Specialists in Pension Transfers to Australia
Award-winning service
Over 100 years combined experience
Dual licensed with offices in the UK & Australia
In-depth knowledge of pensions and QROPS legislations
Rated 5 stars on Google reviews
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Why bdhSterling?
We are an award-winning firm of Chartered Financial Planners with offices in London, Perth, Sydney and Melbourne. Our primary purpose is to help Australian and British citizens with their retirement planning and we specialise in advising those with assets in both jurisdiction on how to structure their wealth most effectively. We are widely recognised as the leading specialists in UK pension transfers to Australia.
Don't just take our word for it...
Steve Farley2023-09-28BDH helped transfer my pension from UK , very professional but still friendly and understanding. Always helpful and look forward to a long and profitable future together.Thanks Rebecca and all the team
radza chenoweth2023-09-27I have been with Bdh Sterling for nearly 15 years and their work etheic is same I highly recommend to anyone
Douglas Immac2023-09-25I used bdhSterling to transfer pensions held in the UK to my SMSF here in Aus. I did considerable research into at least 15 different agents before landing on bdh. The service I received from Daniel and the entire team in Aus and the UK was excellent. I have no hesitation in recommending them to others.
Patricia Whalley2023-09-23Please touch base with bdhStering for great financial planning advice where your individual needs are the most important aspect to them!
Michael Marshall2023-09-23We started using Bdh Sterling and Rebecca approximately 5 years ago. They transferred all our British pensions for our SMSF. Any problems that occurred were in the UK. Rebecca is fantastic, we always have questions and she is always ready to answer anything thrown at her. Thank you for all your support.
Michael Quincey2023-09-11I was already living offshore when I needed someone to manage my pensions and investments going forward. I interviewed 3 companies and selected these guys - and in the last 12 years I have never regretted that decision. In those 12 years the company has grown impressively, I’m sure as a result of the service they offer, but not so fast as to lose sight of their clients’ needs. I am not a super wealthy client, and my portfolio with bdh is vital for my well being. But I have no concerns that it will be managed in any other way than for my financial benefit. These guys are to be trusted.
Jack Faigenbaum2023-09-09I have been involved with bdhSterling for a number of years. I must say they have not only been very professional but add a personal touch to their advice and dealings which makes it very pleasurable and secure to work with .The advisers and staff are very friendly and helpful My initial adviser was Russel Harrower and found him to be excellent and astute. Currently John Harrower is my personal adviser. Nothing is too hard for John ,he is always available for sound advice and has my personal and financial interests under consideration . He has a banking background that has been advantageous for advice on many occasions . I have no hesitation in highly recommending John , his staff and bdhSterling Dr Jack Faigenbaum
Margaret Ryan2023-09-05Yasser and the SMSF Admin Team have been looking after the administration and compliance of our SMSF after moving our UK pensions to Australia. This is definitely a professional service. It is easy to contact Yasser and his team with any queries and all work is conducted in a timely manner. Our ATO and Company secretarial returns are all lodged efficiently and well ahead of any due dates. I would highly recommend them for managing your SMSF compliance.
Ray Roberts2023-09-04When we emigrated from the UK five years ago we needed trustworthy financial advisers who had knowledge of AU and UK financial markets and matching taxation legislation. In BDH Sterling we have found a dedicated team of professionals with the ability to safeguard and grow our assets. Specifically we receive advice from John Harrower who has constructed a financial plan that is taylored to our circumstances and objectives. We particularly like having Johns annual review which focuses on the past year and proposed actions for the next. We have no reservations about recommending BDH Sterling. Ray and Carolyn Roberts Best regards
Frequently Asked Questions
- Defined Contribution (DC) Pension Schemes, including company and personal pension and drawdown arrangements
- Private Sector Defined Benefit (DB) Schemes
- Funded Public Sector DB Schemes
- The UK State Pension
- Annuities purchased with a life insurance company
- Company Pension already in payment
- Unfunded Public Sector Defined Benefit Schemes
Transferring could be more tax effective – In Australia, from age 60, all retirement income and lump sums drawn from Super will be entirely free of tax. Pensions drawn from UK schemes are taxed at your marginal tax rate (MTR), which can be up to 47%.
We will only recommend a transfer if we believe it is the most suitable option and in your best interests.
You can transfer to a receiving superfund only if it is a Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme (QROPS). bdhSterling can assist in identifying if your current scheme qualifies or if an alternative fund will be required.
There are restrictions on what you can invest in with a UK sourced pension in Australia. These restrictions match those that are applied to the funds when they are in the UK. Therefore, the QROPS funds are unable to invest in residential property directly, however it may be possible to release funds upon reaching age 55 for property purchase.
There are rules in place by HMRC around how long your funds must remain within a QROPS fund before you can transfer these to a non-QROPS. bdhSterling can identify this for you as part of the analysis we conduct, and this will vary based on you as an individual, and your situation.
Typically, from the first contact you make with bdhSterling to when the first funds are transferred into your QROPS this full process can take anywhere between 3-12 months, where the average time taken is 6 months. This can vary depending on several external factors, such as, how long it takes for the UK pensions scheme to disinvest your funds and transfer these to your receiving scheme.
Following the transfer of your UK pension funds to Australia you will be able to access your funds when you meet a condition of release here in Australia, which can be when you meet preservation age, or when you reach age 65. It is also worth noting that as part of the transfer strategy you may be able to access some of the funds during this process, and this is something we can detail in our analysis.
You can transfer your UK pension to Australia once you reach age 55. In the interim, we can manage your money in a UK pension in AUD or GBP, and make sure that you are on track to reach your retirement goals.
In the UK we are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
In Australia we are regulated by the Australian Securities Investment Commission (ASIC).
