One of the key features of a SSAS is its investment flexibility. A SSAS has more investment options than any other UK registered pension scheme. One of those options is unquoted shares (also known as private equity), which are shares not listed on an HMRC-recognised stock exchange. This can be a very useful source of business finance and also an interesting investment opportunity, particularly with the lifetime cap on Entrepreneur’s Relief now set at £1 million....

Happy Valentines Day 2022...

SSAS: THE ENTREPRENEUR'S PENSION...

We were bowled over with the three awards we brought home from the Investment Life & Pensions Moneyfacts Awards 2021: Winner Best SSAS Provider Service Beyond the Call of Duty Highly Commended Best Pension Service We thank our dedicated team who consistently deliver and everyone who took the time to vote for us! We truly appreciate your support. ...

For helpful tips, please contact us for our Guide to SSAS and the Lifetime Allowanc...

Pete heard via social media that he could save money on fees and invest using his SSAS by acting as his own Scheme Administrator. Unfortunately, he made an investment that led to a HMRC investigation and he received a tax penalty of £340,000. By the time he called us it was too late. We have many years of experience in helping clients avoid costly mistakes and would always urge anyone who has a SSAS to use a Professional Trustee and Scheme Administrator....

Following the Government’s Budget announcement that the pension Lifetime Allowance has been frozen at its current level of £1,073,100 until April 2026, we have received a number of queries about the implications of this, including about the second Lifetime Allowance test at age 75....

Four brothers have a SSAS which purchased some land six years ago. Their company made equal pension contributions for each of them of £80,000 at the time using up some of their carry forward allowances. This money was used to build a garden centre on the land. The SSAS registered for VAT in order to reclaim VAT paid on the building costs. The garden centre was let back to their company at an open market rent. ...

We are delighted to inform you that we have been shortlisted in the 2021 Investment Life & Pensions Moneyfacts Awards. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for voting for us. We are extremely grateful for your continued support....

James and Sarah's SSAS purchased some land 2 years ago for £100,000 in the hope of obtaining planning permission to build an industrial park. Unfortunately, their planning application was not approved and they decided to market the land for sale while they reconsidered their options. A farmer who owned some adjoining land made an offer of £130,000 which they duly accepted, realising a £30,000 tax free capital gain in their pension fund....

SSAS GENERATES A TAX FREE CAPITAL GAIN OF £80,000 AND A TAX FREE INCOME RETURN OF £150,000 ...

SSAS FUND GROWS BY MORE THAN 60% IN JUST 5 YEARS...

The Chancellor’s Budget on the 3rd March contained a number of expected changes and some freezing of allowances. Their impact on SSASs is mostly neutral and can be summarised as follows:...

Don’tforgetto keep an eyeon theChancellor’s Budgeton the3rd March when theforthcomingtax year’spension allowances will be announced. We willletyou havethe headlinesshortly afterwards....

Voting is open in the Investment Life and Pensions Moneyfacts Awards 2021! Those who vote are entered into a prize draw to win £150 of Amazon Vouchers courtesy of Moneyfacts. Not bad for 2 minutes’ work! ...

Welcome to our first Newsletter of 2021. We thought it would be useful to send a monthly newsletter this year with information about SSASs, our company, industry and regulatory news and case studies of interesting and successful strategies used by clients and advisers, with hints, tips and reminders to help with the operation of SSASs. We always welcome any feedback you may have or any requests for topics you would like us to cover....

Last January I wrote a circular saying, “I hope 2020 and the new decade will prove to be fruitful and profitable for you”. We all know what happened next!...

Best SSAS Provider 2020 After twelve months of hard graft and some very challenging circumstances we were absolutely delighted to be named Best SSAS Provider 2020 at the Investment Life and Pensions Moneyfacts Awards...

Section 5 of the latest HMRC Pension Schemes Newsletter contained a warning from HMRC regarding DIY SSASs (a DIY SSAS is one that has no professional Scheme Administrator or the Administrator uses the services of a Practitioner)....

SSASs are occupational pension schemes, which means they are established by actively trading limited companies. They have added flexibility which enables a number of planning opportunities not possible with SIPPs. Any client who operates via a limited company can therefore benefit from using a SSAS rather than a SIPP and at no additional cost....

The Prime Minister’s Announcement on the 30th June entitled “A New Deal for Britain” contained some interesting changes to property planning laws which could create opportunities for SSASs....

An in-specie pension contribution is where an asset such as property or shares is transferred to a UK registered pension scheme and the value of that asset represents the amount of the pension contribution on which tax relief is claimed....

