QROPS Tax Free Cash Rules

27/09/2011 16:20

Unsurprisingly, investors want to gain the maximum benefit from their retirement savings by taking as much tax-free money out of their offshore190-721 pension as they can. Financial advisers play on this desire by offering 'solutions' that feed an investor's frenzy for cash. The trouble is many of these solutions are a sham and QROPS investors are buying in to schemes that pay advisers a handsome fee for a solution that fails to deliver.
The facts about QROPS lump sums are straightforward and clearly laid out in the HMRC rules that define an offshore pension as a 'qualifying recognised overseas pension scheme'.
The big debate is whether QROPS pension savers can take more than 30% of their pension fund as a tax-free lump sum. The technical issue for providers is interpretation of the rules that say at least 30% of the fund must finance a long term pension. On the one hand, some QROPS providers interpret this rule as meaning up to 30% of the original fund transferred in to the QROPS has to remain for paying benefits, while any value that accrues from the investment of the fund is outside the rules.
The definitive guide to how much cash a190-722 QROPS can pay out
This opens the way for an enhanced lump sum pay out that varies between investors and schemes depending on the specific QROPS financial contract.
On the other hand, some QROPS providers consider the rule means up to 30% of the total fund, including investment growth.The main protagonists in this argument are the Isle of Man - claiming the IoM 50c QROPS can offer enhanced lump sum draw down and benefit payments and Guernsey arguing the latter interpretation is correct.
New Zealand Kiwisaver and superannuation schemes further muddy the rules as they can offer up to a 100% tax free cash draw down for some investors.
QROPS offshore pension providers in New Zealand base their schemes on tax rules that let investors who can meet qualifying rules draw more cash from their pensions.
The rules include:. The investor living outside190-831 the UK for more than five years. The QROPS residing in a regulated tax jurisdiction. That tax jurisdiction having a double taxation treaty with the UK
It's easy to see how QROPS

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