Cash please: You can take a maximum of 25% of the value of your pension funds. For example, if you had a pension with a value of £50,000, you could take £12,500 free of tax. (Note: this applies to personal pensions; the rules are different for Final Salary Schemes where the benefit is based on the salary and years of service.)
All as cash please! In fact you can withdraw the total value of your pensions as cash. The downside is that the amount you take, over and above your 25% tax-free element, is subject to tax as if you earned it in the Tax Year you take out the cash. This can result in a very substantial tax bill so do check out the tax ramifications before acting!
Income please (after you have taken your tax-free cash) Option 1: Take a guaranteed income for life (Lifetime Annuity). Option 2: Take a guaranteed income for life but at a higher level if you have a serious medical condition or problematic medical history, or history of smoking (Enhanced Annuity). Option 3: Take a fixed income for a period of time (usually 5 years) and have a guaranteed amount left at the end of the term so you can then review your options again (Temporary Annuity). Option 4: Transfer your pension fund into a Flexi-Drawdown Pension. You can then leave the money invested at any risk level that suits you and you have the option to withdraw a regular amount of income or take an occasional lump sum. (Note: For all of the income or cash withdrawals listed above, once you have had your tax-free cash, will be taxed as earned income.)
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