Finance Act 2004

214 Lifetime allowance charge

(1) A charge to income tax, to be known as the lifetime allowance charge, arises where—

(a) a benefit crystallisation event occurs in relation to an individual who is a member of one or more registered pension schemes, and

(b) either the first lifetime allowance charge condition or the second lifetime allowance charge condition is met.

(2) The first lifetime allowance charge condition is that—

(a) the whole or any part of the individual’s lifetime allowance is available on the benefit crystallisation event, but

(b) the amount crystallised by the benefit crystallisation event exceeds the amount of the individual’s lifetime allowance which is available on the benefit crystallisation event.

(3) The second lifetime allowance charge condition is that none of the individual’s lifetime allowance is available on the benefit crystallisation event.

(4) The following sections make further provision about the lifetime allowance charge—

• section 215 (amount of charge),

• section 216 and Schedule 32 (benefit crystallisation events and amounts crystallised),

• section 217 (persons liable to charge),

• section 218 (individual’s lifetime allowance and standard lifetime allowance),

• section 219 (availability of individual’s lifetime allowance), and

• sections 220 to 226 (lifetime allowance enhancement factors).

(5) In sections 215 to 219—

(a) references to “the individual”, in relation to the lifetime allowance charge, are to the individual in relation to whom the benefit crystallisation event giving rise to the charge occurs, and

(b) references to “the pension scheme”, in relation to the lifetime allowance charge, are to the pension scheme to which the benefit crystallisation event giving rise to the charge, or the amount crystallised by it, relates.

(6) Schedule 36 contains (in Part 2) transitional provision about the lifetime allowance charge.