households. The findings can be used as a guide to how much people are likely to spend and how much they might need to save, factoring in the state pension and tax bills. 

The consumer champion split the income targets into three different categories – essential, comfortable and luxury – to reflect the budgeting needs of different savers. 

  • Essential: food and drink (excluding meals out), housing payments (mortgage, rent or council tax), transport, utility bills, insurance, household goods, clothes, shoes and health products. 
  • Comfortable: includes the essentials, as well as regular short-haul holidays, recreation and leisure, tobacco, alcohol and charity giving.
  • Luxury: includes both ‘essential’ and ‘comfortable’ spending categories, as well as extended or long-haul holidays, health club memberships, expensive meals out, and a new car every five years.

Which?’s research showed that retired couples spend an average of £18,000 a year on essentials. This goes up to £26,000 when including spending on categories in our ‘comfortable’ retirement bracket, and £41,000 to include the extras for a ‘luxury’ lifestyle. For single-person households these figures were £13,000, £19,000 and £31,000, respectively.

Many of the survey respondents in two-person households had spent less on things like recreation and leisure (down by 14 per cent) and transport (down by 10 per cent) this year than they had compared to before the pandemic in 2019. Spending on cars, charitable donations and groceries had risen by six per cent. 

For single-person households, spending on long-haul holidays and leisure memberships was down by 14 per cent and 9 per cent, respectively. 

Which?’s calculations found that, on average, couples need a pot of around £155,000 alongside their state pension to produce the annual income for a comfortable retirement of £26,000 via pension drawdown – or just over £265,000 through a joint life annuity. 

For single-person households, achieving a comfortable retirement would mean a pot of around £192,290 alongside a state pension to get to an annual income of £19,000 via pension drawdown, or £305,710 through an annuity. 

The consumer champion is calling on the government to press ahead with reforms to help provide savers with greater clarity about their pension savings so they can know if they are on track for later life. The government must move swiftly to set out the mandatory timetable for pension schemes to provide information to pension dashboards that give savers access to all their pensions information – including their state pension – in one place. 

Which? believes that the Department for Work and Pensions should also move forward with plans to shorten and simplify annual benefits statements, and it should ensure consumers are provided with clear information about costs and charges in one simple, personalised figure.

Jenny Ross, Which? Money Editor, said: “For many people, the events of the past year will have caused them to rethink their retirement plans and  brought the amount of money needed for later life into sharper focus.

“Our research shows that most people will need to be putting away significant sums if they want to ensure they can enjoy a comfortable retirement – but many do not have access to the clear and accessible information they need to help them plan.

“The government must move swiftly to introduce the pensions dashboard and simplify annual benefits statements to enable people to understand how much they’ve saved, what this could be worth in retirement and, crucially, extend its proposals to include how much savers have paid in charges.”

Which? – We need a Pensions Dashboard

Which? is calling for the urgent introduction of a comprehensive pensions dashboard after an investigation exposed how the current system leaves workers struggling to track down and understand their retirement pots.

The consumer champion challenged 12 volunteers to track down key pieces of information about each of their 38 pension schemes, to see what difficulties they faced.

Of the volunteers, nine (75%) encountered gaps in their data, while only three (25%) were able to find all the requested information via paper statements, online accounts and phone calls.

Some volunteers struggled to find the value of their pension or projected entitlement under a defined benefit scheme. One was told by their provider that they had to wait 40 working days – almost two months – for a new statement to give the information.

Several participants discovered worrying errors. Among the top concerns consumers had was missing information – particularly when it came to pension charges and investment strategy, with some unable to find anything at all about either.

Which? also found that even where information was available, it wasn’t always correct.

One participant, 36, from London, had a shock when she started looking at her pension with her last employer, a US-based marketing agency using a UK payroll provider.

For a period of eight months, pension payments had been deducted from her salary, but neither this money nor any company contributions had found their way into her pension account – potentially breaking the law through non-payment of contributions.

Other volunteers found that pension company mergers and takeovers can add to the sense of confusion, with one having historic correspondence from three different providers for the same scheme. This was after her pension company was first taken over by another provider and then her employer switched its nominated firm.

The new research was published as Westminster debated the Pension Schemes Bill, which legislates for the introduction of a pensions dashboard.

In a separate survey, Which? asked more than 300 members across the UK whether they would use a pensions dashboard to manage their retirement and what they most wanted to see included in it.

