A Self-Invested Personal Pension, or SIPP, is a type of UK registered pension plan that provides you with a greater amount of control and flexibility over the money in your pension. You get to decide how it’s invested, and from age 55 onwards, you get access to 100% of your pension and decide how much and how often to withdraw.
Our service is designed for expats, whether you’re a non-UK resident or living in the UK. Monitor your account around the clock and place investment instructions with the easy to use online account, alongside ongoing support and guidance to assist you with managing your pension. Our simple and transparent fees mean there’s no hidden commission or ongoing adviser fees.
Our international SIPP has been designed for expats and non-UK residents to enable you to stay in control of your pension from anywhere in the world.
Keep your pension invested and take withdrawals whenever you want from age 55. There’s no requirement to purchase an annuity and you can take lump sums, a regular income, a combination or nothing at all. Withdrawals can even be paid in US Dollars to a US bank account. Find out more about withdrawals →
The SIPP allows you to choose how your pension is invested and you can select from:
You can choose to hold your pension in US Dollars or keep in Pounds Sterling, or a mix. You can hold investments and cash in multiple currencies and we can even pay withdrawals in other currencies.
100% of your SIPP can be passed on to your nominated beneficiaries and is usually exempt from UK inheritance tax. Your beneficiaries can choose what they do with the pension, and it can also be passed on to their future generations.
One of our founding principles is to keep the charges for your pension simple, fair and transparent. We don’t believe in taking hidden commission or confusing charges from your account. When others make it difficult to know exactly what you’re paying, we make it simple and easy to understand so you know exactly where you stand.
Our charges includes full support and guidance from our team to help you manage your pension and investments, as well as arranging the safe custody and administration of investments on our platform.
We offer two SIPP products. The MES Essentials SIPP is a simple low cost option designed for smaller pension values. The MES SIPP is designed for larger balances and offers the full functionality and investment choice.
| MES Essentials SIPP | MES SIPP | |
|---|---|---|
|
SIPP value |
From £35,000 |
From £50,000 |
|
Withdrawals |
Full flexi-access drawdown Payments to overseas bank accounts in over 40 currencies |
Full flexi-access drawdown Payments to overseas bank accounts in over 40 currencies |
|
Investments |
Default investment option only |
Multi currency investments and cash ETFs & Investment Trusts Unit Trusts and OEICs (Mutual Funds) |
|
Annual charge |
|
|
Transferring a pension to your new SIPP account couldn’t be easier, we’ve made the process as simple and as paperless as possible. We will keep you up to date with the progress of the transfer so you can get on with more important tasks.
1.
You complete the simple online application to open a SIPP account which includes details of your existing pensions.
2.
We contact your existing pension provider(s) and instruct them to transfer the pension to your new SIPP account.
3.
The money is paid into your new SIPP account and invested into your chosen investments.
If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for, please send us a message
IRS reporting & Tax
Under the terms of the UK’s FATCA agreement with the US, most UK pension schemes that are registered with HMRC and maintained by a UK Financial Institution shall not be treated as Financial Accounts, and therefore shall not be U.S. Reportable Accounts. i.e. we do not report to the IRS.
You will usually need to personally report the details of your SIPP to the IRS using the FBAR. We recommend you consult a US tax specialist as we do not provide tax or reporting advice.
Our understanding is that the Passive Foreign Investment Company (PFIC) rules do not apply to investments held within a UK pension scheme, such as a SIPP. Further information regarding the PFIC exemption is shown in the following link in section B.3: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/12/28/2016-30712/definitions-and-reporting-requirements-for-shareholders-of-passive-foreign-investment-companies
Eligibility
Yes, you can open an account with MyExpatSIPP and transfer an existing pension, regardless of your country of residence.
There may be some restrictions on making new personal contributions (payments) to your account, but this will depend on your individual circumstances. Contact the support team for further information.
Yes, US Persons (i.e. US citizens and/or US residents) will be able to open a SIPP account and transfer a pension. You will usually need to report the value of your pension to the IRS on your annual return and you will be responsible for ensuring you comply with any local tax rules and regulations. Transferring an existing UK pension to a SIPP account is not classed as a distribution.
In the application, you must provide us with your National Insurance Number (NINO). This is your individual UK tax identification number and consists of two letters, six numbers then a letter e.g. AB123456C.
You will also need to upload a copy of your passport and a utility bill or bank statement so that we can verify your identity.
You must be aged 18 or over to open a SIPP account with MyExpatSIPP.
