How much can I contribute to my pension through my limited company?
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When it comes to the company making the contribution on your behalf, as is the case with an Executive Pension, then there are a range of factors in determining how much can be contributed.
• Age
• Gender
• Marital Status
• Chosen Retirement Age
• Salary
• Previous Pensions
• Years of service with the current employer
I have seen a few calculators online but can someone direct me to a good article that lays out the factors and calculation in detail? Thanks.
Obviously a lot of the factors you can’t change (like your date of birth)
things to focus on
Service
The biggest mistake we see all the time is not putting your spouse in payroll when they are a director of the company.
Service starts when salary starts not when made a director.
Salary
Three consecutive payslips are required to establish salary (these can be weekly)
Have a mess around with an online calculator with different salaries and see the impact on allowable contributions
Get to know your maximum annual contribution using ITC's Max Funding Calculator, and make informed decisions regarding your Pension Scheme and Retirement Planning.
www.independent-trustee.com
also put the salary into an income tax calculator to model the effect on your take home pay
normal retirement date should be 60 to get you to the biggest fund as quickly as possible
Don't use an Insurance Company
You simply don't know what you are paying and have more restricted investment options
Safeguard your ability to meet living expenses, maintain your standard of living, and enjoy a comfortable retirement.
globalwealth.ie
Standard Fund Threshold
Watch the €2m cap as benefits on the other side are taxed at an effective marginal rate of up to 71%
We have lots of clients in the mid 40s at or over the €2m cap (first world problems)
In 2008 the maximum Revenue approved pension fund was €5.4M today it is just €2m. This guide sets out the issues, the possible punitive tax charges and strategies for planning
viewer.joomag.com
The best approach for many people
We frequently see directors (and senior employees) with high salaries paying high rates of tax and with savings rotting in the bank.
The best approach is to establish a reference salary (this can be achieve with a bonus payment) and then fund against that at the max possible, reduce salary to save tax and live on the post tax savings in the bank. Get to the €2m cap as quickly as possible (because they keep changing the rules) and get the money out and over the wall.....
Growth in an ARF for example is not subject to excess tax so the rationale course of action is to retire out the pension at 50 and then max out the growth in the ARF.
Marc Westlake
Chartered Certified and European Financial Planner
www.globalwealth.ie