IPS (Individual Pension Scheme)

When the time comes for you to end your active career as a self-employed person, there is a strong likelihood that your statutory pension will not be enough to maintain your existing standard of living. Many self-employed people find that a problem, but don't know how to solve it. The solution is an IPS. If you take one out you know that your standard of living won’t have to drop when you retire. An IPS gives you the certainty that the pension capital you’ve built up will always be there, even if you subsequently sell your business, struggle due to bankruptcy or because you fall ill. The reserve you have built up is yours whatever happens.

The manager or director’s supplementary pension premiums are deductible as professional expenses under an IPS, provided that conditions such as the 80% rule are met.

What is the 80% rule?

In simple terms, this rule holds that the pension premiums for supplementary pensions are only tax-deductible if the total of your state and supplementary pensions (expressed as an annual annuity) does not exceed 80% of your last normal gross annual salary (taking into account the normal progression of a career).

These premiums do not, however, count as a taxable benefit in kind for you as a self-employed businessperson. Only the capital that you receive further down the line will be subject to one-off taxation at an advantageous rate. This makes an IPS considerably cheaper in terms of tax than a pay rise or a benefit in kind.

Bet you wouldn't half mind making even more tax savings come the end of the year!

If so, why not consider making a service buyback deposit, such as in your personal pension promise? Because, starting in 2018, you have to spread your claim for tax relief on prepaid expenses over the full period that they apply to.

So, if you contract a three-year renting agreement to finance a car, you could, until 2018, ask for a higher bill and fully deduct that rental cost at the close of the fiscal year. From 2018, you have to spread that expense evenly over the term of the renting contract.

The rule also applies to insurance, service contracts and road tax. But it does not apply to service buybacks, like your individual pension scheme. Because they concern the past.

That means you can play catch-up on past years of service if, at that time, you paid in less than the maximum that would have been allowed under the 80% rule. You can do it in one fell swoop or spread the catch-up payments over a number of years.

You can also claim full deduction of the premiums from your taxable profit for that fiscal year. On top of which, of course, you can pay in your pension promise premiums for the fiscal year then ending.

Tip: as a small company you can not only take advantage of the lower rate of corporation tax but also create extra space for your IPP. That way, you pay 20% corporation tax on your first 100,000 euros of profit. One condition is that you have to pay yourself a minimum annual salary of 45,000 euros. Your higher salary therefore allows you to pay more into your IPP.

Your family is very precious to you, so it is good to protect them from the consequences of your premature death. The pension entitlement you build up under an IPS is secure and will be paid out to your chosen beneficiaries. Depending on your family situation, you can also opt, for instance, to take out supplementary death cover.

TIP: if the limit imposed by the 80% rule means you have no further tax-friendly options for building up a supplementary pension or if your business currently lacks the financial elbow room to fund one, a KBC Keyman Benefit Plan means you can still protect your family by making the death cover the principal cover.