Finance Act 2004

12(1)This paragraph applies on and after 6th April 2006 in the case of an individual who has one or more relevant existing arrangements if notice of intention to rely on it is given to the Inland Revenue in accordance with regulations made by the Board of Inland Revenue.U.K.

(2)But this paragraph ceases to apply if [F1the notice under sub-paragraph (1) is given on or after 15 March 2023 and]—

(a)relevant benefit accrual occurs under the arrangement, or any of the arrangements (see paragraph 13),

[F2(aa)there is an impermissible transfer into the arrangement or any of the arrangements (see paragraph 17A),]

(b)a transfer of sums or assets held for the purposes of, or representing accrued rights under, the arrangement or any of the arrangements is made that is not a permitted transfer, or

(c)an arrangement relating to the individual is made under a registered pension scheme otherwise than [F3in permitted circumstances].

[F4(2A)An arrangement is made in permitted circumstances if it is made—

(a)for the purposes of a permitted transfer,

(b)as part of a retirement-benefit activities compliance exercise, or

(c)as part of an age-equality compliance exercise.

(2B)For the purposes of sub-paragraph (2A)(b) an arrangement (“the new arrangement”) relating to an individual is made as part of a retirement-benefit activities compliance exercise if—

(a)it is made in connection with the cancellation of rights under another arrangement relating to the individual (“the old arrangement”),

(b)the old arrangement and the new arrangement relate to the same employment,

(c)there is a prospective entitlement to pension death benefits within section 167(1) or lump sum death benefits within section 168(1) (or both) under both the old arrangement and the new arrangement,

(d)the making of the new arrangement and the cancellation of the old arrangement constitute or form part of a transaction the purpose of which is to secure that the activities of the pension scheme under which the arrangement is made are limited to retirement-benefit activities within the meaning of section 255 of the Pensions Act 2004 or Article 232 of the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 2005, and

(e)the rights cancelled under the old arrangement and the rights conferred under the new arrangement are not significantly different.

(2C)For the purposes of sub-paragraph (2A)(c) an arrangement (“the new arrangement”) is made as part of an age-equality compliance exercise if—

(a)it is made in connection with the cancellation of rights under another arrangement relating to the individual (“the old arrangement”),

(b)the old arrangement and the new arrangement relate to the same employment,

(c)there is a prospective entitlement to pension death benefits within section 167(1) or lump sum death benefits within section 168(1) (or both) under both the old arrangement and the new arrangement, and

(d)the new arrangement is made, and the old arrangement cancelled, in order to comply with the [F5Part 5 of the Equality Act 2010, so far as relating to age, or the] or Employment Equality (Age) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006 (or any regulations amending or replacing [F6those Regulations]).]

(3)Where this paragraph applies in the case of an individual

[F7(a)there is no liability to the lifetime allowance charge in respect of the individual, and

(b)the payment of a lifetime allowance excess lump sum to the individual is not permitted by the lump sum rule (see section 166).]

(4)An individual has a relevant existing arrangement if—

(a)before 6th April 2006 an arrangement relating to the individual has been made under a pension scheme within paragraph 1(1), and

(b)the pension scheme becomes a registered pension scheme on that date.

(5)Notice of intention to rely on this paragraph in relation to the individual may not be given in a case where—

(a)the value of the uncrystallised rights of the individual on 5th April 2006 under an arrangement, or

(b)the aggregate of the values of the uncrystallised rights of the individual on 5th April 2006 under arrangements,

is arrived at in accordance with paragraph [F89(3)] unless such rights as, in accordance with regulations made by the Board of Inland Revenue, are to be treated as representing the relevant excess have been surrendered.

(6)In sub-paragraph (5) “the relevant excess” means the amount by which the value of—

(a)the individual’s uncrystallised rights, or

(b)the aggregate of the values of the individual’s uncrystallised rights,

as arrived at in accordance with paragraph 8 exceeds what it would be if arrived at under paragraph [F99(3)].

(7)For the purposes of this paragraph and paragraphs 13 and 15, a transfer of sums or assets held for the purposes of, or representing accrued rights under, an arrangement is a permitted transfer if—

(a)F10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(b)the sums or assets F11. . . are transferred so that sub-paragraph (8) applies in relation to them, and

(c)the aggregate of the amount of [F12the] sums and the market value of [F12the] assets is, applying normal actuarial practice, equivalent before and after the transfer.

(8)This sub-paragraph applies in relation to sums or assets held for the purposes of, or representing accrued rights under, the arrangement if—

(a)they are transferred so as to become held for the purposes of a money purchase arrangement that is not a cash balance arrangement F13. . . F13. . .

(b)where the transfer occurs in connection with the winding up of the pension scheme under which the arrangement is made and the arrangement is a cash balance arrangement or a defined benefits arrangement, they are transferred so as to become held for the purposes of, or to represent rights under, a cash balance arrangement or defined benefits arrangement relating to the same employment as the arrangement and made under a registered pension scheme or recognised overseas pension scheme.

[F14(c)where the arrangement is a cash balance arrangement or a defined benefits arrangement relating to a present or former employment, they are transferred in connection with a relevant business transfer so as to become held for the purposes of, or to represent rights under, a cash balance arrangement or defined benefits arrangement made under a registered pension scheme or recognised overseas pension scheme, or

(d)where the arrangement (“the old arrangement”) is a cash balance arrangement or a defined benefits arrangement, they are transferred as part of a retirement-benefit activities compliance exercise so as to become held for the purposes of, or to represent rights under, a cash balance arrangement or defined benefits arrangement (“the new arrangement”) relating to the same employment as the old arrangement and made under a registered pension scheme or recognised overseas pension scheme.]

[F15(8A)For the purposes of sub-paragraph (8)(c) “relevant business transfer” means a transfer of an undertaking or a business (or part of an undertaking or a business) from one person to another—

(a)which involves the transfer of at least 20 employees, and

(b)in the case of which, if the transferor and the transferee are bodies corporate, they would not be treated as members of the same group for the purposes of [F16Part 5 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010] .

(8B)For the purposes of sub-paragraph (8)(d) sums or assets held for the purposes of, or representing accrued rights under, the old arrangement are transferred as part of a retirement-benefit activities compliance exercise if—

(a)there is a prospective entitlement to pension death benefits within section 167(1) or lump sum death benefits within section 168(1) (or both) under both the old arrangement and the new arrangement, and

(b)the transfer constitutes or forms part of a transaction the purpose of which is to secure that the activities of the pension scheme under which the old arrangement was made are limited to retirement-benefit activities within the meaning of section 255 of the Pensions Act 2004 or Article 232 of the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 2005.]

(9)Where there is a permitted transfer—

(a)if the transfer is a permitted transfer by virtue of sub-paragraph (8)(a), this paragraph (and paragraphs 13 [F17, 14 and 17A(1) and (2)]) apply in relation to the arrangement F18. . . to which the transfer is made, and

(b)if the transfer is a permitted transfer by virtue of sub-paragraph (8)(b) [F19or (d)], this paragraph (and paragraphs 13 [F20, 15 and 17A(3)] [F21to 17]) apply as if the arrangement to which the transfer is made were the same as that from which it is made, [F22and

(c)if the transfer is a permitted transfer by virtue of sub-paragraph (8)(c), this paragraph (and paragraphs 13, 15 to 17 and 17A(3)) apply as if the arrangement to which the transfer is made were the same as that from which it is made and (if the employment is transferred) as if the employment with the transferee were the employment with the transferor.]

[F23(10)The Treasury may by order amend sub-paragraph (8) (and make other amendments consequential on any amendment of that sub-paragraph).]