More than three quarters (77%) said they would be likely to use the dashboard to find out about their pensions.

Among the top requests for inclusion on the dashboard was an update on the state pension, with nearly three quarters (74%) wanting to know how much they’d get at state pension age.

Almost two thirds (62%) were keen to have a projection of their future retirement income, while more than half (55%) wanted to know their current pension value and a similar number (54%) wanted to see charges.

Which? has long called for the introduction of a pensions dashboard to ensure that savers can see all their pensions in one place.

The consumer champion has pressed the government to ensure that a dashboard provides people with relevant information about all of their pension pots in one place – including the state pension. The dashboard must also publish key information such as charges and income projection figures, to ensure savers are equipped with the information they need to plan for their future.

The pensions dashboard project was first announced in the 2016 Budget and the government originally promised to ensure that it was designed, funded and launched by 2019. But a prototype version won’t probably be available until 2021 at the earliest.

Gareth Shaw, Head of Money at Which?, said: “A pensions dashboard could be a game changer for consumers who have struggled for too long with a complex, fragmented pensions system.

“For the millions of pension savers to get genuine benefit from a dashboard, the government must use this opportunity to ensure that it delivers all the information consumers need to see including their charges, income projection figures and state pension entitlement.”

Which?’s Pensions Planner checklist:

  • Get to grips with the basics: ask for an up-to-date statement if you haven’t had one in a while and make sure any online log-ins still work.
  • Update your details: if you haven’t updated your address since moving, your pension statements may end up with someone else.
  • Nominate a beneficiary: after your death, most pension schemes will allow anyone to inherit your pension.
  • Find lost savings: the Pensions Tracing Service is a free service that searches a database of more than 200,000 workplace and personal pension schemes.

New pension scheme “could deliver improved returns for millions”

Millions of workers could eventually benefit from better retirement savings when a new type of pension scheme is introduced to the market, under pioneering proposals rubber-stamped by the Work and Pensions Secretary yesterday. Continue reading New pension scheme “could deliver improved returns for millions”

Scots at risk of being unprepared for death

 

  • Half (50%) of adults in Scotland with important financial information online haven’t told their next of kin about their online financial accounts
  • Whereas one in eight (13%) in the region have thought about their Facebook account when they die
  • Almost two thirds (63%) of Scottish people don’t have a will
  • Nearly half (47%) of Scotland’s parents with children aged 18 and under don’t have plans for their children in the event of their death

Continue reading Scots at risk of being unprepared for death

Brock calls for fair deal for women pensioners

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Deidre Brock MP met with women from across the UK –  including Edinburgh – who attended a mass rally outside Westminster for the WASPI (women against state pension inequality) campaign yesterday. Continue reading Brock calls for fair deal for women pensioners

All change for pension options

But beware of pension fraudsters 

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The rules on how you can access your defined contributions pension savings from age 55 change from today. Changes to pension rules will give savers much more control over their money – but some industry experts fear that the changes will see a new wave of cold-calling, fraud and criminal activity.

The government is advising people not to take cold calls from fraudsters posing as pension professionals. Pensions minister Steve Webb – who himself was cold-called by fraudsters – acknowledges that there are risks involved with making pensions savings easier to access.

“A lot of people will have access to a lot of money come April, and there’s a bunch of crooks out there,” he said. “People should take professional advice. Pension Wise – our service – is the place to go. Not somebody who cold calls you.”

The GMB trade union is urging the Information Commissioners to crack down hard when dealing with cold callers threatening the pension pots of millions of UK savers.

GMB commented last week on the statement from the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) that they are investigating claims that details of the pension pots of millions of people are being sold and ending up in the hands of cold callers. See notes to editors for statement by ICO and reports on Press Association.

Phil McEvoy, GMB National Pensions Officer, said: “This is a worrying example of the activities that look certain to accompany the new freedoms on pensions.

“History does not look kindly on pension deregulation with the mis-selling scandals of 25 years ago showing that freedoms can simply induce a feeding frenzy amongst the scavengers seeking to deprive savers of their money.

“It looks like the vultures are coming home to roost again. It is imperative that the ICO as regulator throw the book at anyone threatening the future finances of UK’s pensioners.

“ICO should not hesitate to use its power to issue penalties of up to £500,000 where marketing calls or messages cause or have the potential to cause substantial damage or distress.”

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Access your savings

From today (6 April), from age 55, you can access as much of your savings from your defined contributions pension scheme (also known as ‘money purchase schemes’) as you want under new ‘pensions flexibility’ rules.

