Claire is a specialist in pensions law. She has over 18 years' experience of advising employers and trustees on all areas of pensions law and practice relevant to defined benefit and defined contribution pension schemes.
Claire's practice includes pensions clients (trustees or employers) in many sectors, including financial services, transport and retail. As an expert in automatic enrolment, she also advises both UK employers and inward investors on their UK pension obligations.
Helping you succeed in tomorrow's world
I help trustee and employer clients comply with their obligations under pension law. As well as day to day advisory work, I help employers to establish compliant pension arrangements, manage existing pension liabilities (e.g. by way of pension increase exchange or bulk annuity buy-ins) and consolidate existing pension liabilities by merging schemes or advising on bulk transfers.
I also troubleshoot for clients, including advising trustees and employers on how to resolve errors within scheme documentation or by administrators, deal with over or under payments to beneficiaries and how to handle complaints from beneficiaries.
Pension scheme governance is a priority for the Pensions Regulator. Our team has produced a client briefing on effective systems of governance as part of a series of client briefings on transformation themes, which also includes the Pensions Dashboard and environmental reporting (for investments). These are in addition to our client briefings on the moral hazard regime as updated by Pension Schemes Act 2021.
Claire Rankin is always extremely thorough and she is clearly very knowledgeable. She is very approachable and willing to provide advice at short notice when required. She works well together with other scheme advisers."
Manufacturing client
A unionised manufacturing client on the closure of its defined benefit pension scheme to accrual.
Multi-employer pension scheme
A trustee of a multi-employer pension scheme on errors within its pension increase provisions, and on the amendment and compromise of such benefits with the affected members.
Hybrid scheme
The trustee of a hybrid scheme on the bulk transfer of its defined contribution benefits to a master trust, including benefits with a GMP underpin.
Multi-section defined benefit scheme
The trustee of a multi-section defined benefit scheme in relation to equalisation for GMPs and GMP conversion.
Equality law
Advised an employer on the equalisation of normal retirement ages between men and women
Benefit corrections
Advised trustees in connection with errors in scheme rules and options for correction.
Scheme merger
Advised employer in connection with options to rationalise its legacy pension schemes following a corporate restructuring / merger.
Insights
HR pensions spotlight: TUPE transfers and pensions
HR pensions spotlight | Unregistered and section 615 schemes
We look at new requirements to register with, or provide additional information to, HMRC
HR pensions spotlight | Death-in-service benefits
What actions should an employer take when an employee dies and benefits are payable from pension and or life assurance...
HR pensions spotlight | Are you ready to talk about 'value for members'?
Regulatory focus on 'value for members' is increasing. We look at why employers might want to discuss it with pension...
HR pensions spotlight – how do you provide death-in-service benefits?
We look at how an excepted group life policy (EGLP) scheme can help to solve lifetime allowance problems.
New regulations put trustees 'in the driving seat' in the fight against pension scams
Our series on the Pension Schemes Act 2021 turns to draft regulations that require trustees to check that one of...
The Pensions Regulator launches consultation on a single code of practice
With important new governance requirements on the way, what actions do pension scheme trustees need to take?
DWP provides more detail on new contribution notice and investigatory powers provisions
In the third in a series of Insights looking at changes being made by the Pension Schemes Act 2021, we...
HR pensions spotlight | Salary sacrifice and pensions
We take a look at some of the potential pitfalls of using salary sacrifice arrangements for pension contributions.
Spring Budget 2021 | What did the chancellor have to say about pensions?
Pension savings capped and schemes encouraged to invest to support innovation
Climate risk governance and reporting duties: new obligations for occupational pension schemes
The Pension Schemes Act received Royal Assent on 11 February 2021. In the first of a series of Insights on...
HR pensions spotlight | Time to review your DC schemes?
As regulatory focus on governance and value for money increases, what do employers need to think about?