What kind of regulations are there for SSAS?
A comprehensive guide to Pensions and Investments for Investing in Property
One of the main attractions of a Small Self Administered Scheme (SSAS) is that members have much more control over their pensions than they do with traditional pensions. But does this control come at the expense of security? Not necessarily. An SSAS is regulated by a number of different bodies, as you’ll find out.
To a certain extent, a SSAS is self-regulating. It’s a trust, which means that it’s run by trustees for the benefit of its members. In practice, the majority — if not all — members of a SSAS will be appointed as trustees.
Any member of a SSAS can be a trustee. Most choose to be, but it’s certainly not a requirement
A trustee does not have to be a member of the SSAS.
In the majority of cases, an SSAS is run by the members for the members, meaning there’s no outside influence from trustees who are not members of the scheme. The rules of the scheme are set by HMRC.
Being a trustee comes with certain legal responsibilities. For instance, it’s the responsibility of a trustee to ensure that any tax owed is paid to HMRC. If any member of the SSAS doesn’t want this responsibility, they can choose not to be a trustee.
However, it’s worth considering the pros and cons of having members who are not trustees. Trustees have to demonstrate that they are acting in the best interest of all members of the SSAS. If all members of the SSAS are also trustees, this process is straightforward. If there are any non-trustee members, this can become complex.
It is common practice to appoint a professional trustee to your SSAS. A professional trustee is tasked with the day-to-day management of the SSAS. This person should be experienced and possess a good understanding of pensions, tax laws and investment.
It is not a legal requirement to appoint a professional trustee (as of August 2018), but lawmakers may decide to change this.
Think you might need a professional trustee for your SSAS? The Landlord’s Pension can help. Give us a call on 01235 426666 to discuss your options.
Need specific pension investment advice?
Read our SSAS Pension guides:
- SSAS vs SIPP pensions
- What is a Self-Administered Pension?
- How To Set Up A SSAS pension
- What kind of regulations and protections are there for SSAS?
- What Can an SSAS Pension Invest In?
- What are SSAS death benefits
- HMRC Rules
- SSAS Pensions
- How to find the best SSAS provider
- Can a SSAS buy residential property
- A guide to SSAS Pension scheme Loans
Still unsure about something? Please don’t hesitate to contact us about enquiries relating to pensions and investments in property.
What our customers say...
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An excellent service from Khaleda who took us through the process of setting up our SASS pension. We were fully advised on the whole process and kept up to date regularly with all questions being answered fully. We would highly recommend using Khaleda who we can’t fault. Brilliant
Jessett Simon Daisy15/01/21I cannot recommend Lewis Jones from the Landlord’s Pension highly enough. His professionalism and knowledge of SSAS’s has been outstanding. He has guided me through the end to end process of setting up a SSAS to transfer my Pension into and has never complained when I’ve sent numerous emails with... Read moreI cannot recommend Lewis Jones from the Landlord’s Pension highly enough. His professionalism and knowledge of SSAS’s has been outstanding. He has guided me through the end to end process of setting up a SSAS to transfer my Pension into and has never complained when I’ve sent numerous emails with multiple questions. Read less
Lissa Lowrie10/11/20
The Landlord’s Pension is an expert in this niche sector of financial planning and have been helping clients to invest in property since 2004