Office of Public Sector Information

493 The value of a policy or contract

(1) In the case of a chargeable event within section 484(1)(a) (i) or (iii), (c), (d) or (e) (surrender of all rights, final participation in profits, maturity or, in the case of a contract for a life annuity that provides for taking a capital sum on death, death or taking a capital sum as a complete alternative to annuity payments), the value of the policy or contract is the total of—

(a) any sum payable because of the event, and

(b) in the case of a policy of life insurance or a capital redemption policy, any value or amount specified in subsection (2).

(2) The value or amount is—

(a) if a right to periodical payments arises because of the event, an amount equal to the capital value of those payments at the time the right arises, and

(b) the amount or value of any other benefits arising because of the event.

(3) Subsection (1) does not apply to a surrender treated as made under section 490 (last payment under guaranteed income bond contracts etc. treated as total surrender).

(4) In that case the value of the rights treated as surrendered is treated as being equal to the amount of the payment treated as the surrender.

(5) In the case of a chargeable event within section 484(1)(a)(ii) (assignment of all rights), the value of the policy or contract is the amount or value of the consideration for the assignment.

(6) But an assignment of a policy of life insurance or a contract for a life annuity between connected persons is treated as made for a consideration equal to the market value of the policy or contract.

(7) In the case of a chargeable event within section 484(1)(b) (death), the value of the policy is its surrender value immediately before the death.

(8) This section is subject to—

• section 495 (disregard of certain amounts in calculating gains under section 491), and

• section 497 (disregard of trivial inducement benefits).

494 The total allowable deductions for a policy or contract

(1) To calculate the total allowable deductions for a policy or contract for the purposes of section 491—

Step 1

Add together—

Step 2

In the case of a contract for a life annuity under which any annuity payments have been made, reduce the result of step 1 by so much of those payments as is—

(2) In the case of a capital redemption policy which has been assigned for money or money’s worth before the event, the reference in paragraph (a) of step 1 in subsection (1) to the total amount of premiums paid under the policy or contract before the event is a reference to the total of—

(a) the amount or value of the consideration given for the last such assignment, and

(b) the total amount of premiums paid under the policy or contract after that assignment and before the event.

(3) References to the policy in paragraphs (a) and (b) of step 1 in subsection (1) and in subsection (2) include any related policy.

(4) Subsection (1) is subject to—

• section 495 (disregard of certain amounts in calculating gains under section 491), and

• section 496 (modification of this section: qualifying endowment policies held as security for company debts).

495 Disregard of certain amounts in calculating gains under section 491

(1) A retained replacement policy premium is ignored in calculating—

(a) the total benefit value of a policy under section 492(1), or

(b) the total allowable deductions for a policy under section 494(1).

(2) In subsection (1) “retained replacement policy premium” means a sum which—

(a) has been payable under a policy which is one of two or more policies treated as a single policy under section 542(1) (qualifying policies and policies replacing them), and

(b) is such a sum as is mentioned in section 542(4) and meets the condition in that section.

(3) For the purposes of section 492(1)(b) and (c) (total benefit value: capital sums and benefits paid or conferred before the event in question), any sum paid or benefit conferred under a policy is ignored if it is attributable to a person’s disability.

(4) For the purposes of section 492(1)(f) (total benefit value: assignments), a share assigned before the event is ignored if—

(a) it was assigned in an insurance year (see section 499) that began on or after 6th April 2001, and

(b) it was not assigned for money or money’s worth.

(5) The reference to the policy in subsection (3) includes any related policy.

496 Modification of section 494: qualifying endowment policies held as security for company debts

(1) This section applies if—

(a) a chargeable event within section 484(1)(a)(i), (b) or (c) (surrender of all rights, death or maturity) occurs in relation to a qualifying endowment policy (see subsection (7)),

(b) immediately before the event occurs the rights under the policy are held as security for a debt owed by a company, and

(c) the company debt conditions are met (see subsection (4)).

(2) If—

(a) the amount of the debt exceeds the amounts referred to in paragraph (a) of step 1 in section 494(1) (the total amount of premiums paid before the event), and

(b) the company makes a claim within two years after the end of the accounting period in which the chargeable event occurs,

section 494 applies as if that paragraph referred instead to the amount of the debt.

