What is a SIPP and is it right for you?

Share this article:

What is a SIPP and is it right for you?

Share this article:

Please fill in your details to arrange a financial review with one of our financial planning or investment experts.

How it works:

  • We will call you back to find out more about your aims and requirements
  • We will arrange a meeting with one of our team at a convenient time, either over the phone, on video, at your home or workplace, or at one of our offices
  • You will be able to ask any questions you have and find out more about managing your wealth with Saltus
  • Your review will be at our cost and there is no obligation to work with us afterwards

Who we work with:

  • Individuals with £250,000 or more in investable assets. This includes pensions, ISAs, other tax-wrappers and cash available for investment.
Please fill in your details to arrange a discussion with one of our financial planning or investment experts.
Firstname is required
A longer firstname is required
Surname is required
A longer surname is required
Please enter a valid email address
Phone number is required
A longer phone number is required
Postcode is required

We will treat your personal information with respect. By submitting this form, you understand that we will process your information in accordance with our privacy policy, and that you may receive ongoing insights from Saltus by email, phone or post.

A Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) operates in a similar way to most personal and workplace pensions. The main benefits compared to other pensions are that they typically provide access to the widest range of investments possible and you can access your cash with full flexibility throughout retirement.

Contributions to a SIPP receive income tax relief, with 20% tax relief contributed directly into your pension by the provider, and higher and additional rate relief available to claim via your tax return. They are also completely free of capital gains tax, and dividends, interest and rent within the pension wrapper are not taxed as income. As a result, they can be a phenomenally effective way to grow your wealth. However, it’s important to remember that (excluding your 25% tax free cash) withdrawals from your SIPP will be taxed at your marginal rate.

How a SIPP gives greater control over your pension pot

The primary reason people opt to use a SIPP is for the wide range of investments they offer. Most workplace schemes have a limited list of funds available and can’t facilitate professional management. This can leave many people feeling lost when it comes to investing their pension funds. Most struggle to engage effectively with their workplace scheme and would ultimately rather leave investing their life savings to a team of qualified professionals. A high-quality investment manager should also be able to provide access to investments that aren’t available to the retail market and will require the flexibility of a SIPP to achieve this for their clients.

It’s for this reason that it’s common place for individuals to consolidate their workplace pensions into a SIPP just before retirement. It allows flexible access to their pension pot and ensures they can receive the advice and money management they are likely to need throughout retirement.

Can you hold a SIPP alongside your existing workplace pension?

Many clients ask if they can hold a SIPP alongside their existing workplace scheme, well before they retire so they can access some of these advantages earlier. In short, the answer is yes but there are several things to consider….

Watch our webinar

Preparing for retirement

In conversation with Jack Munday and Jordan Gillies

Jack Munday
Jordan Gillies

In order to access the increased benefits that SIPPs can provide, they often come with higher administrative costs compared to a group scheme. Given this, it’s important to ensure that the benefits outweigh the increased cost. SIPP providers’ typically offer reduced pricing as the size of the pot increases so it can simply be down to asset size. Depending on the group scheme and SIPP provider, it’s not uncommon to need in excess of £100,000 in your pension before this can present a cost effective option, with the bulk of price reductions occurring once you hit the £250,000 mark. That being said, the International Longevity centre’s research showed that individuals who were able to access advice were, on average, £47,000 better off than people (in the same income bracket) who were unable to take advice. The value of earlier access to advice and professional management of your funds shouldn’t be underestimated.

There are also some practicalities to bear in mind with this approach. Unless you have a very flexible employer, they will likely only make contributions into their selected workplace scheme. To continue receiving employer contributions you will generally need to keep this pension in place.

On top of this, your workplace scheme may be salary sacrifice. This is when an employer essentially agrees to make pension contributions in lieu of salary. All of your pension contributions will be treated as an employer contribution and you will receive full tax relief directly into the pension (higher and additional rate included) and the contribution will be gross of National Insurance as well. In order to maintain these benefits, whilst also having access to professional advice and investment management, individuals typically arrange for contributions to continue within their workplace scheme but carry out an annual transfer of these funds across to their SIPP. Whilst some might consider having two pensions a frustration, over a quarter of individuals between twenty-five and forty-five will already have three or more pensions, which increases with age. So, consolidating these into a SIPP alongside your current workplace scheme can help provide some welcome organisation and structure.

If you are becoming frustrated by the limitations of your workplace scheme, or are preparing for retirement, you might find a SIPP is right for you. However, do take advice to make sure you aren’t missing losing any benefits if a transfer is required.

Article sources

Editorial policy

All authors have considerable industry expertise and specific knowledge on any given topic. All pieces are reviewed by an additional qualified financial specialist to ensure objectivity and accuracy to the best of our ability. All reviewer’s qualifications are from leading industry bodies. Where possible we use primary sources to support our work. These can include white papers, government sources and data, original reports and interviews or articles from other industry experts. We also reference research from other reputable financial planning and investment management firms where appropriate.

Arrange a financial review...

Book a review

Saltus Financial Planning Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Information is correct to the best of our understanding as at the date of publication. Nothing within this content is intended as, or can be relied upon, as financial advice. Capital is at risk. You may get back less than you invested. Tax rules may change and the value of tax reliefs depends on your individual circumstances.

About Saltus?

Find out more about our award-winning wealth management services…

Finalist

Financial Advisory Firm of the Year

Finalist

Client Relationships Award

Winner

Financial Services, Banking and Insurance Firm of the Year

Finalist

Investment Performance Cautious Portfolios

Finalist

Best Medium Firm

Finalist

Investment Performance: Cautious Portfolios

Finalist

Investment Performance: Balanced Portfolios

Finalist

Financial Planning Firm of the Year: Small to Medium Firm

£3.1bn+

assets under management

19

years working with clients

200+

employees

98%

client retention rate

£3.1bn+

assets under management

19

years working with clients

200+

employees

98%

client retention rate

Discover more

Financial planning

Financial planning can help you reach your goals in life, whether you want to determine when you can retire comfortably, bring organisation to your financial world or pass on your wealth effectively.

Pensions and retirement planning

Deciding when to retire is a challenging decision and can feel like a leap of faith. At Saltus, we gather information on all of your existing assets and then use our technology and expertise to show you exactly how to achieve the retirement you’re after.

Reducing your tax burden

How to structure your wealth and access income should be approached in a sophisticated way. A detailed financial plan may use pensions, ISAs, general investment accounts, offshore bonds and other tax wrappers to ensure you can draw your money in a tax-efficient manner.

Consolidating your wealth

Holding multiple investment accounts and pensions can mean they’re hard to keep track of and administer. We’ll help you overcome this by consolidating your accounts into a single plan so that you can understand your financial position with ease.

Protecting you and your assets

We protect our cars and houses without much thought yet you might be the most valuable asset in your family. Whatever your situation, we can provide advice to ensure you have the right level of insurance in place to keep your finances protected.

Passing on your wealth

Estate planning is more important than just having a Will. We’ll work closely with you to understand how estate planning, which has emotional as well as financial consequences, can impact your overall financial plan.

Significant life events

Significant life events can present great opportunities but also considerable challenges. Whether you are going through a business sale, divorce or are receiving a lump sum, we’ll help build a financial plan to meet your changing lifestyle.