Early access to pension savings

The Government pledged to explore the potential to give people greater flexibility in accessing part of their private pension fund early.  This reflects the Government’s commitment to considering ways to boost individual saving, and foster a culture of personal responsibility, particularly in encouraging saving for retirement. 

The call for evidence set out the existing arguments that suggest early access to pension savings could provide an effective incentive for individuals to start saving or save more into a pension, and also outlined some of the different models for how early access could potentially be offered. 

The Government asked for representations and evidence on the possible benefits and risks of any early access reform and also on whether current pensions tax rules could be made more flexible for individuals with small pension pots.