(3) If the amount of the debt varied during the policy period, it is to be taken for the purposes of subsection (2) as the lowest amount at which it stood during that period.

(4) The company debt conditions are that—

(a) throughout the policy period, the rights conferred by the policy have been held as security for a debt owed by the company referred to in subsection (1)(b),

(b) the capital sum payable under the policy in the event of death during the term of the policy is not less than the amount of the debt when the insurance was made,

(c) any sum payable under the policy as a result of the event is applied in repayment of the debt (except so far as it exceeds the debt), and

(d) the debt was incurred to pay money applied for the purposes of the company’s trade premises.

(5) Money is applied for the purposes of a company’s trade premises if it is applied—

(a) in purchasing an estate or interest in land to be occupied by the company for the purposes of a trade carried on by it, or

(b) for the purpose of the construction, extension or improvement (but not the repair or maintenance) of buildings which are or are to be so occupied.

(6) If during the policy period the company incurs a debt by borrowing in order to repay another debt, references to a debt in subsections (3) and (4) include both debts where appropriate.

(7) In this section—

• “accounting period” is to be read in accordance with section 12 of ICTA,

• “the policy period” means the period beginning with the making of the insurance and ending immediately before the chargeable event, and

• “ qualifying endowment policy” means a policy which is a qualifying policy as a result of paragraph 2 of Schedule 15 to ICTA.

497 Disregard of trivial inducement benefits

(1) A benefit other than a payment of money is ignored for the purposes of calculating any gain under this Chapter if—

(a) it is provided by an insurance company for any person as an inducement for the person to enter into—

(i) a policy or contract to which this Chapter applies, or

(ii) a later transaction in relation to such a policy or contract, and

(b) the condition specified in subsection (2) is met.

(2) The condition is that the total cost to the insurance company of providing the benefit and any other such benefits provided by it at any time in connection with the policy or contract, or any linked policy or contract, does not exceed £30.

(3) The Treasury may by order amend the sum for the time being specified in subsection (2) so as to increase it.

(4) For the purposes of this section, a policy or contract is linked to another policy or contract if—

(a) their terms are substantially identical, and

(b) when one of them is issued or made the issue or making of the other is contemplated.

Part surrenders and assignments: periodic calculations and excess events

498 Requirement for periodic calculations in part surrender or assignment cases

(1) This section applies if—

(a) a part of, or share in, the rights under a policy or contract is surrendered, or

(b) such a part or share is assigned for money or money’s worth.

(2) A calculation is to be made in accordance with section 507 in relation to the policy or contract as at the end of the insurance year in which the surrender or assignment occurs (see section 499) to determine—

(a) whether a gain has arisen on the policy or contract, and

(b) if so, the amount of the gain.

(3) For cases where surrenders and assignments of a part of the rights under a policy or contract are treated as occurring where they would not otherwise do so, see sections 500 to 506.

499 Meaning of “insurance year” and “final insurance year”

(1) In this Chapter “insurance year”, in relation to a policy or contract, means the 12 months beginning with—

(a) the date on which the insurance or contract is made, or

(b) any anniversary of that date.

(2) Subsection (1) is subject to subsections (3) and (5).

(3) An event referred to in section 484(1)(a)(i) or (iii) or (b) to (e) (surrender of all rights, final participation in profits, death, maturity, or taking a capital sum as a complete alternative to annuity payments) is treated as ending the insurance year in which it occurs.

(4) In this Chapter “final insurance year” means an insurance year that is ended as a result of subsection (3).

(5) But if, as a result of subsection (3), an insurance year would begin and end in the same tax year—

(a) that insurance year and the previous insurance year are treated as one insurance year, and

(b) “final insurance year” needs to be read accordingly.

500 Events treated as part surrenders

The following events are treated for the purposes of this Chapter as a surrender of a part of the rights under the policy or contract in question—

(a) the falling due of a sum payable as a result of a right under a policy or contract to participate in profits where further rights remain under it,

(b) in the case of a contract for a life annuity which provides for a capital sum to be taken as an alternative in part to the annuity payments, taking the capital sum,

(c) the making of a loan to which section 501 applies, and

(d) the making of a payment to which section 504 applies (payments by insurers under guaranteed income bonds etc.).

