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Tax Relief When Withdrawing UK Private Pension


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Hi All,

 

Well more specifically UK members.

 

Due to the increasing political uncertainty in the UK with Brexit, the Election, etc., I am interested in withdrawing as much of my private pension pot as quickly as possible whilst minimising income tax payable. I have a large sum which were I resident in the UK for tax purposes would attract very high levels of income tax if withdrawn in one go. My question is would I be able to claim back the tax which is deducted at source by my pension provider (Standard Life) based on my non-resident status?

 

I have been living in Thailand for approximately 10 years and qualify and am registered with HMRC for non-residency under the UK rules. I have a UK accountant who does my tax return each year. The only income I get in the UK is from rental property which as it is earned in the UK is subject to UK income tax. However, this accountant seems unable to profer a reliable answer to my question and has changed his advice more than once on this subject.

 

I know that the UK has a "Double Taxation Treaty" with Thailand, but believe that tax would only be payable in Thailand if I brought money into the country in the same year in which it was earned (or in this case withdrawn). I do not work in Thailand and have been living here on a Non-Immigrant O Visa based on retirement with extensions of stay each year.

 

My question is would I be able to claim back any tax which my pension company (Standard Life) deducts on withdrawals at source? I do not intend to bring the money to Thailand any time soon particularly with the extremely poor exchange rates we are getting for Sterling currently.

 

Have any of you done this and can anyone suggest a reputable, regulated, preferably UK based expat tax specialist? I know there are many companies who advertise such services, some on TVF from time to time, but often they are not regulated, charge extortionate fees and I have even heard of some people losing all their pensions to fraudulent organisations.

 

There must be several of you in a similar position.

 

Thank you in advance for any help or suggestions you can provide.

 

 

 

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Short answer is no you won’t (I think!).

the UK/ Thailand taxation treaty, in its current form, does not set out any tax treatment guidelines  for private pensions (there is something on civil service and military pensions I believe). Private pensions are outside the scope of the treaty , So the U.K. will apply UK tax rates (and allowances) to a U.K. pension for a Thai based expat. And because there is no applicable treaty between the countries, on private pensions, the U.K. will not allow the payment of gross (untaxed) pension income to a Thai based expat.

you may have grounds for a tax rebate for other reasons, and that is worth looking into, but not because you live in Thailand.

Edited by wordchild
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1 hour ago, steve187 said:

the first 25% is free of tax, or was for me

Lump sum 25% tax free. Then you pay 20% over your personal tax allowance which, I think is about £11,800 p.a. Then will go up to a higher % at the next next tax bracket. Which I do not have to worry about!! 5555.

 

PS. I tried looking into non resident, but it is impossoble to understand their convoluted <deleted> paperwork. Asked, please tell me in words of one syllable and got the same response "read the paperwork". T..s..rs!!

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The first thing thing to think about is whether your pension plan benefits from guaranteed annuity rates. If so the pension you would be giving up by cashing in could well equal or exceed any investment income derived by you investing the lump sum yourself certainly on a year by year basis. Your guaranteed annuity rate would be for life of course regardless of world economic recessions etc.

 

Also, when I looked into this a few years ago it transpired that the new pension freedoms had a few strings attached. One of which is if the pension pot has guaranteed annuity rates and/or is more than a certain value you have to produce a certificate from an independent financial consultant before the pension company will release your funds - and of course the industry in the UK have been quick to recognise a cash cow when they see one and you can expect echorbitant fees.

 

If you convert your pension pot into cash it's deemed income arising in the UK & therefore taxable irrespective of your residency status. Depending on the amount involved this could land you with a significant 40% tax exposure. You already complete a UK tax return so I'm assuming you are already using up your personal allowance and possibly some if not all of the basic rate band in which it's doubtful you'd get much back from tax you suffer on the pension pot.

 

Another option is to stage the withdrawals over several tax years tailored so that you don't get hammered at 40% - or any initial 40% deduction is available for refund ( PAYE will apply upon withdrawal).

It could be that a few things may have changed since I last looked at this of course but be wary - you don't want to lose a big chunk of your hard earned to the taxman

 

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It’s my understanding that tax relief is applied to pensions at the time you put it into the pot. 

 

Normal tax rules apply to payments made to you from the pot, ie you can use your annual tax free allowance to offset tax upto the allowance rate.

 

I haven’t read this anywhere (but I have studied the tax rules for non UK residents) and logically if you think about it, the pension funds were invested and tax relief was applied whilst you were working in the UK, therefore taking lump sum drawdowns before the agreed age would be taxed in the same way regardless of where you reside, why would if differ because you were a UK resident when the initial tax relief was already applied.

