The IDS Pensions Service is your essential guide to the increasingly complex world of occupational pensions. The service includes a ten-times-a-year journal plus in-depth handbooks.

The Pensions Bulletin brings you the latest news on company pension schemes, and reports on research undertaken by the IDS pensions team, including:

• contribution levels to defined benefit and defined contribution schemes
• the age at which active members begin to draw their pensions
• the investment returns achieved
• the levels of the average pension income paid by individual schemes

The IDS Pensions Service also gives you three annual in-depth handbooks - Pension Scheme Design, Pensions Tax and Regulation, and Pension Trustees and Administration. You’ll also get an annual benchmarking guide.

IDS Pensions Bulletin 238

• A summary of government consultation on the changes contracting out on a defined contribution basis and proposed changes to pensions tax relief
• A look at recent developments in relation to enhanced transfer exercises
• Analysis of the average pensions paid by defined benefit occupational pensions schemes
• A look at the abolition of DC contracting out and how it may affect transfers between defined benefit schemes and defined contribution arrangements
• Latest pensions news from the BBC, IBM, the Universities Superannuation Scheme and ICI

IDS Pensions Bulletin 237

• A summary of the Pensions Regulator’s guidance on scheme member record keeping, which applies to all workplace pension schemes
• A look at sponsor covenants and trustees’ conflicts of interest
• Analysis of the transfer payments paid and received by 165 occupational pension schemes in their last scheme year
• A look at the announcements made on pensions in the emergency Budget 
• Latest pensions news from De La Rue, Northern Rock, British Airways, Royal Mail and the Universities Superannuation Scheme

IDS Pensions Bulletin 236

• A summary of HM Revenue & Customs’ proposals for applying the scheme sanction charge on unauthorised payments made since 2006/07
• A case study looking at the proposals made for changes to the Universities Superannuation Scheme by the employers and the union after they failed to reach an agreement
• Analysis of the Financial Services Authority’s retail distribution review and how it affects employers sponsoring contract-based pension schemes
• A look at the pension policies included in the initial coalition agreement
• Latest pensions news from Capita Life and Pensions, Aviva, British Horseracing Authority and Smith & Nephew