Can a sipp be put into trust like a personal pension?

[johnedgu]

Please could it be confirmed (or not) that a sipp cannot be put into trust. I can find no documentation saying it can. That means death benefit beneficiaries have to be named in an expression of wishes form - a lot less flexible than a discretionary trust. The propaganda is that sipps are super-flexible, but I guess that's only with respect to investments!

Thank you. johnedgu

[bob.fraser@towrylaw.]

Most personal pensions (which is what self invested personal pension is) are written under master trusts, requiring a nomination form, as you say.
However, there is no reason why you cannot establish a discretionary trust separately to the SIPP and then nominate the trust on the nomination form. There is an least one SIPP provider that I use that has this facility as an option on the nomination form.

Bob Fraser
Chartered Financial Planner

[johnedgu]

Thank you for your swift reply: it is as I suspected. Oddly though my PPPs - also I understand ruled by some sort of master trust - are capable of being put into trust by the policy holder. Then there are the RAPs that have to be put into trust (to escape IHT) since there is no discretion to take any expression of wishes into account! Let's hope we don't get any more plan variants from Gordon - or George. Thanks again. johnedgu