We are pleased to provide you with an update on the latest developments for the Fund.
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Throughout 2022, we have seen some significant volatility in investment markets, resulting in large movements in both equity and bond markets as well as other types of investments.
Please click here to see a range of frequently asked questions relating to the ongoing market volatility that we hope will be helpful to you.
November 2022
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The challenge for many is how do you know whether you are on track for the kind of lifestyle you would like when you come to retire and what can you do about it. In order to help with this the Pension and Lifetime Savings Association (the “PLSA”) has developed the Retirement Living Standards to explain what life in retirement looks like at three different levels and what a range of common goods and services would cost for each level. We have created this flyer to provide an introduction to the Retirement living Standards, to get you thinking about how much you will need in retirement and an explanation of the different sources of retirement income.
November 2022
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Please see the attached pdf about the crisis in Ukraine and what it means for your pension?
April 2022
Throughout 2022, we have seen some significant volatility in investment markets, resulting in large movements in both equity and bond markets as well as other types of investments.
Please click here to see a range of frequently asked questions relating to the ongoing market volatility that we hope will be helpful to you.
November 2022
The challenge for many is how do you know whether you are on track for the kind of lifestyle you would like when you come to retire and what can you do about it. In order to help with this the Pension and Lifetime Savings Association (the “PLSA”) has developed the Retirement Living Standards to explain what life in retirement looks like at three different levels and what a range of common goods and services would cost for each level. We have created this flyer to provide an introduction to the Retirement living Standards, to get you thinking about how much you will need in retirement and an explanation of the different sources of retirement income.
November 2022
Please see the attached pdf about the crisis in Ukraine and what it means for your pension?
April 2022
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From 6 April 2028, the government is changing the minimum age from which you can take retirements benefits from age 55 to age 57.
Although this change is not for nearly 6 years, you should take this opportunity to review your retirement plans, to ensure that you are aware of any impact on them.
You can find more information about this change on the gov.uk website here.
April 2022
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There are many tax advantages of contributing to the Fund, including tax relief on contributions and investments. Further details can be found here.
Some of our members may be affected by the HMRC limits in place on tax relief. There are limits on tax relief for contributions made in the tax year and contributions made throughout your lifetime.
We have produced a document which will help you understand if you are affected and what options MMC has to help you manage your tax position.
April 2023
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If you are under age 55, you cannot draw pension benefits from the Fund (unless you are in serious ill health). If you are 55 or over, it may be possible to release funds from your pension and this makes you a more attractive target for scammers. Here are some common warning signs to watch out for:
You can also view a video on YouTube (skip the Ads) giving you further useful information about pensions scams, as well as this handy leaflet summarising how pension scams work, how to avoid them, and what to do if you suspect a scam.
For more information on how to avoid scams and useful resources, you can also visit www.fca.org.uk/scamsmart.
October 2021
From 6 April 2028, the government is changing the minimum age from which you can take retirements benefits from age 55 to age 57.
Although this change is not for nearly 6 years, you should take this opportunity to review your retirement plans, to ensure that you are aware of any impact on them.
You can find more information about this change on the gov.uk website here.
April 2022
There are many tax advantages of contributing to the Fund, including tax relief on contributions and investments. Further details can be found here.
Some of our members may be affected by the HMRC limits in place on tax relief. There are limits on tax relief for contributions made in the tax year and contributions made throughout your lifetime.
We have also produced a document which will help you understand if you are affected and what options MMC has to help you manage your tax position.
April 2023
If you are under age 55, you cannot draw pension benefits from the Fund (unless you are in serious ill health). If you are 55 or over, it may be possible to release funds from your pension and this makes you a more attractive target for scammers. Here are some common warning signs to watch out for:
You can also view a video on YouTube (skip the Ads) giving you further useful information about pensions scams, as well as this handy leaflet summarising how pension scams work, how to avoid them, and what to do if you suspect a scam.
For more information on how to avoid scams and useful resources, you can also visit www.fca.org.uk/scamsmart.
October 2021
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The Trustee is committed to focusing on sustainability in the management and monitoring of your savings.
An example of this commitment in action is the inclusion of a sustainable global equity fund in the default strategy. This fund invests in companies that demonstrate strong Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) practices. Companies that fail to meet the set standards in low carbon transition and corporate governance standards may be excluded from the fund. This fund is also available to you directly as a self select option. More detail can be found in the Investment Guide.
A further example is there being a commitment in place for the Fund’s default strategy to target net-zero absolute carbon emissions by 2050. The interim plan to achieve this target aligns with targeting a 1.5°C limit on global temperature increases and the Paris Agreement’s ambitions.
For more details on the Trustee’s beliefs and policies regarding sustainability, read the Statement of Investment Principles on this website's homepage and our Responsible Investment Approach booklet in the Investment Section.
