Pensions & Investments
Between the hustle and bustle of running a business and the busyness of everyday life, retirement is unlikely to be top of your agenda. Although stopping work may be many years away, saving now gives your money more time to grow.
Making retirement a priority while you are working is particularly important for business owners as they miss out on automatic pension contributions from an employer.
Pensions are just one way to save for retirement, but unlike other investments, your contributions can be tax efficient – both for you and your company.
Benefits of Pensions and Investments
- Save for the future
- Reduce corporation tax
- Tax-efficient contributions
- Build your wealth
Tax on Pension Savings
Employee pension contributions are free from income tax. If you are a higher rate taxpayer, for example, it costs you £60 to add £100 into your pension pot.
Your pension provider will usually automatically claim tax relief at 20% from the government.
If you pay income tax at 40% or 45% you can claim back the additional relief through self-assessment.
You can build your savings further by making pension contributions as an employer.
Employer pensions contributions are classed as expenses so you get the added bonus of deducting them from your taxable profits.
This is one of the most tax-efficient ways to extract money from a limited company as it can reduce your corporation tax bill.
Withdrawing Your Pension
There’s no income or capital gains tax to pay on the money you’ve squirrelled away, so your fund will grow tax free.
However, this protection ends when you access your pension.
The first 25% of your pension is tax free. After that, the size of your tax bill depends on how you take your pension and other income (such as rent from a buy-to-let property or dividends).
Your pension is one of the biggest financial decisions you’ll make, so it’s worth getting expert advice before you make a decision.
Other Investments
If pensions aren’t your thing or you want to put your eggs in more than one basket, you could consider other types of investment.
Contractors can invest company cash reserves in various ways, including setting up a company called a special purpose vehicle to buy and hold property.
Although these investments don’t save you corporation tax, they generally give much better returns than simply leaving your money in the bank.
In most cases, you won’t be able to access your pension pot until you are 55, so other investments may be more suitable if you may need access your cash sooner.
Build your wealth and save for the future
- Save for the future
- Reduce corporation tax
- Make tax-efficient contributions
- Build your wealth
- Inheritance tax planning
- Power of attorney for family and businesses
- Advice on care fees for the elderly and how to minimise costs
- Appointing guardians for your children
Need a hand?
We have partnered with financial advisers who have years of experience drawing up wills and trusts for contractors. They can also help with:
- Appointing guardians for your children
- Inheritance tax planning
- Power of attorney for family and businesses
- Advice on care fees for the elderly and how to minimise costs
- Choose someone to handle your finances and welfare if you can’t