 

To achieve what you described you could have invested in Isas and offshore pension but then of course no tax relief would have been applied at source.

 

if you could do what you are asking then why would offshore pensions exist?

 

You can’t get tax relief when you both invest and then more tax relief when you draw down unless it’s within the personal annual allowance limit.

 

sorry it’s not the news you probably wanted and id would be happy to be proven wrong.

 

 

 

 

Edited by NightSky
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I moved my Private Pension into a QROP Pension scheme when I became a non UK resident 10 years ago. All these schemes are regulated by HMRC. I took out 25% lump sum a short while ago and paid no UK tax. The biggest advantage of a QROP is that on your demise the pot can be transferred to spouse ,family members or whomsoever you want to benefit and there is no death tax  to pay.

The company I use have proved professional and monitor the performance of my  pension pot closely and I get a 3 monthly report with recommendations. I dont think I can mention the name of the comapny here but I can respond to a PM.

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I have used Fry Group (UK based but with a Singapore office) in the past and found them to be a useful source of advice on offshore pension issues and also note that they have been positively mentioned by other members in similar threads to this one. 

 

 

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Hi Again Guys and thank you for all your responses all of which I agree with.

 

Since posting I asked my accountant to pose the question directly to HMRC, but without mentioning my personal details.

 

He now informs me that I am liable to pay tax on the private pension withdrawals as it is not covered by the Double Taxation Treaty (DTA) with Thailand.....Yes I need a new accountant.

 

It is Standard Life's policy to deduct tax at source....I can't speak for any other pension companies, but Guderian is  right.....They are an absolute pain to deal with.

 

I already withdrew my 25% tax free lump sum a couple of years ago. I did not take the Annuity Route as the annual payments I would receive were so poor....

 

If I stay in Thailand I will probably do as Doowat suggested and just make withdrawals up to the next Tax Band, i.e., £50K currently and pay the 20% tax on the £37,500 (£50k less personal allowance £12,500).

 

However, as mentioned I have been living here over 10 years now and like many others have become disenchanted with many things including the ever changing Visa Requirements which for me being on a non-Immigrant O Visa based on retirement means that my only financial option is the 800K-400K method.

 

I have just turmed 62 so am not even considering what pittance of a Government pension I may ever get which currently I cannot claim until age 67 I believe....That will probably go up again to 70 before I get to draw anything!

 

I have friends living in Vietnam who have lived in LOS previously and all say how much better "most things" are. Also there is no DTA with Vietnam so I will now be exploring that option.

 

That then raises the question of how I get my money out if I want to leave quickly? I have an account with KTB which I never let drop below 1m Thb, bringing over Sterling from the UK via Transferwise.....I have not brought anything over for nearly a year since the exchange rate has been so bad.

 

Hopefully once the Brexit Fiasco is over the Pound may rally even if only slightly as the uncertainty will be gone....Fingers crossed!

 

Thanks again for all your responses and once I get a definitive answer on the tax on pension situation if I decide to move to VN I will update TVF. :thumbsup:

 

   
   

 

 

 

 

 

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I strongly advise you consult a financial adviser. I have just sorted my pension pots out the financial adviser was worth his weight in gold. He told me what choices I had, once I made my decision he took care of everything. I one thing I strongly advise, is to take the maximum tax free lump sum.
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i received 100% from aon formerly Scottish Equitable into my Malta Trust Account

The would not transfer to my Aus Care super due to QROPS rules on aus access before 55 even though i was 57

rather than create a SMSF i did this in Malta then had it paid to aus after a bit of cleaning as cash savings from years as an expat in Singapore

After questioning from ATO they accepted my explanation and tax free 

803k

They will not send it anywhere unless the recipient is a QROPS recognized trust or pension 

I am very lucky

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I think I would talk to Standard Life and ask if they take tax out at source ie when you take the money.

 

I transferred a single amount of more than 23 million baht here from Australia. Income taxes had already been paid. The money went to CitiBank (an American bank) and I had to answer several questions from them before they would release the money. But other than that there were no issues.

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27 minutes ago, Pedrogaz said:

I think I would talk to Standard Life and ask if they take tax out at source ie when you take the money.

 

I transferred a single amount of more than 23 million baht here from Australia. Income taxes had already been paid. The money went to CitiBank (an American bank) and I had to answer several questions from them before they would release the money. But other than that there were no issues.

Thanks for your input.

