Thousands face unexpected tax bills due to 'complex' annual allowance taper

'Fiendishly' hard to understand

Jenna Towler
clock • 4 min read

Rules restricting tax relief on pension contributions for people earning over £150,000 are 'fiendishly complex' and will result in unexpected bills, Hargreaves Lansdown has warned.

The tapered annual allowance for high earners came into effect in the 2016/17 tax year meaning high earners who have inadvertently overpaid will face surprise tax bills as they file returns by 31 January. About 131,000 workers in the UK earn more than £150,000, according to the Office for National Statistics. However, Hargreaves said the highly complex rules mean many more people will be affected as income from other sources like dividends, property and interest are also included, as well employer pension contributions. It said 364,000 people could have to deal with the tapered ann...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Adviser for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, industry insights and market intelligence
  • Stay ahead of the curve with spotlights on emerging trends and technologies
  • Receive breaking news stories straight to your inbox in the daily newsletters
  • Make smart business decisions with the latest developments in regulation, investing retirement and protection
  • Members-only access to the editor’s weekly Friday commentary
  • Be the first to hear about our events and awards programmes

Join

 

Already a Professional Adviser member?

Login

More on Tax planning

Inheritance tax exemption threshold for farmers increased to £2.5m

Inheritance tax exemption threshold for farmers increased to £2.5m

Change takes effect from 6 April 2026

Isabel Baxter
clock 23 December 2025 • 2 min read
IHT receipts continue on path to record year

IHT receipts continue on path to record year

£5.8bn for first eight months of 2025/26

Jen Frost
clock 19 December 2025 • 2 min read
To 2p or not 2p: Income tax rate changes explained

To 2p or not 2p: Income tax rate changes explained

'Income tax rate changes, but not the ones we were expecting'

Julia Peake
clock 18 December 2025 • 6 min read