Background COMMENTARY ON SECTIONS Section 3: Additional pension: upper accrual point to replace upper earnings limit from 2009-10
26.Currently an employee builds up entitlement to the state second pension on earnings up to the upper earnings limit and on which Class 1 National Insurance contributions have been paid or, in the case of a person earning between the lower earnings limit and the primary threshold, have been treated as paid. Such earnings give rise to earnings factors that are used in the calculation of state second pension entitlement.
27.Section 3 brings forward introduction of the upper accrual point (as to which see paragraphs 16 to 20 above).
28.Subsection (2) amends the definition of the “applicable limit” in section 22(2B) of the SSCBA 1992 replacing “the flat rate introduction year” (as introduced in the Pensions Act 2007 and which was to have been set by order) with the tax year in which the upper accrual point is to be introduced — the 2009-10 tax year. The effect of the amendment is to provide for the upper accrual point, as the cap on earnings factors in the state second pension, to be switched on from 2009-10. Prior to 2009-10 the applicable limit will remain as the upper earnings limit.
29.Subsection (3) amends section 44(7)(c) of the SSCBA 1992, as above, replacing “the flat rate introduction year” with “2009-10”.
30.Subsection (4)(a) replaces the definition of the “upper accrual point” and sets it at £770, which is the level of the upper earnings limit for 2008-09.
31.This subsection provides for a weekly upper accrual point in contrast to the annual limit as originally defined in section 12 of the Pension Act 2007. This caters for situations where, for example, there are more or less than 52 earnings periods in a tax year. The provision of a weekly upper accrual point also maintains the current alignment between the earnings that count for state second pension and those that count for rebate purposes, and lends itself more easily to the calculation of the relevant upper accrual point figure where an employee is paid other than on a weekly basis.
32.Subsection (4)(b) inserts subsection (6A) and (6B) into section 122 of the SSCBA 1992. Subsection (6A) is a regulation making power, to be exercised by the Treasury, which allows for regulations to be made that prescribe equivalents to the upper accrual point in relation to earners paid otherwise than weekly, for example monthly paid employees. Subsection (6B) ensures that the prescribed equivalents once calculated can be rounded to a whole pound figure. As the upper accrual point, once introduced, will be fixed, so too will the prescribed equivalents.
33.Subsection (4)(c) repeals subsections (7) and (8), which were inserted by the Pension Act 2007 and which defined the upper accrual point and allowed the Secretary of State to vary by order the rate of the upper accrual point before its introduction.