Personal Pensions - Employer contributing

As a one man close company, if I take out a personal pension can the company

Yes, it can. It can contribute up to the maximum of the particular individual's allowance relevant to his age (reduced by whatever amount the individual himself is making). In fact, it is better if the company makes the contribution because it can claim corporation tax relief on the premiums and they are not assessable for National Insurance as a benefit it kind to the individual.

No, any number is OK.

Rob Graham

excellent news, cheers.

Also one other question, the literature doesn't make it clear but with the new Stakeholder pensions is it that if you are in an occupational pension scheme AND a controlling director you cannot open one or if you are a controlling director regardless of whether you are in an occu scheme you cannot open one ?! Hope that makes sense !

The first statement is true. If you were in an OPS and not a controlling director and earned less than 30,000 then you could have a stakeholder (putting in no more than 3,600 gross p.a.)

Incidentally, these rules apply to all personal pensions, not just stakeholders (which are only a form of PP). Most people seem to think there is something magical and different about S/H, but there isn't with respect to the Revenue rules. It's because there were changes to some of the PP rules which came out at the same time as S/H were introduced that there has been confusion.

Rob