Eurostat requirements – duties of registered administrators, trustees of small trust RACs and administrators of public service pension schemes

Thursday 5 June 2008: See the 'Registered Administrators' section of the website for updated information on the requirements for registered administrators to provide 'Annual scheme information'.

Regulation (EC) No 2056/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 November 2002 amending Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 58/97 concerning structural business statistics requires all EU member states to furnish specified information to Eurostat. For pension schemes and trust RACs the required information includes details of the scheme type, benefits, status, membership, fund value and contributions and benefits. This statistical information corresponds closely to the information required for the preparation of scheme annual reports. The relevant statistical information must be furnished in respect of each scheme and trust RAC to the Board annually within 9 months of the scheme year end for scheme years commencing on or after 1 January 2008. The onus to furnish this information to the Board is placed on the registered administrators in respect of the schemes and trust RACs for which they are responsible. In the case of small trust RACs, the trustees will be responsible and in the case of public service schemes the administrators will be responsible.

The Pensions Board has published a sample Eurostat form for information and can be viewed below. This form is for illustrative purposes only and should not be completed in or submitted to the Board at this point in time.

The Eurostat requirements will be included in the Disclosure Amendment Regulations Schedule J due to be commenced 1st November 2008.

 
 
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About the Pension’s Calculator

  • This pension’s calculator is designed to give a broad indication of the level of contributions required to give your desired pension at your retirement age. This calculator only provides a sample indication of the funding contributions for your pension and no reliance should be placed on it.
  • This calculator does not take into account any contributions an employer might make to your pension.
  • Do you know that contributions paid to a pension scheme will benefit from income tax relief at your highest rate of income tax? This calculator takes into account current income tax relief benefits.
  • For a full and accurate assessment of your personal finances and any tax relief you may be entitled to on your pension contributions always consult with a professional financial adviser

The next step is to talk to your employer, trade union, bank, insurance company, building society or financial advisor about starting your pension today.

Pension Calculator Notes:
  1. Assumptions used: Investment return will be 5% per year before retirement and 4% per year after retirement. Salary will increase at 3% per year. Pension will increase at 2% per year in retirement. The State Pension will increase in line with salary increases. Spouse's annuity assumes a 3 year age gap between the Main Life and Spouse. Your personal illustration above makes an approximate allowance for the recently introduced Pensions Levy (i.e. 0.6% of your Fund Value) until 2014 or your intended retirement year if earlier.
  2. Contribution amounts shown will increase each year as salary increases.
  3. The actual pension at retirement will depend on actual investment return and salary inflation up to retirement and on the cost of purchasing annuities at retirement.
  4. Tax relief calculations take account of age related limits on tax relief in any given year as prescribed by the Revenue. Your financial advisor will be able to help you to stay within your limits. The maximum tax relief as a % of earnings are as follows:
         Under 30: 15%
         30 to 39: 20%
         40 to 49: 25%
         50 to 54: 30%
         55 to 59: 35%
         60 and over: 40%
  5. Contributions or benefits may exceed limits prescribed by the Revenue. Your financial advisor will be able to help you to stay within your limits. Budget 2011, introduced a Standard Fund Threshold (SFT) of €2.3 million. Individuals with pension funds in excess of this value as at 7 December 2010 may apply for a Personal Fund Threshold(PFT). When the capital value of pension benefits drawn down by an individual exceed his or her SFT or PFT as appropriate, a tax charge of 41% is applied to the excess fund.
  6. In these net contribution calculations, PAYE & single persons tax reliefs and single persons tax bands are assumed. It is also assumed that no other tax reliefs apply.
  7. The annuity rate used to convert your pension fund at retirement age is a long term average annuity rate, which makes no allowance for the recent gender equalisation ruling. The annuity rate used in your personal illustration above will be shown when you run the calculator.
  8. This calculator takes account of the fact that the State Pension (Transition) will no longer be paid from 1 January 2014. This means that there will then be a standard State Pension age of 66 years for everyone. If you have qualified for the State Pension Transition before 1 January 2014 you remain entitled to it for the duration of your claim (1 year). State pension age will increase to 67 in 2021 and to 68 in 2028