Explanatory Notes

Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003

2003 CHAPTER 1

6th March 2003

Commentary on Sections

Example 3

Ne = £5,000; Da = 183; De = 183; Smg = 0
Part 9: Pension Income
Overview
Chapter 13: Return of surplus employee additional voluntary contributions
Overview
Section 623: Return of surplus employee additional voluntary contributions

2474.This section identifies a return of surplus funds to a member of an exempt approved retirement benefits scheme or a relevant statutory scheme as pension income. It derives from sections 599A(1), (5), (9) and (10) of ICTA.

2475.Subsection (4) requires the payment to be to or for the benefit of an employee. The meaning of “employee” is extended by section 612(1) of ICTA to include future and former employees. This is made clear in section 628(1).

2476.Section 599A(1) of ICTA applies to payments made to or for the benefit of employees or their personal representatives. But section 599A(5) of ICTA applies only to payments made to or for the benefit of employees. For this reason the section makes no mention of personal representatives.

2477.Subsection (5) prevents the payments also being taxed as a repayment of the employee’s contributions or as a commutation of the pension. It derives from section 599A(9) of ICTA. The section uses the same language as section 583(6). The regulations referred to in subsection (3)(b) apply to superannuation funds approved before 6 April 1980. These regulations are not yet obsolete.

2478.Section 599A(9) of ICTA gives this section priority over any charge under section 600 of ICTA. That rule has been included in the rewrite of section 600 as section 583(2).