Sara G;260933 wrote:Raj K;260920 wrote:Do people think doctors ( I’m only saying this as I have been told tthat keeping doctors in work for longer is what had prompted these generous changes to pension limits) will continue working so they can save more into their pension? I was under the impression that many doctors were getting so burnt out and stressed and fed up of working in the NHS that is why they leave etc. How is this going to make it more attractive for them, wanting to kill themselves for a few years more in that environment? Also doesn’t being able to put more into their pension mean they will reach their targets earlier and retire early anyway?
As i understand it, under the current rules, any additional contributions resulted a situation whereby it cost senior medics money to take on more work / hours, and so wiped out their additional earnings. It isn't just about them wanting to build up massive pensions.Also it seems that the tax charges were hard to predict, meaning that quitting work must have appeared to be a simpler / less risky proposition.
Happy to be corrected on this as I don't have direct experience / contacts in the profession.
The issue is the valuation of that taxpayer-funded final salary pension (The NHS superannuation
scheme has no investment fund). Even at 10x valuation they are underfunded but even so the
value of that pension is over the LTA (actually in some cases more like double the LTA). Hence
every time they get paid they add to their notional pension fund and hence the tax charge, which
mostly isn't a problem because they have such generous pensions, but it is the added trigger to
retire. But then they come back to work as locums via agencies at huge cost to the employer.
When Consultants and GPs (and head teachers) were given those massive pay rises in 2004
this should have been foreseen by G Brown and his mates, but they did nothing. They could have
reformed the NHS superannuation scheme at the same time to set a maximum pension fund value.
Once Any employee reached this value, then no further contributions would be made and the
employee and employer would then pay full NI rates (The NHS scheme is contracted out).
Employees would always be able to pay in a separate SIPP if they wished, and many actually do
if the Portfolio reviews in Investors Chronicle are anything to go by.