The Occupational Pension Schemes (Collective Money Purchase Schemes) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2023

Amendments to the Occupational Pension Schemes (Charges and Governance) Regulations

14.  After regulation 7 insert—

“ Assessment of charges – qualifying collective money purchase schemes

7A.— (1) If the trustees make the choice under regulation 6A(1) to assess charges in accordance with this regulation, the following provisions apply.

(2) Trustees must calculate the value of members’ rights under the scheme at reference points set at equal intervals during the charges year of no more than 3 months (but see paragraphs (3), (6) and (7)).

(3) Where trustees change the intervals between reference points chosen for the purposes of paragraph (2) during the charges year, the start of the first new interval must commence on the day following the reference point at the end of the previous interval.

(4) The limit of permitted charges under—

(a) a collective single charge structure, or

(b) a collective existing rights charge in a collective combination charge structure,

is exceeded if the charges imposed on the members annually exceed the average of the reference point values multiplied by the applicable percentage.

(5) The applicable percentage is—

(a) in the case of a collective single charge structure, 0∙75%, and

(b) in the case of a collective existing rights charge in a collective combination charge structure, the percentage in Column 2 of the table—

(i) in regulation 6A(3), where a collective contribution percentage charge is imposed, and

(ii) in regulation 6A(4), where a collective flat fee is imposed.

(6) Where members have rights under the scheme at only one reference point referred to in paragraph (2), paragraph (4) is to be read as if the words “average of the reference point values” read “value at the reference point”.

(7) Where members have no rights under the scheme at a reference point referred to in paragraph (2), paragraph (4) is to be read as if the words “average of the reference point values” read “value of members’ rights under the scheme on the final day of the charges year or, if there are no members who have such rights on that day, on the final day on which there are members who have such rights,”.

(8) In this regulation monthly, 2 monthly and 3 monthly intervals are to be treated as equal intervals.

(9) Paragraph (10) applies where the charges imposed on the members include a performance fee payable at the end of the investment period.

(10) For the purposes of paragraph (4), the charge imposed annually on the members in relation to the performance fee may be treated as X divided by Y, where—

(a) X is the sum of the performance fees accrued in relation to the return earned by the assets in the scheme (“the relevant assets”) during the relevant charges year and each of the preceding charges years, up to a maximum of 4 preceding charges years, and

(b) Y is—

(i) 5, or

(ii) where the investment period is less than 5 charges years, the number of charges years in the relevant period.

(11) Where the trustees choose to calculate the charge imposed annually on the members in accordance with paragraph (10), the trustees must, at the end of each charges year during the investment period, calculate—

(a) the return earned by the relevant assets during that charges year;

(b) the performance fee which has accrued in relation to that return.

(12) In this regulation “investment period” means the total period for which the assets in the scheme are invested in an investment for which a performance fee is payable at the end of the investment period.”.