If you click on them we may earn a small commission. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. advice. Furthermore, there are no minimum or maximum amounts of income that have to be taken from this pension and you simply choose to access income as and when it is required. HMRC headquarters in London: Pension reforms last year saw the abolition of a hated 55 per cent 'death tax' on annuities and income drawdown plans left to relatives. Money from an old drawdown fund (pre 6 April 2015) Under 75: Income tax: Over 75: Income tax: Joint, guaranteed period or capital protected annuity: Under 75 : Zero: Over 75: Income tax: Pension worth over £1m: Any age: 55% on a lump sum and 25% on income: Generally, pension sums won’t be liable for inheritance tax. ASK TONY: A little extra help with my financial affairs so I can get groceries in lockdown? Don’t include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details. Not from Halifax! get back You can change your cookie settings at any time. If it was not, you may have to pay Inheritance Tax. The taxman will automatically add basic-rate tax relief to your contributions. This means the income withdrawn would be added to the other taxable income that you receive during the tax-year of withdrawal and then subject to income tax at the appropriate rate. Annuities used to be the main way people funded retirement, but they are now regarded as poor value and restrictive. The amount you pay may change if someone else starts to get payments from the same pot. There are different rules on inheriting the State Pension. BMW's electric avenue: Flagship iX SUV will cost £85,000 and have a 376-mile range to take on the might of Tesla (and if the car is too big it's launching a scooter instead). Tanya Jefferies, of This is Money, replies: Pension freedom reforms last year included the abolition of a hated 55 per cent 'death tax' on annuities and income drawdown plans left to relatives. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will send you a bill, after they’re told about the payment by the person dealing with the estate of the person who died. If it was uncrystallised, which means your relative had not yet done anything with their pension pot or started drawing payments, you could purchase an annuity or set up an income drawdown scheme with the money. In order to qualify for a tax-free payment, any uncrystallised pension funds - in other words, where your relative had not yet commenced taking retirement benefits - must be designated within two years of the date of death. Pension and tax rules can and do change and benefits depend on personal circumstances. We’ll help you make it with confidence. Again, there are no minimum or maximum amounts of income that can be withdrawn and you do not have to wait until your 55th birthday to draw an income. This is 0 per cent if under your personal allowance - £10,600 up to 5 April 2016, and £11,000 in the next tax year - 20 per cent, 40 per cent or 45 per cent. please seek Coronavirus - we're here to help Scams tend to be carried out by firms which are not FCA (Financial Conduct Authority)-regulated and warning signs include cold calling or texting, the promise of unique or unusual opportunities offering quick, easy profits or something which seems too good to be true. If you choose to invest the value of your investment will rise and fall, so you could We asked a pensions expert to explain the tax and other implications of being left a pension pot. Investments can fall as well as rise in value so you may get back less than you invest. However you decide to re-invest your money, be aware of investment scams. This is Money columnist Steve Webb explains the 75th birthday tax rule on bequeathing pension funds. It can sometimes be paid to someone else if the pension scheme’s rules allow it - but it will be taxed at up to 55% as an unauthorised payment. It is up you as the beneficiary to ensure the pension is designated within two years, but most providers act fairly swiftly once a death certificate has been received and designate it within four to six weeks. If you're not sure which In either case, what you can do with the inherited pension pot will depend upon the age of your relative on death, as this will dictate the tax treatment of the pension pot that you have received. What are the rules? But sometimes the provider can pay the money to someone else, for example if the nominated person cannot be found or has died. Growth was the only game in town but the vaccine rally hints at a switch, says SIMON LAMBERT, 'Covid-19, Brexit, job losses and stamp duty holiday end all pose a threat': Property experts think the writing is already on the wall for the 'mini-boom'. You should contact the provider involved to find out the rules. Generally, final salary schemes continue to pay out 50 per cent of the original income to surviving spouses, but all income ceases after the death of the member and their spouse. As you consider what to do with the money you’ve inherited from an IRA The person dealing with the estate must tell HMRC within 13 months of the death or 30 days after they realise you owe tax (whichever is later). If you buy an annuity from the pot, the provider takes Income Tax off payments before you get them. Read more here. We use cookies to collect information about how you use GOV.UK. If your relative died before their 75th birthday. But it’s normal to have questions when you’re first starting out. Seasonal jobs plunge thanks to the pandemic but there are... B&M storming ahead with profits up 122% during lockdown... Pfizer chiefs pocket £5m as shares rocket on successful... ALEX BRUMMER: Boris raises the hurdles for private equity... Marks & Spencer to issue its first junk bond... MARKET REPORT: Goldman Sachs predicts the Footsie will... German order for 38 Eurofighter Typhoon jets hands... BUSINESS LIVE: Economy surges 15.5%; WH Smith records... Habitat shuts shop that launched a revolution: Flagship... Retirement home builder McCarthy & Stone warns it will... ITV ad revenues recover as hit crime dramas Des and... 'death tax' on annuities and income drawdown plans. Torsus Praetorian: The 4x4 all-terrain off-road bus. Remember this payment counts as income, so will be added to any other income you’ve been paid in the same tax year – meaning you could end up paying 45% tax on all or part of the withdrawal. Alternatively, you could opt to use the pension pot like a savings account and draw income or lump sums when required and there will be no requirement for you to draw a guaranteed income from an annuity, as you will have complete flexibility available to you. wellbeing and our community we're All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where otherwise stated, National restrictions in England from 5 November, different rules on inheriting the State Pension, Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance and support, Transparency and freedom of information releases, age of the pension pot’s owner when they died, you’re paid more than 2 years after the pension provider is told of the death, they had pension savings worth more than £1,073,100 (the, they died before 3 December 2014 and you buy an annuity from the pot, an annuity or drawdown fund from an ‘untouched’ pot (the person who died did not take any money from it).