One of the overlooked strengths of SSASs is their ability to act as family pension schemes. This is an example of a real client of ours which we hope will help to illustrate how this works....

This is an example of a real client of ours which we hope will help to illustrate how a SSAS can purchase unquoted shares to inject capital into a company and benefit from tax-free investment returns....

This is an example of a real client of ours which we hope will help to illustrate how a SSAS can purchase commercial property subject to VAT....

This is an example of a real client of ours which we hope will help to illustrate how a SSAS can assist with business development. In the words of the client’s Financial Adviser “Financial advice is not about selling products; it’s about helping people achieve their ambitions”. ...

We have received a lot of enquiries about whether it is possible to suspend or reduce loan repayments or rental payments to SSASs until business conditions improve....

With company revenues plummeting or, in a lot of cases having ground to an abrupt halt, business owners are looking at alternative sources to supplement or replace income from their companies. An obvious option is their pension fund. I have previously mentioned SSAS investment options that can help but where these are not possible, those over 55 can commence drawing retirement benefits....

The start of a new tax year is often a good time to review the level of service and cost you pay for your suppliers. In the current economic environment this is more important than ever. When it comes to our SSAS fees and service we believe strongly we compare favourably with anyone else in the market and have therefore put together the following fee comparison and comments to help demonstrate this....

One of the main advantages of a SSAS is its investment flexibility. They are the most flexible registered pension vehicle available in the UK. During the lifetime of a SSAS the investment mix may change numerous times and they are not just designed for features such as commercial property and loans. At times of market crisis many pension investors are more concerned about not losing money than they are about making it. Investment features for SSAS cater well in these situations....

A SSAS is permitted to purchase shares of unquoted companies. Although there are restrictions associated with this, an unquoted share investment can inject vital capital into a business. In addition, with company valuations seriously affected by Coronavirus, share prices might be lower than usual. Assuming investment is made into companies that survive the pandemic, there may be opportunities to benefit from substantial tax-free gains when share valuations rebound....

Continuing on our theme of opportunities to utilise SSASs in our new world, here are some thoughts about SSAS loans....

In these difficult times we are aware that a lot of people will be sitting at home feeling frustrated and naturally their thoughts will turn to the future. Whilst it may seem pretty bleak, there are likely to be a lot of business opportunities as we pull away from this pandemic. Now is the time to start preparing....

The Chancellor’s Budget on the 11th March contained a few surprises and a few predicted changes. Their impact on SSASs is mostly positive and can be summarised as follows: ...

Voting is open in the Investment Life and Pensions Moneyfacts Awards 2020! We were delighted to make it to the final of the Investment Life and Pensions Moneyfacts Awards in three categories last year and thank you as much for your votes:...

We are delighted to inform you of the launch of one of our exciting new developments at Whitehall Group which will help with the process of pension transfers....

There are still thousands of insurance company Executive Pension Policies (EPPs) in existence which are usually thought to be untouchable as they include protected tax-free cash (from A Day - 6th April 2006). There is however a method to convert these schemes into SSASs which will enable the funds to be accessed and used for investment strategies such as platform accounts, discretionary fund management accounts, commercial properties, loans, and a wide variety of other investment options. ...

Happy New Year. I hope 2020 and the new decade will prove to be fruitful and profitable for you. There are a few points to be aware of regarding SSAS in the run-up to the 2020 tax year end and this is a brief summary for your information. ...

Following our recent success at the Moneyfacts awards, we have been putting in place some changes to our team structure to enhance the level of expertise we can offer you....

We were delighted to pick up two awards at the Investment Life and Pensions Moneyfacts Awards 2019....

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is changing the way you need to keep VAT records and file VAT returns. This is part of their new initiative known as Making Tax Digital (MTD)....

Happy New Year to you. I hope 2019 will prove to be fruitful and profitable. There are a few points to be aware of regarding SSAS in the run-up to the 2019 tax year end and this is a brief summary for your information. ...

Voting has opened for the Investment Life and Pensions Moneyfacts Awards 2018...

As promised earlier in the year, we are delighted to announce that we have now launched a major upgrade to our online facilities. These are available via our website www.whitehallgroup.co.uk. The login section is at the top right of each page. ...

There are three significant changes to UK pension and tax rules coming in April 2016 which may require some advanced planning...

Each SSAS we operate includes a client login via our website. In addition each introducing IFA will have a login to access details of each SSAS their clients have with us. ...