 

I already withdrew a couple of small amounts to test the water and they had tax deducted at source.

 

I am sure the rules are applied differently in various countries, but my OP was specifically concerning the UK situation.

 

 

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I took my 25% tax free lump a couple of years ago. I've just drawn down another sum but within the personal tax allowance. Had to courier some original documents to them, anti money laundering, and yes, pension companies all seem slow at paying out whilst quick to grab anything.

 

I'm told that there is a way to release all the funds and claiming the tax back. I'm waiting the details from my FA and his UK tax people. I will also double check this with my own Tax Accountant to make sure it's all above board.

 

Once I've got all the details I will PM you here. If you haven't head from my in 7-10 days please feel free to remind me - memory's not what it was! 

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9 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

I took my 25% tax free lump a couple of years ago. I've just drawn down another sum but within the personal tax allowance. Had to courier some original documents to them, anti money laundering, and yes, pension companies all seem slow at paying out whilst quick to grab anything.

 

I'm told that there is a way to release all the funds and claiming the tax back. I'm waiting the details from my FA and his UK tax people. I will also double check this with my own Tax Accountant to make sure it's all above board.

 

Once I've got all the details I will PM you here. If you haven't head from my in 7-10 days please feel free to remind me - memory's not what it was! 

Hi Baerboxer,

 

Many thanks for your reply.....I have had so many conflicting opinions from many sources, not least from my own accountant who less than a week ago was telling me that it was a goer, but has now done a 180 degree turn.

 

Had I taken his earlier advice and withdrawn all the pension in one go I would have paid a huge amount of tax at higher rates.

 

The reason for my post was that so many Brits on TVF must be in a similar position to me.

 

The major reason why I am looking to withdraw as much as possible and minimise the tax implications now is because with the political uncertainty in the UK who knows whats going to happen?.....Not to mention the uncertainty which constantly surrounds us as expats in Thailand!

 

Once the money is in my account I can take it offshore or anywhere else I choose, but with Brexit, the General Election, etc., anything could happen in the coming few weeks or months???

 

I look forward to hearing from you.

 

Please feel free to PM me anytime!

 

Best regards,

 

Mario

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DPKANKAN's response as below was faitly accurate

"Lump sum 25% tax free. Then you pay 20% over your personal tax allowance which, I think is about £11,800 p.a. Then will go up to a higher % at the next next tax bracket. Which I do not have to worry about!! 5555.

 

PS. I tried looking into non resident, but it is impossoble to understand their convoluted <deleted> paperwork. Asked, please tell me in words of one syllable and got the same response "read the paperwork". T..s..rs!!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

So, my comments are In effect had you wanted a tax free income then you should have transferred your plan to an "offshore Pension Provider"  (QROPS which is what expats should consider).

 

Consequently your UK Pension is Pension income derived within the UK and is taxed as such, regardless of where you reside in general.

 

Within the UK taxation status the first 25% is tax free regardless, thereafter ALWAYS considered taxable income, unless in a QROPS scheme

 

Personally provided your pension is not solely invested in UK funds then you run the same chance as any pension in the world for investment risk, I think you are worrying too much, but wish you the best for the future.

Edited by Pdavies99
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7 hours ago, Mario666 said:

Hi Again Guys and thank you for all your responses all of which I agree with.

 

Since posting I asked my accountant to pose the question directly to HMRC, but without mentioning my personal details.

 

He now informs me that I am liable to pay tax on the private pension withdrawals as it is not covered by the Double Taxation Treaty (DTA) with Thailand.....Yes I need a new accountant.

 

It is Standard Life's policy to deduct tax at source....I can't speak for any other pension companies, but Guderian is  right.....They are an absolute pain to deal with.

 

I already withdrew my 25% tax free lump sum a couple of years ago. I did not take the Annuity Route as the annual payments I would receive were so poor....

 

If I stay in Thailand I will probably do as Doowat suggested and just make withdrawals up to the next Tax Band, i.e., £50K currently and pay the 20% tax on the £37,500 (£50k less personal allowance £12,500).

 

However, as mentioned I have been living here over 10 years now and like many others have become disenchanted with many things including the ever changing Visa Requirements which for me being on a non-Immigrant O Visa based on retirement means that my only financial option is the 800K-400K method.

 

I have just turmed 62 so am not even considering what pittance of a Government pension I may ever get which currently I cannot claim until age 67 I believe....That will probably go up again to 70 before I get to draw anything!

 

I have friends living in Vietnam who have lived in LOS previously and all say how much better "most things" are. Also there is no DTA with Vietnam so I will now be exploring that option.

