28 May 2026
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has published May’s edition of the pension scheme newsletter - 181. Giving a summary of all the latest pensions related announcements and updates.
Including updates on the following areas:
- notification of the withdrawal of the pension schemes online service – reminder that HMRC’s Pension Schemes Online Service will be withdrawn by April 2027. All schemes must be migrated by 31 December 2026 to avoid disruption. If any scheme needs to be wound up, pension scheme administrators should follow the instructions in newsletter 180
- inheritance Tax on pensions – From April 2027, changes on how Inheritance Tax applies to pensions will come into force. Earlier in May the government published a technical note on how the changes will work in practice. They have also commenced a consultation on the draft legislation. The changes will require pension providers, personal representatives and beneficiaries to share details about a deceased person’s pension with each other and HMRC
- relief at source – a reminder that forms have now been updated for interim claims and annual claims. Please ensure these forms are used going forwards. Confirmation of references to use for the different tax years has been added. There is also a reminder that the deadline for the 2025-26 annual return is 5 July 2026. HMRC has confirmed that they are continuing to transition to a new strategic payment service, planned to be introduced summer, more information will be available through future newsletters.
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