Schemes don’t have to offer these options. Talk to your pension provider to see what options are available to you.

You can transfer your pension savings to a pension provider that offers the option that you want to use.

You can access your benefits in a number of different ways:

Lump sum payment

You can take money direct from your pension pot without having to buy an annuity or put the money into drawdown, and 25% of this sum will be tax free. This is called an ‘uncrystallised funds pension lump sum’ (UFPLS). You can take one or more UFPLS payments and these can be regular or irregular payments.

If you receive a UFPLS and this is the first time you have used the pension flexibility rules to access your pension savings, your scheme administrator will provide you with a flexible access statement.

Lifetime annuity

You can use some or all of your funds to buy an annuity that will be payable at least for the rest of your life.

You can take a tax free lump sum of up to 25% of your pension pot when you buy an annuity. This is called a pension commencement lump sum.

Flexi-access drawdown

You can put funds into drawdown. From 6 April 2015 there are no limits on how much or how little you can take from your drawdown fund each year. You can take a tax free pension commencement lump sum of up to 25% of your pension pot when you put funds into drawdown. Any drawdown payments are taxed as income.

If you receive a flexi-access drawdown payment and this is the first time you have used the pension flexibility rules to access your pension savings, your scheme administrator will provide you with a flexible access statement.

Capped Drawdown

You can continue in capped drawdown if you were in a scheme before the changes, but no new capped drawdown funds or flexible drawdown funds may be set up from 6 April 2015 onwards.

If you are in capped drawdown you may either convert your fund into a flexi-access drawdown fund or continue to take a capped drawdown pension from your arrangement. Speak to your pension scheme administrator if you want to convert to flexi-access drawdown.

You can add additional funds to your existing capped drawdown arrangements and your existing annual pension limits and review periods for capped drawdown will continue to apply. Capped drawdown payments are taxed as income.

Short term annuities

If you are in drawdown you can decide to receive benefits in drawdown by purchasing short term annuities. These are paid by insurance companies at least annually and for no more than 5 years.

Overseas pension schemes

Changes made to the legislation covering pensions savings in overseas schemes bring them in line with the 2015 changes made to the rules for UK registered pension schemes.

These changes affect:

  • qualifying recognised overseas pension scheme (QROPS) – schemes that can receive transfers from registered pension schemes as authorised payments
  • currently relieved non-UK pension schemes – where UK tax relief has been given on or after 6 April 2006 in respect of pension savings under the scheme

Collectively, these schemes will are known as ‘relevant non-UK schemes’ and will be subject to similar rules as UK registered pension schemes.

Tax on payments and contributions

All payments you receive from an annuity or drawdown are taxable as income. You also pay income tax on 75% of the amount of any UFPLS you receive. The amount of tax you pay will depend on the amount of payments that you receive in the tax year plus any other taxable income you have.

You’ll also pay tax on any contributions you make to your pension pot over your tax-free annual allowance.

You can find more information from GOV.UK guides on:

Further Information

Pension Wise is a free and impartial government service that helps you understand your new pension options.

Lazarowicz calls for fair treatment for Equitable Life policyholders

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Speaking in a debate at Westminster, Mark Lazarowicz MP highlighted the need for compensation to Equitable Life members to be increased and greatly speeded up to reflect the reality that many of those who lost out as a result of the maladministration are now advanced in age.

Speaking after the debate, he said: “Under the current scheme, the vast majority of Equitable Life policyholders will only receive less than a quarter – 22.4p in the £ – of what they lost after investing in what was to all appearances a safe, well-established and regulated scheme: it was anything but.

“I want to see the compensation properly reflect what all policyholders lost and be speeded up: the Government should act in the upcoming Budget.

“These were people who tried to make provision for their retirement and they should receive compensation while they can benefit from it: many who lost out have already died before receiving anything at all.

“This highlights why it’s also such a concern that the Government is so behind schedule in providing advice to people on how to make use of the new freedom to take some or all of their pension pot early.”

Even though official estimates of the losses suffered by policyholders at Equitable Life put the total figure at £4.3 billion, the Chancellor allocated only £1.5 billion in October 2010.

That has to cover the cost of administering the scheme and the £620m for full compensation to be paid to the 37,000 holders of with-profits annuities leaving the rest to be shared out amongst the remaining 945,000 policy holders.

Mark Lazarowicz’ contribution to the debate can be found here.