 

That then raises the question of how I get my money out if I want to leave quickly? I have an account with KTB which I never let drop below 1m Thb, bringing over Sterling from the UK via Transferwise.....I have not brought anything over for nearly a year since the exchange rate has been so bad.

 

Hopefully once the Brexit Fiasco is over the Pound may rally even if only slightly as the uncertainty will be gone....Fingers crossed!

 

Thanks again for all your responses and once I get a definitive answer on the tax on pension situation if I decide to move to VN I will update TVF. :thumbsup:

 

   
   

 

 

 

 

 

There is a DTA in force between UK and Vietnam.

The DTA covers pensions. The pension would be taxable in Vietnam

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34 minutes ago, cleopatra2 said:

There is a DTA in force between UK and Vietnam.

The DTA covers pensions. The pension would be taxable in Vietnam

 

Thank you very much for your information.

 

I just rechecked via Google at this link:

 

https://www.expertsforexpats.com/expat-tax/double-tax-treaties/

 

Once again it would appear that I have been ill-advised by my current (soon to be Ex-Accountant) who wrote only 2 days ago " Yes, you wouldn't pay UK tax if for example you were resident in Vietnam.  Of course,  you might face a Vietnamese liability."

 

He told me by telephone that Vietnam didn't have a DTA with the UK!

 

This is turning out to be a "Mine-Field".

 

Having said that I just checked the DTA list again and Cambodia is not there!

 

<deleted> it!...I'll pay some tax and withdraw gradually. ????????????

 

Even if I did it in the UK I would only pay £7,500 in income tax on total net earnings of £50,000 pa.

 

With the constant <deleted> we have to put up with here maybe a move back home is due while I recharge and have time to think about the next destination!

 

Thanks again! :wai:

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Mario666 said:

 

Thank you very much for your information.

 

I just rechecked via Google at this link:

 

https://www.expertsforexpats.com/expat-tax/double-tax-treaties/

 

Once again it would appear that I have been ill-advised by my current (soon to be Ex-Accountant) who wrote only 2 days ago " Yes, you wouldn't pay UK tax if for example you were resident in Vietnam.  Of course,  you might face a Vietnamese liability."

 

He told me by telephone that Vietnam didn't have a DTA with the UK!

 

This is turning out to be a "Mine-Field".

 

Having said that I just checked the DTA list again and Cambodia is not there!

 

<deleted> it!...I'll pay some tax and withdraw gradually. ????????????

 

Even if I did it in the UK I would only pay £7,500 in income tax on total net earnings of £50,000 pa.

 

With the constant <deleted> we have to put up with here maybe a move back home is due while I recharge and have time to think about the next destination!

 

Thanks again! :wai:

 

 

 

Are you sure the FA said there was no tax treaty. It would seem inconcievable  to state no tax liability in UK if no tax treaty existed. 

My limited understanding of Vietnam tax laws is that pensions are possibly tax exempt. 

 

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22 hours ago, Guderian said:

I had a private pension with Standard Life and took the tax-free lump sum when I hit 60 three years ago. Maybe all private pension companies are difficult to deal with, I don't know, but I found SL to be very annoying indeed. They seem to do everything they possibly can to prevent you from cashing in any part of your pension. After weeks I'd managed to find my way through their labyrinthine bureaucracy and filled in and returned the forms that were necessary to start converting my pension pot into a tax-free lump sum and a new investment vehicle for the rest of the money I made the mistake of mentioning that I was spending most of my time in Thailand. Fortunately I seemed to be dealing with one of the older, more-experienced guys there and he made it clear that if I was going to use any overseas details at all, like address or bank account, then that would open up a whole new world of bureaucratic pain for me. The proof they were asking to make a payout to a UK-based customer was bad enough, but it was ten times worse for a foreign resident. I quickly back-pedaled and told him it was just a holiday home where I spent a few months of the winter, and my UK details were the same as I'd given him and he should use them, my UK address and bank account, and after a bit of pee-taking on his part (that's funny, sir, I could have SWORN I heard you say that you LIVED in Thailand!) he let it drop and a week or two later the tax-free lump sum arrived in my Halifax account.

 

What I'm trying to get across here is that SL is nice as pie when it comes to paying money in, but getting it out is much, much harder. And if you can possibly avoid it,  don't mention that you're living in Thailand, that will only make the whole process even worse than it already is.