501 Part surrenders: loans

(1) This section applies to a loan (and so it falls within section 500(c)) if it is made by the insurer under a policy or contract—

(a) to an individual falling within subsection (2),

(b) to trustees falling within subsection (3), or

(c) to a company falling within subsection (4).

(2) An individual falls within this subsection at any time if, were a gain to arise in respect of the policy or contract at that time, the individual would be liable for tax under this Chapter as a result of section 465 (person liable: individuals).

(3) Trustees fall within this subsection at any time if, were a gain to arise in respect of the policy or contract at that time, they would be liable for tax under this Chapter as a result of section 467 (person liable: UK resident trustees).

(4) A company falls within this subsection at any time if, were a gain to arise in respect of the policy or contract at that time, it would be treated as forming part of the company’s income under section 547 of ICTA (method of charging gain to corporation tax).

(5) For the purposes of subsection (1), a loan—

(a) is treated as made by an insurer if it is made by arrangement with it, and

(b) is treated as made to an individual, trustees or a company if it is made at the individual's, trustees' or company’s direction.

(6) In this section “insurer”, in relation to a policy or contract, means the body issuing the policy or with which the contract is made.

(7) This section is subject to—

(a) section 502 (exception for loans to buy life annuities), and

(b) section 503 (exception for certain loans under qualifying policies).

502 Exception from section 501 for loans to buy life annuities

(1) Section 501 does not apply to a loan made under a contract for a life annuity if all the interest on the loan is eligible for tax relief.

(2) If part of the interest is eligible for tax relief, section 501 only applies to the part of the loan carrying ineligible interest.

(3) For the purposes of this section, interest is eligible for tax relief if it is eligible for relief under section 353 of ICTA (general provision for relief for interest) as a result of section 365 of ICTA (loan to buy life annuity).

503 Exception from section 501 for certain loans under qualifying policies

(1) Section 501 does not apply to a loan made by the body issuing a qualifying policy if either or both of conditions A and B are met.

(2) Condition A is that interest is payable on the loan at a commercial rate.

(3) Condition B is that the loan was made—

(a) before 6th April 2000,

(b) to a full-time employee of the body issuing the policy, and

(c) to assist the employee in purchasing or improving a dwelling to be used as the employee’s only or main residence.

504 Part surrenders: payments under guaranteed income bonds etc.

(1) This section applies to so much of any payment of an amount by an insurer under a guaranteed income bond contract as meets conditions A to C (and so it falls within section 500(d)).

(2) Condition A is that it is a sum which, but for subsection (6), would be treated for income tax purposes as interest or an annual payment.

(3) Condition B is that it is not a sum paid or falling to be paid because of provisions of the guaranteed income bond contract which, taken alone, would constitute a contract of insurance—

(a) within Part 1 or 2 of Schedule 1 to the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001 (S.I. 2001/544), but

(b) not within paragraph 1 or 3 of Part 2 of that Schedule (life and annuity contracts including certain linked long-term contracts).

(4) Condition C is that it does not represent late payment interest.

(5) This section does not apply if the payment comprises the whole of the last benefit to be paid under the contract (ignoring late payment interest).

(6) A sum to which this section applies is not regarded as interest or as an annual payment for any income tax purposes.

(7) In this section—

• “guaranteed income bond contract” means a policy of life insurance that is a contract of insurance which—

  (a)

  is within paragraph 1 or 3 of Part 2 of Schedule 1 to the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001, and

  (b)

  is neither an annuity contract nor a contract effected in the course of a company’s pension business,

• “late payment interest”, in relation to a contract, means interest on an amount payable under the contract which is paid for a period beginning on or after the date of the occurrence as a result of which the amount is payable, and

• “pension business” has the meaning given by section 431B of ICTA (or the corresponding enactment in force when the contract was effected).

505 Assignments etc. involving co-ownership

(1) For the purposes of this Chapter (except this section and section 506)—

(a) a transaction to which this section applies is taken to be one or more assignments of part only of the rights under the policy or contract in respect of which the transaction occurs, and

(b) those assignments are the ones specified in section 506.

(2) If subsection (1) applies to a transaction that is an assignment—

(a) of the whole of the rights under a policy or contract, or

(b) of a part of or a share in those rights,

any reference to the assignment in this Chapter (except this section and section 506) is to be read as a reference to the assignment or assignments that the transaction is taken to be under subsection (1).

