06 Mar 2026

The child benefit trap: the high income child benefit charge

Claire Trott, Technical Connection Pension contributions can play a powerful role in reducing an individual’s adjusted net income, which is important when determining eligibility for certain benefits – including the high‑income child benefit charge. A benefit of pension contributions is that it reduces the adjusted net income of an individual. This is often used as […]

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06 Mar 2026

Tax year end regret can be an asset

Regret Is Your Most Bankable Asset. 74% have at least one regret from last tax year. Treat that as a conversion moment – not a guilt trip. Tax year end produces a predictable emotional hangover. People look back, realise they left things late, and wish they’d acted differently. In our study*, 74% reported at least […]

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06 Mar 2026

CGT exemption: Use it or lose it

Tony Wickenden, Technical Connection As the end of the tax year approaches, serious consideration should be given to any unused allowance or exemption that is only available on a “use it or lose it” basis — because it cannot be carried forward to the next tax year. One of these is the annual Capital Gains […]

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06 Mar 2026

What are you testing?: Understand the income your client has

Claire Trott, Technical Connection Navigating pension contributions requires a clear understanding of what counts as relevant UK earnings and how different income types feed into the tapered annual allowance. With the rules becoming increasingly nuanced, getting these distinctions wrong can lead to unexpected tax charges or the need to unwind contributions later. When you are […]

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06 Mar 2026

Who owns the tax year end prompt?

Who ‘owns’ the prompt? (Hint: It’s not always the adviser). Only 18% say their adviser prompted them last year. That’s a hidden growth lever. Here’s a quietly important datapoint: when clients were asked who prompted them to take tax year end action last year, only 18% said it was their financial adviser. That doesn’t mean […]

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06 Mar 2026

Pensions and IHT changes: Act now to mitigate future IHT

Claire Trott, Technical Connection The landscape of pension and inheritance tax planning is shifting rapidly. As legislation continues to evolve, it’s becoming increasingly important for individuals to reassess their retirement strategies and consider proactive steps to protect their estates. We are still dealing with the ever-changing legislation and proposals with regards to the inclusion of […]

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06 Mar 2026

Tax year start planning: Planning ahead is better than last minute

Tony Wickenden, Technical Connection Tax year start planning is arguably more important than tax year end planning. As with most things, “planned ahead” is better than “last minute”. The most obvious year ahead planning is, of course, to invest as much as is possible into the ‘no-brainers’ of ISA and pensions. The shield from both […]

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06 Mar 2026

Admin help beats tax efficiency: the most powerful trigger is ‘make it easy’

Clients don’t need another reminder. They need fewer hoops. There’s a recurring myth in financial services marketing: that the right message will unlock action. Our data* suggests something more practical – and slightly less glamorous. When clients are asked what would most increase their likelihood of taking action before 5 April, the dominant theme is […]

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05 Mar 2026

Investment income tax planning: Tax year end or tax year start?

Tony Wickenden, Technical Connection If you’re getting to the end of the tax year and finding that your client’s non-rental investment income (predominantly dividend income and interest) is bearing tax at a rate that is unacceptable to them, what can you do about it? Well, if your point of realisation is near to the end […]

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