 

Exactly my scenario. Basically had to lie to get my money. I know this doesn't answer the OP's question though. My expectation when I cash the lot in will be that as you say, taxed at source then claim back from the tax office, regardless of where you are living at the time.

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12 hours ago, cleopatra2 said:

Are you sure the FA said there was no tax treaty. It would seem inconcievable  to state no tax liability in UK if no tax treaty existed. 

My limited understanding of Vietnam tax laws is that pensions are possibly tax exempt. 

 

Yes I am certain he said that,

 

I also went to the Govt. website to make sure I was getting correct and independent information and found this. The guy is an idiot.

 

I am however intrigued by your comment "My limited understanding of Vietnam tax laws is that pensions are possibly tax exempt. "

 

This could radically change the situation. Please may I ask where you acquired this information?

Vietnam Double Taxation Agrrement.pdf

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2 hours ago, dode57k said:

Exactly my scenario. Basically had to lie to get my money. I know this doesn't answer the OP's question though. My expectation when I cash the lot in will be that as you say, taxed at source then claim back from the tax office, regardless of where you are living at the time.

May I ask what if any progress you have made as to finding out if/where you may be able to claim back the tax deducted at source?

 

It seems that SL will always deduct the tax at source. I have 2 other smaller pension pots with other companies, but both are "with profits" and doing quite well so I will be leaving them for the time being anyway.

Edited by Mario666
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1 hour ago, Mario666 said:

Yes I am certain he said that,

 

I also went to the Govt. website to make sure I was getting correct and independent information and found this. The guy is an idiot.

 

I am however intrigued by your comment "My limited understanding of Vietnam tax laws is that pensions are possibly tax exempt. "

 

This could radically change the situation. Please may I ask where you acquired this information?

Vietnam Double Taxation Agrrement.pdf 119.48 kB · 0 downloads

PWC booklet on tax in Vietnamp

Note this is a download pdf file

See pages 39 to 41

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.pwc.com/vn/en/publications/2019/pwc-vietnam-pocket-tax-book-2019-en.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjGnuadx__lAhXfzDgGHWB5CKEQFjAGegQICRAB&usg=AOvVaw1IqARlDyZRKJgNJ3u4aGij

Edited by cleopatra2
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On 11/22/2019 at 9:30 AM, Guderian said:

I had a private pension with Standard Life and took the tax-free lump sum when I hit 60 three years ago. Maybe all private pension companies are difficult to deal with, I don't know, but I found SL to be very annoying indeed. They seem to do everything they possibly can to prevent you from cashing in any part of your pension. After weeks I'd managed to find my way through their labyrinthine bureaucracy and filled in and returned the forms that were necessary to start converting my pension pot into a tax-free lump sum and a new investment vehicle for the rest of the money I made the mistake of mentioning that I was spending most of my time in Thailand. Fortunately I seemed to be dealing with one of the older, more-experienced guys there and he made it clear that if I was going to use any overseas details at all, like address or bank account, then that would open up a whole new world of bureaucratic pain for me. The proof they were asking to make a payout to a UK-based customer was bad enough, but it was ten times worse for a foreign resident. I quickly back-pedaled and told him it was just a holiday home where I spent a few months of the winter, and my UK details were the same as I'd given him and he should use them, my UK address and bank account, and after a bit of pee-taking on his part (that's funny, sir, I could have SWORN I heard you say that you LIVED in Thailand!) he let it drop and a week or two later the tax-free lump sum arrived in my Halifax account.

 

What I'm trying to get across here is that SL is nice as pie when it comes to paying money in, but getting it out is much, much harder. And if you can possibly avoid it,  don't mention that you're living in Thailand, that will only make the whole process even worse than it already is.

 

Unless one has a permanent residential status I can not see one living in Thailand or any other country. A none imm O visa only allows you to stay in the country 90 days at the most. A one year OA visa allows you to stay one year its not a permanent stay visa then you have to apply for an extension . But thats not living here your here on a visa.

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5 hours ago, Mario666 said:

 

This could radically change the situation. Please may I ask where you acquired this information?

Also the pdf you attached shows it in Article 18 - basically any tax on pensions is only payable in the "Contracting State" which for you is the UK.

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34 minutes ago, topt said:

Also the pdf you attached shows it in Article 18 - basically any tax on pensions is only payable in the "Contracting State" which for you is the UK.

I read Article 18 as the resident state having taxing rights.

Thus if the OP becomes resident of Vietnam then Vietnam have taxing right.

 

Apologies if this is what your stating

 

Residence would be determined upon the application of Art 4 of the DTA

Edited by cleopatra2
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