Divorce and Pensions

Pensions usually represent the second largest asset after the matrimonial home, in some cases the largest.

The Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999 introduced pension sharing for petitions issued after 1 December 2000. However, the factors relating to pensions can be very complex, especially if the parties have a combination of final salary and money purchase schemes.

There is a risk that settlements can be reached without understanding the full range of options and the same applies to the formal dissolution of a civil partnership. Therefore, couples going through divorce should make sure they understand the options, including the advantages and disadvantages of each, before deciding on how to divide pension assets. Ideally, this should happen before any negotiation towards a settlement even takes place.

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