The leading UK based financial advisers on UK pension transfers to Australia, Global QROPS Ltd, have once again been quoted in the Financial Times.
The article is centred around UK expat pension members and the most popular destinations for both the individual and their pension. Please see link to article below:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/107e36a4-5a06-11df-acdc-00144feab49a.html
UK expat pension members have, since 6th April 2006, the opportunity to transfer their pension to a QROPS (Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pensions Scheme). Before, 6th April 2006, if you were a UK expat pension member, the only opportunity to transfer your pension overseas would be if your overseas employer, in the country you were resident, accepted pension transfers in.
The introduction of the UK’s overseas pension transfer rules, in April 2006, means that a UK expat pension member can transfer out of their UK scheme to a different jurisdiction to the one where they are residing – providing the receiving scheme is a QROPS.
For someone living in Australia, a pension transfer to Australia is possible (as it was before 6th April 2006) but, as outlined by Global QROPS Ltd in the Financial Times article, an individual has to be aware of the local rules of the scheme before transferring their UK pension across. This is no different for someone living in Australia looking at a UK pension transfer to Australia.
The tax free nature of the benefits of an Australian scheme (that is a QROPS) in payment, can not be ignored for UK expats retiring in Australia – but nor can the limit on the amount that can be transferred in to Australia each tax year, as well as the exchange rate and other Australian tax issues that an individual may be unfamiliar with.
Advice from UK experts, such as Global QROPS Ltd, should be sort by those looking at pension transfers overseas.
