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Pension credit meaning

What does Pension credit mean?
In legal practice, “pension credit” is used in two distinct contexts. 1) Social security (GB and NI): Pension Credit is a non-contributory, non-taxable, means-tested, income-related benefit for people over state pension age. It comprises: - guarantee credit (tops income up to a minimum level); and - savings credit (for those with modest additional pension saving), which is closed to new claimants who reach State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016. The qualifying age aligns with State Pension age. Since 15 May 2019, new claims generally require both members of a couple to have reached State Pension age. Administered by DWP in Great Britain and the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland. 2) Pension sharing on divorce/dissolution (England & Wales and Scotland; NI equivalent): A statutory term under the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999 (and the corresponding Northern Ireland Order). A “pension credit” is the amount of pension rights awarded to the ex-spouse or former civil partner pursuant to a pension sharing order, matched by a “pension debit” reducing the member’s rights. Section 29 WRPA 1999 governs valuation of the pension credit for transfer. Ireland: “Pension credit” is not the term used. Family courts make Pension Adjustment Orders, and there...
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View the related Checklists about Pension credit

CHECKLISTS
Annual benefit statements for occupational and personal pension schemes: content and disclosure requirements (DB, cash balance and DC) under regs 16, 16A and 17 of SI 2013/2734

This Checklist offers an overview of the information an annual benefit statement must contain under regs 16, 16A and 17 of the Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes (Disclosure of Information) Regulations 2013, SI 2013/2734 (the Disclosure Regs 2013). It applies irrespective of whether the pension arrangement in question is a defined benefit scheme, a cash balance arrangement or any other money purchase set‑up. Benefit statements for benefits other than money purchase benefits Active, deferred and pension credit members who are entitled to benefits other than money purchase benefits (for example, final salary or career average benefits) may ask the trustees or managers of the scheme for a benefit statement once in every 12‑month period. The trustees must provide the statement as soon as practicable and, in any event, within two months of their request. The precise content of the annual benefit statement varies according to the member’s status, and the accompanying table identifies the information requirements for benefit statements for each relevant type of member...

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NEWS
UK and EU financial services update: APP scams regime, sanctions changes, FCA enforcement, banks’ resolvability, crypto promotions compliance, EU AI Act and Solvency II—8 August 2024

In this issue: UK, EU and international Regulators and bodies Financial crime and sanctions Complaints, compensation and claims management Investigations, enforcement and discipline Dispute resolution for financial services lawyers Regulation of derivatives Banks and Mutuals Consumer credit, mortgage and home finance Regulation of insurance Payment systems and services Fintech and cryptoassets AI in financial services Financial Services Enforcement Database Daily and weekly news alerts Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary UK, EU and international Regulators and bodies House of Lords confirms the Financial Services Regulation Committee and restarts its inquiries Following the State Opening of Parliament on Wednesday 17 July 2024, the House of Lords reappointed the Financial Services Regulation Committee on Monday 29 July 2024. See: LNB News 05/08/2024 60. Financial crime and sanctions NCA and UKFIU issue SARs Reporter Booklet August 2024 The National...

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NEWS
UK and EU financial services weekly briefing: PSR–FCA integration, FCA motor finance redress, market abuse controls, gilt repo reforms, sanctions actions, SFDR reporting, stablecoin frameworks (11 September 2025)

In this issue: UK, EU and international regulators and bodies Authorisation, approval and supervision Prudential requirements Financial crime and sanctions Conduct requirements Complaints, compensation and claims management Investigations, enforcement and discipline Regulation of capital markets Sustainable finance and ESG Consumer credit, mortgage and home finance Regulation of insurance FSMA regulated pensions activity Payment services and systems Fintech and cryptoassets LexTalk®Financial Services: a Lexis®Nexis community Financial Services Enforcement Database Daily and weekly news alerts Intraday news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary UK, EU and international regulators and bodies HMT consults on proposed integration of PSR functions into FCA framework HM Treasury (HMT) has launched a consultation proposing to fold the Payment Systems Regulator’s (PSR) remit into the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under the government’s Regulatory Action Plan. The intention is to streamline the payments regulatory landscape by reducing the number...

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NEWS
Property weekly briefing: estoppel, constructive trusts, adverse possession and Electronic Communications Code cases; commonhold/leasehold, section 106 and EPC reforms; business rates rulings; Wales and Scotland updates—5 February 2026

In this issue: Key developments and horizon scanning Transferring property Leasing property Property management Residential property Environment, energy and buildings Easements, rights and covenants Property development Property taxes Property in Wales Property in Scotland LexTalk®Property: a Lexis®Nexis community Additional property updates this week Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Trackers New Q&As Key developments and horizon scanning BPF and Law Commission comment on draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill The British Property Federation (BPF) has issued its views on the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill, warning that proposed caps on ground rents could undermine investments held by pension funds and institutional investors. It said investors who acted in good faith to meet pension liabilities should be compensated, and noted that government announcements do not address this point. While it supports parts of the commonhold package, including adjustments to funding for major works,...

