Question
I have an occupational pension and i want to contribute £40,000 into it through my employer and myself for this year. Will i get tax relief at the basic rate on this amount?Answer
Tax relief is given on pension contributions (including any employer contributions) of up to your earnings or £50,000 a year, whichever is lower.
So, provided your earnings between 6 April 2012 and 5 April 2013 are at least £40,000 and your overall pension contributions, including any money your employer pays in, are less than £50,000 you'll get tax relief on your contributions.
The amount of tax relief depends on your overall earnings for the year. If your income falls fully within the basic rate band then you'll get 20% tax relief on the whole contribution, i.e. for every £80 you pay in £20 tax relief will be added to bring the contribution to £100. If you're a higher rate taxpayer then the proportion of your £40,000 contribution that falls into the higher rate band will enjoy 40% tax relief, i.e. a £60 contribution will enjoy £40 tax relief to give a £100 overall contribution.
Note, your employer may make contributions directly from your gross salary, so you won't pay income tax on that money (the net result being the same as above). But if your employer makes a pension contribution out of their pocket rather than your earnings, then they'll benefit from tax relief and not you (the contribution would be treated as a business expense to offset against their taxable profits).
I have an occupational pension and i want to contribute £40,000 into it through my employer and myself for this year. Will i get tax relief at the basic rate on this amount?Answer
Tax relief is given on pension contributions (including any employer contributions) of up to your earnings or £50,000 a year, whichever is lower.
So, provided your earnings between 6 April 2012 and 5 April 2013 are at least £40,000 and your overall pension contributions, including any money your employer pays in, are less than £50,000 you'll get tax relief on your contributions.
The amount of tax relief depends on your overall earnings for the year. If your income falls fully within the basic rate band then you'll get 20% tax relief on the whole contribution, i.e. for every £80 you pay in £20 tax relief will be added to bring the contribution to £100. If you're a higher rate taxpayer then the proportion of your £40,000 contribution that falls into the higher rate band will enjoy 40% tax relief, i.e. a £60 contribution will enjoy £40 tax relief to give a £100 overall contribution.
Note, your employer may make contributions directly from your gross salary, so you won't pay income tax on that money (the net result being the same as above). But if your employer makes a pension contribution out of their pocket rather than your earnings, then they'll benefit from tax relief and not you (the contribution would be treated as a business expense to offset against their taxable profits).
Read this Q and A at http://www.candidmoney.com/questions/question705.aspx
I did not know there was a limit on pension tax relief, thank you for sharing this with us. I was reading articles online on tax debt relief when I came across your blog. I'm happy I did because this was very informative, thank you again for sharing.
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