(3) This section applies to a transaction in respect of which conditions A and B and either condition C or D or E are met.

(4) Condition A is that—

(a) immediately before the transaction the whole or part of, or a share in, the rights under the policy or contract (“the ownership interest”) was in the beneficial ownership of one person or of two or more persons jointly (“the old ownership”), and

(b) as a result of the transaction the ownership interest becomes beneficially owned by one person or by two or more persons jointly or in common (“the new ownership”).

(5) Condition B is that at least one person who is a member of the old ownership is also a member of the new ownership.

(6) Condition C is that there is only one member of the old ownership and there are two or more members of the new ownership.

(7) Condition D is that there are two or more members of the old ownership and at least one of them is not a member of the new ownership.

(8) Condition E is that there are two or more members of the old ownership and the share in the ownership interest of at least one of those members (see section 506(5)) exceeds that member’s share in the ownership interest as a member of the new ownership (see section 506(6)).

506 Assignments occurring when there is a co-ownership transaction

(1) This section sets out the assignment or assignments that are taken to occur under section 505 when there is a transaction to which that section applies (“a co-ownership transaction”).

(2) If there is only one member of the old ownership, that member is to be treated as if the co-ownership transaction had been the assignment by that member of so much of the ownership interest as exceeds that member’s share in the ownership interest as a member of the new ownership.

(3) If there are two or more members of the old ownership, each such member who is not a member of the new ownership is to be treated as if the co-ownership transaction had been the assignment by that member of that member’s share in the ownership interest.

(4) If there are two or more members of the old ownership, each such member whose share in the ownership interest as a member of the old ownership exceeds that member’s share in the ownership interest as a member of the new ownership is to be treated as if the co-ownership transaction had been the assignment by that member of that excess.

(5) If the old ownership consists of two or more persons beneficially entitled jointly, the members of the old ownership are to be treated as if the ownership interest had been in their beneficial ownership in equal shares instead of jointly.

(6) If the new ownership consists of two or more persons beneficially entitled jointly, the members of the old ownership are to be treated as if the result of the co-ownership transaction had been that the ownership interest was in the beneficial ownership of the members of the new ownership in equal shares instead of jointly.

(7) In this section “the ownership interest”, “the old ownership” and “the new ownership” are to be read as indicated in section 505(4).

507 Method for making periodic calculations under section 498

(1) This section deals with the calculation required to be made in relation to a policy or contract as at the end of an insurance year under section 498(2) (requirement for periodic calculations in part surrender and assignment cases) to determine—

(a) whether a gain has arisen, and

(b) if so, the amount of the gain.

(2) There is a gain if the net total value of rights surrendered or assigned exceeds the net total allowable payments (see subsections (4) and (5)).

(3) The gain is equal to the excess.

(4) To calculate the net total value of rights surrendered or assigned—

Step 1

Find—

in each case determining the value in accordance with section 508.

Step 2

Add together those values.

Step 3

If any previous calculation events (other than personal portfolio bond events) have occurred in relation to the policy or contract—

(5) To calculate the net total allowable payments—

Step 1

Find the allowable element in each allowable payment by multiplying the amount of the payment by—

Step 2

Add together the allowable elements for all allowable payments.

Step 3

Add together all the allowable elements brought into account under this subsection on a previous calculation event.

Step 4

Subtract the result of step 3 from the result of step 2.

(6) In this section—

• “allowable payment” means a premium, other than a retained replacement policy premium, and

• “retained replacement policy premium” has the meaning given in section 495(2).

508 The value of rights partially surrendered or assigned

(1) For the purposes of sections 507, 511 and 512, where any part of or share in rights conferred by a policy or contract is surrendered, the value of the part of or share in the rights surrendered is the amount or value of the sum payable or other benefits arising because of the surrender, except where subsection (2) or (3) applies.

(2) In the case of a surrender within section 500(c) (loans by insurers to which section 501 applies), the value for those purposes is an amount equal to the loan.

(3) In the case of a surrender within section 500(d) (payments by insurers under guaranteed income bonds etc.), the value for those purposes is the amount to which section 504 applies.

(4) For the purposes of sections 507, 511 and 512, where any part of or share in rights conferred by a policy or contract is assigned, the value of the part or share as at the time of the assignment is its surrender value at that time.