October 2021
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The Trustee has introduced the Pension Decision Service (PDS) from Mercer to support members of the Fund in making informed choices in the lead up to their retirement.
When members are provided with a retirement quotation from the Fund setting out their options, they will now also be sent details of the PDS. This is a free service for members.
PDS provides members with a dedicated Retirement Relationship Manager to help with any questions they may have when planning their retirement. A call with a Retirement Relationship Manager is designed to:
More information on PDS can be found here, and you can also view an introductory video overview of the PDS here.
October 2021
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For active members of the Fund life assurance, which forms part of your overall Marsh McLennan benefits package, provides additional financial security for your family and other dependants should you pass away whilst employed by the Company. The lifetime allowance could affect your death in service benefits. The Lifetime Allowance is a limit set by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) on the amount of benefit that can be paid through a Registered arrangement without triggering a tax charge. The Lifetime Allowance is currently set at £1,073,100 until the tax year 2025/2026. The tax charge for benefits in excess of this amount is currently 55%.
For more detail on how you may be impacted by this please find further resources below:
The Lifetime Allowance is a limit set by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) on the amount of benefit that can be paid through a Registered arrangement without triggering a tax charge. The Lifetime Allowance is currently set at £1,073,100 until the tax year 2025/2026. The tax charge for benefits in excess of this amount is currently 55%.
For the purposes of the Lifetime Allowance charge calculation, on death your lump sum life assurance benefit would be included as well as any other lump sum benefits that would be payable from a Registered arrangement, such as the return of your Defined Contribution (DC) account from the MMC UK Pension Fund, as well as any other DC accounts you may have such as from any previous employment.
MMC’s default approach to managing the death in service benefits is to provide any lump sum life assurance benefit above £500,000 through a ‘non-registered or Excepted’ arrangement, benefits from which do not count towards the Lifetime Allowance. Two examples of how the Lifetime Allowance would apply based on MMC’s default approach are as follows:
| MMC Life Assurance benefit, as selected in Prosper: | MMC Pension Fund DC account: | DC account from previous employment: | Total benefit payable in the event of death: |
| £1,080,000 (18 x salary) | + £120,000 | + £50,000 | = £1,250,000 |
| Total benefit for Lifetime Allowance purposes: | £670,000* | ||
| Benefit exposed to Lifetime Allowance charge: | £nil | ||
| MMC Life Assurance benefit, as selected in Prosper: | MMC Pension Fund DC account: | DC account from previous employment: | Total benefit payable in the event of death: |
| £2,880,000 (16 x salary) | + £500,000 | + £150,000 | = £3,530,000 |
| Total benefit for Lifetime Allowance purposes: | £1,150,000* | ||
| Benefit exposed to Lifetime Allowance charge: | £76,900 | ||
If you have been granted any form of HMRC protection from the Lifetime Allowance, such as Fixed Protection, and have already informed the MMC Benefits Team then no action is required. All lump sum life assurance benefits are automatically insured via MMC’s Excepted/non-registered arrangement if you have opted out of the MMC UK Pension Fund for pension savings tax reasons and currently receive a Non Pensionable salary Supplement (NPSS).
If you have not previously informed MMC that you have HMRC protection then you should do so immediately as inclusion in the MMC UK Pension Fund gives rise to the potential for protection from the Lifetime Allowance to be lost. Please send a copy of your HMRC protection certificate to UKBenefits@mmc.com.
I hope you found this information and the Video useful. For any further questions, please click here to access FAQs or contact UKBenefits@mmc.com.
July 2021
If you have been granted any form of HMRC protection from the Lifetime Allowance, such as Fixed Protection, and have already informed the MMC Benefits Team then no action is required. All lump sum life assurance benefits are automatically insured via MMC’s Excepted/non-registered arrangement if you have opted out of the MMC UK Pension Fund for pension savings tax reasons and currently receive a Non Pensionable salary Supplement (NPSS).
If you have not previously informed MMC that you have HMRC protection then you should do so immediately as inclusion in the MMC UK Pension Fund gives rise to the potential for protection from the Lifetime Allowance to be lost. Please send a copy of your HMRC protection certificate to contact.mercer.com.
I hope you found this information and the Video useful. For any further questions, please click here to access FAQs or contact contact.mercer.com.
July 2021
The Trustee is committed to focusing on sustainability in the management and monitoring of your savings.
An example of this commitment in action is the inclusion of a sustainable global equity fund in the default strategy. This fund invests in companies that demonstrate strong Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) practices. Companies that fail to meet the set standards in low carbon transition and corporate governance standards may be excluded from the fund. This fund is also available to you directly as a self select option. More detail can be found in the Investment Guide.