Transferring a pension
We are a member of the Origo Transfer Service which means we can transfer the majority of UK pensions without you having to complete reams of paperwork.
When you set up your SIPP account, we’ll ask you to enter the details of the pension(s) you want to transfer, such as the name of provider, your policy number and approximate value. If the existing provider is a member of Origo, we will instruct the transfer via Origo and you usually won’t be required to do anything else. We’ll liaise directly with your existing provider to arrange the transfer and will let you know once it is complete. Transfers via Origo can be completed in just a few days although generally it takes 2-3 weeks.
If they’re not a member of Origo, your existing provider will have a transfer discharge form that will need to be completed by yourself and us.
Yes, the SIPP is ideal for combining multiple pensions into one easy to manage online plan. When you sign up you can include multiple pensions and we will transfer all of these into your new plan.
When transferring a pension containing safeguarded benefits, such as a Final Salary pension, with a transfer value of £30,000 or more, you must obtain appropriate independent advice from an FCA authorised and regulated Financial Adviser. As we do not provide financial advice, you will need to arrange this advice separately. You can find a register of advisers on the Government’s Money Advice Service website.
Once you have obtained this advice and have the confirmation of advice certificate, we can assist you with transferring to the SIPP.
Yes, we have helped many people who have previously transferred their pensions to an often expensive and unnecessary QROPS. In most instances, you will be able to transfer your money from the QROPS into our SIPP, but it will depend on who your QROPS is with. Contact us and we can let you know if it’s possible.
If you have been awarded a percentage of your ex Spouse’s pension as part of a pension sharing order, you will be able to transfer this to a new SIPP with us. Get in touch and we’ll let you know how to arrange this.
Making contributions
Yes. However, in order to obtain UK tax relief at source, you must be classed as a relevant UK individual. If you’re not classed as a relevant UK individual you can still contribute to your SIPP, but you will not be able to obtain tax relief on your contribution.
You are a relevant UK individual for a given tax year if you:
If you fall within category b), c) or d) above and you do not have relevant UK earnings, the maximum member contribution is the basic amount (currently £3,600 including tax relief).
As a general rule, most income that is earned and assessable for income tax in the UK counts as relevant UK earnings.
Income that generally does NOT count includes:
Examples of earnings that count as relevant UK earnings can be found on the HMRC website here: https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/pensions-tax-manual/ptm044100#earnings.
A summary of some types of relevant earnings is provided below:
The above is not a complete list of relevant earnings. If you are in any doubt as to whether earnings, on which you are reliant to justify the amount of contribution being paid, are relevant UK earnings, then you should seek professional advice.
Yes. It must be a limited company that is registered in England & Wales. Contributions from the company are usually allowed as a business expense.
Taking withdrawals
Under UK pension rules, you are allowed to start taking withdrawals from your pension once you reach Normal Minimum Pension Age (NMPA) which is currently age 55. Provided you have reached NMPA, as soon as we receive a transfer we will be able to pay a withdrawal, there is no waiting period.
The normal minimum pension age is the earliest age that you can usually access your pension savings and is set by the government. This is currently age 55, however this is rising to age 57 from 6 April 2028. Therefore, if you’re born on or after 6 April 1973, you will have a minimum pension age of 57 so will not be able to take any benefits until they reach that age. This applies to all pensions in the UK, although the State Pension has different rules.
Yes, we can pay the tax free lump sum with the rest left invested in your plan which you can access later on at any time. You don’t have to take your full 25% all in one go, you can take this in stages so you can benefit from any growth in your pension.
MyExpatSIPP allows you to take withdrawals using flexi-access drawdown rules. This means you have complete control and flexibility over how you withdraw the money from your pension.
Once we receive the transfer from your previous provider, we can usually pay withdrawals within 5 working days.
No, we can pay your withdrawals to a bank account anywhere in the world. Payments can only be made to an account held in your name, either solely or jointly.
| MES Essentials SIPP | MES SIPP | |
|---|---|---|
|
SIPP value |
From £35,000 |
From £50,000 |
|
Withdrawals |
Full flexi-access drawdown Payments to overseas bank accounts in over 40 currencies |
Full flexi-access drawdown Payments to overseas bank accounts in over 40 currencies |
|
Investments |
Default investment option only |
Multi currency investments and cash ETFs & Investment Trusts Unit Trusts and OEICs (Mutual Funds) |
|
Annual charge |
|
|