(5) For the requirement to ignore certain benefits, see section 497 (disregard of trivial inducement benefits).

509 Chargeable events in certain cases where periodic calculations show gains

(1) If the calculation in section 507 shows that a gain has arisen as at the end of the insurance year, the gain is treated as arising on the occurrence of a chargeable event at the end of that year, unless condition A, B or C is met.

(2) Subsection (1) is subject to section 485(3) (which restricts the circumstances in which such events occur in relation to qualifying policies).

(3) Condition A is that during the insurance year there has been an assignment for money or money’s worth of part of or a share in the rights conferred by the policy or contract.

(4) Condition B is that during the insurance year there has been both—

(a) a surrender of part of or a share in the rights conferred by the policy or contract, and

(b) a later assignment, otherwise than for money or money’s worth, of the whole or part of or a share in the rights conferred by the policy or contract.

(5) Condition C is that the insurance year is the final insurance year.

(6) See section 510 (transaction-related calculations in certain part surrender and assignment cases) if one or both of conditions A and B are met.

Transaction-related calculations and part surrender or assignment events

510 Requirement for transaction-related calculations in certain part surrender and assignment cases

(1) This section applies if—

(a) the calculation in section 507 shows that a gain has arisen as at the end of the insurance year, but

(b) one or both of the conditions specified in section 509(3) and (4) are met (and so no chargeable event is treated as occurring at the end of the year under section 509).

(2) A calculation is to be made in accordance with section 511 in relation to each relevant transaction during the insurance year to determine—

(a) whether the transaction resulted in a gain arising on the policy or contract, and

(b) if so, the amount of the gain.

(3) In this section and sections 511 to 514 “relevant transaction” means—

(a) a surrender of part of or a share in the rights under the policy or contract, or

(b) an assignment of such a part or share for money or money’s worth.

(4) If two or more relevant transactions occurred during the insurance year, a calculation in accordance with section 511 is to be made in relation to each of them successively in the order in which they occurred.

(5) A calculation falling to be made in accordance with section 511 in relation to a relevant transaction occurring in the final insurance year is to be made before any calculation under section 491 for the chargeable event that ends that year.

(6) But, in the case of a relevant transaction so occurring, subsections (2) and (4) are subject to section 513(5) (under which those subsections do not apply to some such relevant transactions).

511 Method for making transaction-related calculations under section 510

(1) This section deals with the calculation required to be made under section 510 to determine—

(a) whether a relevant transaction which has occurred during an insurance year resulted in a gain arising on the policy or contract, and

(b) if so, the amount of the gain.

(2) There is a gain if the transaction value for the relevant transaction (see subsection (4)) exceeds the amount of available premium left for the relevant transaction as calculated in accordance with section 512.

(3) The gain is equal to the excess.

(4) The transaction value for the relevant transaction is the value in accordance with section 508, as at the time of its surrender or assignment, of the part of or share in the rights under the policy or contract which has been surrendered or assigned in the transaction.

(5) Subsections (2) and (4) are subject to section 513(4) (under which the transaction value is to be reduced in certain cases where the relevant transaction occurs in the final insurance year).

512 Available premium left for relevant transaction

(1) For the purposes of section 511(2), the amount of available premium left for a relevant transaction is the amount, if any, by which the available net allowable payments (see subsection (3)) exceed the available net total values for the year (see subsection (4)).

(2) But the amount of available premium left for the relevant transaction is nil if—

(a) one or more other relevant transactions have occurred in respect of the relevant contract earlier in the insurance year, and

(b) for the latest of them the calculation in section 511(2) produced a gain.

(3) To calculate the available net allowable payments—

Step 1

Calculate the net total allowable payments as at the end of the insurance year in accordance with section 507(5).

Step 2

If—

subtract the sum of the transaction values for the earlier transactions from the result of step 1.

(4) To calculate the available net total values for the year—

Step 1

Calculate the net total value of rights surrendered or assigned, as at the end of the insurance year, in accordance with section 507(4), ignoring for the purposes of step 3 in that section any relevant transactions in that year that are treated as chargeable events under section 514.

Step 2

Subtract from the result of step 1 the value, as at the time of its surrender or assignment, of any part of or share in the rights under the policy or contract which has been surrendered in the insurance year or assigned in that year for money or money’s worth, determining the value in accordance with section 508.