Overview
Products & investments
Pension Flexible Investment and Retirement Solutions Standard Life Smoothed Return Pension Fund Standard Life Guaranteed Lifetime Income plan Taking retirement income ISA Investment Accounts Pension Trustee, Company and Trust accounts Cash The Canada Life International Bond Utmost Wealth Solutions − offshore bond products
Products
Products
Pension Flexible Investment and Retirement Solutions Standard Life Smoothed Return Pension Fund Standard Life Guaranteed Lifetime Income plan Taking retirement income ISA Investment Accounts Pension Trustee, Company and Trust accounts Cash The Canada Life International Bond Utmost Wealth Solutions − offshore bond products
Investments
Technical resources
Tax planning opportunities for 2026/27 and beyond Replacement of the lifetime allowance Retirement Income Pension Forum The Platform Clinic Pension, retirement and tax planning The beneficiaries flexi-access drawdown conundrum Retirement and pensions training Personal tax and trust planning training
Technical hub Retirement income Regulation, due diligence and compliance Training support
Technical matters
Technical matters
Tax planning opportunities for 2026/27 and beyond Replacement of the lifetime allowance Retirement Income Pension Forum The Platform Clinic Pension, retirement and tax planning The beneficiaries flexi-access drawdown conundrum Retirement and pensions training Personal tax and trust planning training
More support
Paraplanner technical hub
Paraplanner technical hub
Technical hub Retirement income Regulation, due diligence and compliance Training support
Tax planning opportunities for 2026/27 and beyond
Here are some suggestions for helping you to support your clients make the most of their savings and investment.
Tax tables 2026/27
All the rates in one place
Tax returns and managing pensions accounts
Need to know how much clients have contributed or received in pension income? Want to find out more about annual tax vouchers or benefit statements? We have reports and guides to help.
Bed and ISA
The Bed and ISA facility offers the ability to move client investments from an Investment Account into an ISA up to the current maximum ISA allowance.
Capital gains management
At face value, calculating the gains or losses on unit trusts and OEICs may seem a straightforward process. However, in reality it can be quite complicated.
Articles of interest
Does saving into a pension still make sense?
The current focus on inheritance tax changes, bringing unused pensions into consideration, has been largely negative. But it is important to remind ourselves of the benefits of tax relief on pension contributions and the availability of tax–free cash at retirement.
Tax increases reignite bonds v collectives
The tax changes do impact wrapper considerations for your clients. The most suitable solution will depend on individual circumstances, but Paul Squirrell runs through the numbers to help you make your advice recommendations.
Inheritance tax – Give while you live
From April 2027, unused pensions are being brought into scope for inheritance tax calculations. This may shift the traditional ways of using assets to generate retirement income. 'Gifts out of surplus income' may be considered as an effective way of passing on wealth.
Pensions – The regulatory runway
Pensions have attracted a lot of political attention in recent years. There are many changes in train which may need to be considered within pension planning including changes to the normal minimum pension age, State Pension and inheritance tax. The Pensions Commission is also exploing other ways to make retirement planning in the UK as effective as possible.
The LSDBA and death benefits payments
Under the Lifetime Allowance (LTA) replacement regime, the Lump Sum and Death Benefit Allowance (LSDBA) is set at £1,073,100, except where LTA protections apply. This provides a rough guide to the tax treatment of money purchase death benefit payments.
A snapshot of the 2025 Budget
This summary covers the key changes that matter for financial planning - ISAs, pensions, tax thresholds, inheritance rules, and investment reliefs. It also explores the tax implications across different client scenarios and wrappers for the current tax year as well as for changes coming in April 2027.
Other areas of interest
The Platform Clinic
Save time with our practical tips on making the most of the features and functionality of our platform when administering client accounts.
Your clients' cash options on our platform
Is your fee income reducing as your clients look for an off-platform cash solution in these times of higher interest rates?