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Uncrystallised funds lump sum death benefit meaning

What does Uncrystallised funds lump sum death benefit mean?
A lump sum paid from a deceased member’s uncrystallised defined contribution (money purchase) pension, typically to nominated beneficiaries. In UK pensions tax law (England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland), this is an authorised payment called an “uncrystallised funds lump sum death benefit”, defined in paragraph 15, Schedule 29 to the Finance Act 2004. It applies only where: (1) the member died before age 75; (2) the scheme pays the lump sum within two years of the scheme administrator first knowing, or reasonably being expected to know, of the death; and (3) the lump sum is paid solely from uncrystallised funds held in that arrangement at death. The classification is important for scheme compliance and beneficiary taxation, and is commonly referenced in scheme rules, death benefit nominations and claims handling. If the age‑75 or two‑year conditions are not met, any payment will not be an uncrystallised funds lump sum death benefit and may instead be treated under another authorised lump sum category (for example a drawdown pension fund lump sum death benefit), with different tax outcomes. In Ireland, Revenue rules and terminology differ; this term is not a defined Irish tax concept and is used, if at all, only descriptively.
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View the related Practice Notes about Uncrystallised funds lump sum death benefit

PRACTICE NOTES
Pensions glossary for family and matrimonial finance lawyers: schemes, tax reliefs, state pension, auto-enrolment, offsetting, PPF, valuation, drawdown and post-2024 lifetime allowance changes

A-day 'A-day' is the widely used term for the broad pension tax 'simplification' reforms that began on 6 April 2006. The changes covered: how much pension contribution was allowed, the kinds of schemes an individual could invest in, the sums that could be taken (and when), and the choices available for any remaining fund. A-day also introduced the annual allowance and the (now abolished) lifetime allowance. See: Annual allowance and Lifetime allowance. AFPS AFPS: Armed forces pension scheme; see Practice Note: Public sector pensions and family proceedings. Accrual rate The speed at which pension benefits build as pensionable service is completed in a final salary scheme, eg 1/60 for each year of pensionable service. Accrued benefits The benefits earned in respect of service up to a specified date. Added years Extra pension provided by adding further years of pensionable service in a salary-related scheme. Such additional years are secured via transfer payments or through additional voluntary contributions/augmentation...

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PRACTICE NOTES
Annuities in UK pension schemes: legal, tax and regulatory framework, options post-pension freedoms, death benefits, and 2024 allowance changes

Prior to 6 April 2015, individuals entitled to money purchase benefits (also referred to as defined contribution (DC) benefits) faced a narrow set of retirement choices: receiving a scheme pension drawdown purchasing a lifetime annuity Buying a lifetime annuity was the route most frequently taken, chiefly because the other two options were only accessible: if the member’s scheme allowed them (which was uncommon in practice) for drawdown, if the member met certain conditions On 6 April 2015, pension freedoms were introduced to broaden the retirement pathways open to DC members and those with other ‘flexible benefits’ (e.g. cash balance benefits). Drawdown not only became far more widely available, but members with flexible benefits could also take their pension pot as one or more lump sums, called ‘uncrystallised pension fund lump sums’. For more detail, see Practice Notes: Pension freedoms—an introduction [Archived] and Uncrystallised funds pension lump sums (UFPLSs). This Practice Note examines annuities, the...

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PRACTICE NOTES
UK pensions glossary for private client and family lawyers

Accrual rate The speed at which pension entitlement builds as pensionable service is completed within a final salary arrangement, e.g. 1/60 for each year of pensionable service. Accrued benefits Benefits relating to service built up to a given date, measured with reference to current earnings or projected future pay. A-day ‘A-day’ is the widely used term for the broad pension tax ‘simplification’ reforms that came into force on 6 April 2006. These changes followed a 2004 government policy to rationalise the British tax system as it applied to pension schemes. The objective was to cut the volume of legislation accumulated under successive administrations, folding the previous eight tax regimes into a single regime for all personal and occupational pensions. Key areas covered included: how much pension contribution was allowed; the range of schemes an individual could invest in; how much an individual could withdraw (and when); and what could be done with the remaining fund. A-Day...

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