I can’t be alone in thinking that the recent House of Lords committee sessions on the Finance Bill and, in particular, discussion on bringing unused pension pots into scope for inheritance tax (IHT) made for interesting viewing.

I’m sure many of you reading this on SIPPs Professional will have had more than a few conversations with clients about estate planning – especially considering the news that pensions are to be included in the value of the estate for IHT purposes from April 2027.

The headline story from Budget 2025 - in the pension world at least - was the plan to cap National Insurance relief for pension contributions paid through salary sacrifice at £2,000 a year.

The Government’s decision to bring most unused pension funds and lump sum death benefits within the scope of inheritance tax (IHT) from 6 April 2027 has provoked widespread criticism from across the pensions industry. Providers, advisers and trade bodies have warned that the change risks undermining confidence in pension saving and damaging long term retirement provision.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has won its first recovery order against David Ames, the convicted fraudster who cheated 8,000 victims through the £226m Harlequin SIPP-focused timeshare scheme.

Quarterly SIPP net sales in 2025 fell to their worst level since 2012, according to the latest Fundscape platform report.

The headline story from Budget 2025 - in the pension world at least - was the plan to cap National Insurance relief for pension contributions paid through salary sacrifice at £2,000 a year.

The Government’s decision to bring most unused pension funds and lump sum death benefits within the scope of inheritance tax (IHT) from 6 April 2027 has provoked widespread criticism from across the pensions industry. Providers, advisers and trade bodies have warned that the change risks undermining confidence in pension saving and damaging long term retirement provision.