Better to overpay pension when working through an umbrella?

[Olly]

I still can't decide/have found more time to crunch further numbers.
My 'war chest' is not a concern - I don't spend much - I've probably got 15 years' worth of runway outside of my pension but I'm not building it up for that purpose - it's to buy a kick-ass house at some stage.
The chance of needing/wanting to draw down pension into the 40% bracket is fairly high which in turn makes overpaying a very bad move.
My gut's telling me don't do it. Stop trying to "play" the system - you'll get burnt as usual.

[Protagoras]

The chance of needing/wanting to draw down pension into the 40% bracket is fairly high which in turn makes overpaying a very bad move.
My gut's telling me don't do it. Stop trying to "play" the system - you'll get burnt as usual.

Even supposing that pension value and the 40% tax threshold grow at the same rate, income taken from a £1m plus pension pot added to state pension can easily hit the 40% bracket for a 30 year retirement.

it's to buy a kick-ass house at some stage.

Of course you'll need lots of dosh to pay the heating bill for the big house

[Olly]

ok....decision made - I won't exceed my annual allowance more than I already have. Too big a risk of withdrawing into the 40% bracket.

Now the next question is should I pay the tax charge on 20k excess contribution from my pension (if Hargreaves Lansdown support that from a SIPP) or from other dosh?

[youngguy]

Another thought in relation to putting a huge amount into your pension when via a brolly (I appreciate this may not apply to many of the magnates here!)

I've had a few raised eyebrows when needing to show my salary (eg new mortgage, car payments). Because the pension is taken gross, it reduces my 'take home salary' considerably on paper and me explaining I can access up to another £40/£60k a yr by amending my pension contributions on a months notice usually garners confusion from the financial institution I am speaking to.

[eek]

Another thought in relation to putting a huge amount into your pension when via a brolly (I appreciate this may not apply to many of the magnates here!)

I've had a few raised eyebrows when needing to show my salary (eg new mortgage, car payments). Because the pension is taken gross, it reduces my 'take home salary' considerably on paper and me explaining I can access up to another £40/£60k a yr by amending my pension contributions on a months notice usually garners confusion from the financial institution I am speaking to.

Not surprising because technically you can only change pension contribution when “a life changing event” occurs when you look at HMRC’s actual rules.

now I know for contractors it’s a simple case of (at worst) switching umbrella were you to need to make such a change but very few people are going to know that

[youngguy]

Not surprising because technically you can only change pension contribution when “a life changing event” occurs when you look at HMRC’s actual rules.

now I know for contractors it’s a simple case of (at worst) switching umbrella were you to need to make such a change but very few people are going to know that

Yes very true....and if I thought it was difficult explaining to a standard lender what it meant to have a ltd as a contractor, I should not have been surprised at even more befuzzlement at trying to explain how an umbrella who is legally my employer and provides a wage slip, isn't really my employer!

Oh the irony of ir35 and disguised employment and the answer to that being a brolly

[eek]

Got to say that for a mortgage reapplication your best bet would be x months at max salary just to make it obvious for birds of of little brain.