Treasury claws back £600m through annual and LTA breaches

Pension tax charges ‘ballooned’ in 2017/18

Hannah Godfrey
clock • 2 min read

The Treasury has clawed back more than £600m from breaches of the annual and lifetime limits on pensions savings, according to estimates from Hargreaves Lansdown.

On Thursday (26 September), HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) issued an update on some of its personal pension statistics that revealed more than 37,000 savers were hit with annual allowance charges in 2017/18 - double the number recorded in the previous year. HL estimated savers who breached the annual allowance paid £498m in tax charges in 2017/18, up from £335m the year before. HL's estimates assumed those who breached the annual allowance were 40%-rate taxpayers.  Meanwhile, 4,550 pension savers were taxed for breaching the lifetime allowance (LTA), a 36% increase on the 3,350 individ...

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 Retirement

Retirement tax planning and the issue of underspending

Retirement tax planning and the issue of underspending

Retirement planning Q&A

Professional Adviser
clock 12 October 2026 • 6 min read
Partner Insight: PruFund arrives on Scottish Widows Platform

Partner Insight: PruFund arrives on Scottish Widows Platform

How integrating PruFund onto the Scottish Widows Platform expands retirement options for advisers without increasing administrative burden

Ross Easton, Head of Platform Propositions, Scottish Widows
clock 05 October 2026 • 3 min read
The conversation that has to change with the 100-year life

The conversation that has to change with the 100-year life

'Advisers need to continue to challenge the cliff-edge narrative directly with clients'

Graeme Bowden
clock 24 September 2026 • 4 min read