Majority of GP scheme records are out of date

A freedom of information request by Quilter to the NHS Business Services Authority has revealed just 26 per cent of GPs’ pension records for 2017-18 are up to date.

The FOI request confirmed that out of 42,451 active practitioner records in England, 11,232 had been updated as of March 31 2018.

But NHS Business Services Authority said it could not comment on whether the other 31,219 should have a 2017-18 update or if the record should no longer be active, and it could not say for definite how many records are incomplete.

Experts have warned that without access to these records, doctors are unaware if they will be hit by a significant tax bill because they have breached their annual allowance.

Dr Richard Vautrey, chairman of the British Medical Association’s GP committee, said: “It is a disgrace that bureaucratic delays are preventing so many GPs from accessing vital pension statements.

“The current pension tax system is already far too complicated and opaque. However, without access to these statements, family doctors will be completely blind to potentially huge tax charges.”

In November, the government committed to cover the tax bills that arise from the controversial annual allowance taper for doctors and consultants in England. But the measure will only apply to the 2019-20 tax year.

The taper, which was introduced in 2016, gradually reduces the annual allowance for those on high incomes, meaning they are more likely to suffer an annual tax charge on contributions and a lifetime allowance tax charge on their benefits.

It means that for every £2 of adjusted income above £150,000 a year, £1 of annual allowance will be lost.

The taper applies to individuals who have a threshold income – the gross income minus any tax relievable contributions such as pension contributions – above £110,000.

NHS Business Services Authority declined to comment.

This article originally appeared on ftadviser.com