Reviewing your annual pension benefit statement
Every year we provide you with an annual pension benefit statement that includes a summary of:
- how your pension account(s) have changed over the previous tax year, and
- how they might grow in the future
This is in addition to the regular valuations you receive quarterly, that cover any other accounts you have with us (such as ISAs and Investment Accounts).
The savings accounts are summarised separately from drawdown accounts as we are required to show slightly different things for each type of account.
To see how much you currently have in total, you can check the total figure in the summary of investments section.
To get a fuller picture of how much your pension savings might be worth in the future, you should consider your savings and drawdown accounts together.
Two annual statements
The annual pension benefit statement contains four or five main sections:
Pension savings annual statement - in blue
Included if you have one or more pension savings accounts. These hold your investments from which you have not yet made any withdrawals.
This section shows (a) how your pension savings account(s) have changed over the previous year up to 5 April and (b) how they might grow in the future.
Pension drawdown annual statement - in green
Included if you have one or more pension drawdown accounts. Once you have reached the normal minimum pension age (unless you have a lower protected pension age), you have the option to take – or ‘crystallise’ – some or all of your pension savings. The normal minimum pension age is currently 55, and is due to rise to 57 on 6 April 2028. Typically, 25% of the amount you crystallise is taken as a tax-free lump sum, as long as this amount is not higher than your remaining lump sum allowance (LSA). The remaining 75% is then moved to a pension drawdown account, from which you can withdraw further income, which is subject to tax, as and when required.
This section shows (a) how your pension drawdown account(s) have changed over the previous year up to 5 April and (b) how they might grow in the future.
Next steps
Summary of investments
Summary of charges
Forecast assumptions
We include a forecast (or estimate) of how much your savings might be worth by the time you reach your retirement date. So that this figure is meaningful, it is adjusted downwards to take into account the effect of inflation. Obviously, this estimate is just a prediction using a number of assumptions (or educated guesses).
The guidelines for the assumptions we have used are set by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) for pension savings accounts and by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for pension drawdown accounts.
The actual values and the income you may receive is likely to be different from the amounts shown in the forecasts for a number of reasons. We cover these below:
For further information on your pension and for a full breakdown of your transaction history, please speak to your adviser or log in to your account.
Frequently asked questions
If we’ve not received tax relief from HMRC for any contributions by 5 April, then this will be included in your statement next year. Similarly, any tax relief received during this tax year which relates to a contribution made in a previous tax year will be included in this statement. You can find details of the transactions on your account(s) and how your pension is invested at fidelity.co.uk/clients
Contributions made near the end of the tax year may have a different ‘effective’ and ‘processed’ date. For example, if we receive the payment and application on 5 April (effective date) we may not key it on the system until 6 April (processed date). While the contribution counts towards the annual allowance for the earlier tax year, the contribution will show on the following year’s statement.
This can be found on your Annual Benefit Statement or from your adviser.