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PRACTICE NOTES
Key features of investment-grade, high-yield and crossover bonds: yields, covenants, maturities, guarantees and regulatory considerations

What are investment-grade, high yield and crossover bonds? Investment grade (IG) bonds are debt instruments that hold an IG credit rating: BBB and above on the S&P and Fitch scales, and Baa3 and above on the Moody’s scale (for further detail on credit ratings, see Practice Note: Credit ratings). IG issuers are usually sizeable blue‑chip corporates—well‑known, well‑established and well‑capitalised—and are often companies with shares listed on a major stock exchange. Aside from sovereign bonds of developed markets, IG securities are widely regarded as among the safest income‑generating investments. As a consequence of this perceived safety, IG bonds tend to offer lower yields than high yield (HY) bonds. Many institutional investors and pension schemes operate policies and mandates that constrain their bond holdings to assets with, on average, lower default risk, such as IG instruments or government obligations. In broad terms, HY bonds encompass all bonds from issuers rated below IG. HY issuers may include public companies that lack (or previously had but later lost) an IG rating, private companies...

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PRACTICE NOTES
Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2015 (UK): statutory basis, funding and cost control, governance, membership, benefits, transfers, death benefits, and the McCloud transitional remedy

Statutory framework At present, four principal pension schemes operate in England and Wales for members of the armed forces. These are: Armed Forces Pension Scheme 1975 (AFPS 1975) — formerly open only to the regular forces; closed to new members from 6 April 2006 and stopped future accrual from 1 April 2022 Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2005 (AFPS 2005) — likewise for the regular forces only; also closed to future accrual from 1 April 2022 Reserve Forces Pension Scheme 2005 (RFPS 2005) — open to full time reservists; again closed to future accrual from 1 April 2022 Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2015 (AFPS 2015) — open to the regular forces and all reservists; effective from 1 April 2015 There are also several other schemes, run by the same manager, that provide pension or other occupational benefits to armed forces personnel. This Practice Note focuses on AFPS 2015. The AFPS 2015 was established under section...

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PRACTICE NOTES
SME debt capital markets: UK and EU overview of SME growth markets, ORB retail bonds, mini-bonds, and reforms to the prospectus and market abuse regimes (Archived)

ARCHIVED This Practice Note is archived and no longer maintained. It offers historical context and outlines concepts such as UK mini-bonds and the Order Book for Retail Bonds (ORB). With the advent of the new UK prospectus regime, these concepts are being phased out or materially reformed. It is provided for background information only. For more on the new UK prospectus regime, see Practice Note: The UK Prospectus Regulation—essentials [Archived]—Reform of the UK prospectus regime. Introduction Traditional debt capital markets Historically, large corporates have tapped the debt capital markets to raise funds from an investor base made up largely of investment funds, pension funds, insurance companies and other institutional investors. Consequently, debt capital markets transactions have typically been characterised by: substantial issue sizes—typically at least £50m (or the equivalent in another currency) and frequently above £100m uniform distribution and underwriting procedures, whereby a lead manager with co-managers—or dealers for issues under a Euro Medium-Term Note (EMTN) programme—interposes between the issuer and prospective...

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PRECEDENTS
Wills and Estate Planning Client Information Form (England and Wales): Anti-money Laundering, Capacity, Assets, Liabilities, Gifts, LPAs, Executors, Guardians, Legacies, Trusts, Residue

GENERAL INFORMATION Client and spouse/civil or unmarried partner: names, address, landline, mobile, email, DOB, marital status... Children: names, DOB; previous marriages; ongoing financial commitments (details if yes)... Earlier Wills (with dates) or retrieve; LPAs/EPA (details or retrieve); other dependants... AML documents received and checks complete; note any capacity, health or duress concerns... ASSETS AND LIABILITIES Homes: description, £ value, ownership (joint tenants, tenants in common, or sole)... Other assets: cash, investments, shares, cryptocurrency/digital assets with £ values; foreign assets with location/type... Life and pension policies, in trust? provider and £; company interests... Valuable chattels; business/agricultural interests; trust interests/powers/inheritances with approx £... Lifetime gifts: details, £, donee, date; liabilities incl. mortgages, credit cards etc., with £... WILL DETAILS Mirror Wills; executors and relationship; guardians and relationship... Specific pecuniary legacies and tax status; trust legacies (e.g. business/agricultural property); other bequests; personal possessions letter of wishes (copy if available)... ...

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Q&As
Pension sharing order: pension credit to bankrupt spouse or trustee in bankruptcy?

A pension sharing order A pension sharing order enables one party to obtain, in their own name and in their own right, benefits directly debited from the other party’s pension scheme, and secures a clean break between the parties regarding pensions. Sections 11 and 12 of the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999 (WRPA 1999) state that pension rights under approved pension schemes do not vest in a trustee in bankruptcy, provided the bankruptcy petition was presented on or after 29 May 2000 under the legislation. Consequently, if the individual holding the pension to be shared is made bankrupt, the court’s authority to make a pension sharing order should remain unaffected in law...

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