A further example is there being a commitment in place for the Fund’s default strategy to target net-zero absolute carbon emissions by 2050. The interim plan to achieve this target aligns with targeting a 1.5°C limit on global temperature increases and the Paris Agreement’s ambitions.
For more details on the Trustee’s beliefs and policies regarding sustainability, read the Statement of Investment Principles on this website's homepage and our Responsible Investment Approach booklet in the Investment Section.
October 2021
The Trustee has introduced the Pension Decision Service (PDS) from Mercer to support members of the Fund in making informed choices in the lead up to their retirement.
When members are provided with a retirement quotation from the Fund setting out their options, they will now also be sent details of the PDS. This is a free service for members.
PDS provides members with a dedicated Retirement Relationship Manager to help with any questions they may have when planning their retirement. A call with a Retirement Relationship Manager is designed to:
More information on PDS can be found here, and you can also view an introductory video overview of the PDS here.
October 2021
For active members of the Fund life assurance, which forms part of your overall Marsh McLennan benefits package, provides additional financial security for your family and other dependants should you pass away whilst employed by the Company. The lifetime allowance could affect your death in service benefits. The Lifetime Allowance is a limit set by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) on the amount of benefit that can be paid through a Registered arrangement without triggering a tax charge. The Lifetime Allowance is currently set at £1,073,100 until the tax year 2025/2026. The tax charge for benefits in excess of this amount is currently 55%.
For more detail on how you may be impacted by this please find further resources below:
The Lifetime Allowance is a limit set by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) on the amount of benefit that can be paid through a Registered arrangement without triggering a tax charge. The Lifetime Allowance is currently set at £1,073,100 until the tax year 2025/2026. The tax charge for benefits in excess of this amount is currently 55%.
For the purposes of the Lifetime Allowance charge calculation, on death your lump sum life assurance benefit would be included as well as any other lump sum benefits that would be payable from a Registered arrangement, such as the return of your Defined Contribution (DC) account from the MMC UK Pension Fund, as well as any other DC accounts you may have such as from any previous employment.
MMC’s default approach to managing the death in service benefits is to provide any lump sum life assurance benefit above £500,000 through a ‘non-registered or Excepted’ arrangement, benefits from which do not count towards the Lifetime Allowance. Two examples of how the Lifetime Allowance would apply based on MMC’s default approach are as follows:
| MMC Life Assurance benefit, as selected in Prosper: | MMC Pension Fund DC account: | DC account from previous employment: | Total benefit payable in the event of death: |
| £1,080,000 (18 x salary) | + £120,000 | + £50,000 | = £1,250,000 |
| Total benefit for Lifetime Allowance purposes: | £670,000* | ||
| Benefit exposed to Lifetime Allowance charge: | £nil | ||
| MMC Life Assurance benefit, as selected in Prosper: | MMC Pension Fund DC account: | DC account from previous employment: | Total benefit payable in the event of death: |
| £2,880,000 (16 x salary) | + £500,000 | + £150,000 | = £3,530,000 |
| Total benefit for Lifetime Allowance purposes: | £1,150,000* | ||
| Benefit exposed to Lifetime Allowance charge: | £76,900 | ||
For the avoidance of doubt, in the event of death, benefits through membership of MMC’s Defined Benefit (DB) arrangements are paid as pension income to beneficiaries rather than lump sums and do not count towards the Lifetime Allowance calculation.
If the default approach does not work for you then you can request to have all of your lump sum life assurance benefit provided via the Excepted/non-registered arrangement. Completion of a form is required to make the request; this can be found on our Forms page. If you are unsure of the approach you should take, you should take advice from an independent financial advisor. You can also contact the Mercer Private Wealth team here.
There are some circumstances where UK inheritance tax could be payable on benefits provided via a non-registered arrangement. Based on inheritance tax rates, law and HMRC confirmations applicable to deaths occurring prior to 1 April 2022 this tax charge would not be more than 6% of the lump sum death benefit paid. If any such UK inheritance tax were payable, it would be deducted from the lump sum benefit at or before the time of payment.
If you have been granted any form of HMRC protection from the Lifetime Allowance, such as Fixed Protection, and have already informed the MMC Benefits Team then no action is required. All lump sum life assurance benefits are automatically insured via MMC’s Excepted/non-registered arrangement if you have opted out of the MMC UK Pension Fund for pension savings tax reasons and currently receive a Non Pensionable salary Supplement (NPSS).
If you have not previously informed MMC that you have HMRC protection then you should do so immediately as inclusion in the MMC UK Pension Fund gives rise to the potential for protection from the Lifetime Allowance to be lost. Please send a copy of your HMRC protection certificate to UKBenefits@mmc.com.
I hope you found this information and the Video useful. For any further questions, pleased click here to access FAQs or contact UKBenefits@mmc.com.
July 2021