Paul Dickinson, Trust & Estate Planning SE Asia

Regional Director, Helping HNW families in Southeast Asia protect & transfer wealth through bespoke structures, tax planning & estate strategies.

[Paul Dickinson, Trust & Estate Planning SE Asia @Pauld22]

Check out the latest article in my newsletter: Why PPLI Has Become Essential in Modern Estate Planning and Asset Protection https://t.co/AP6hgR56eG via @LinkedIn

[Paul Dickinson, Trust & Estate Planning SE Asia @Pauld22]

We started restructuring in January. 4 months in, he's in a far better position.

If he'd come to me in October, some of those options would've been gone.

10 months left. #IHT

[Paul Dickinson, Trust & Estate Planning SE Asia @Pauld22]

Client in Thailand. SIPP worth £620k. Untouched for 11 years. He thought leaving it to grow was smart.

[Paul Dickinson, Trust & Estate Planning SE Asia @Pauld22]

Post-April 2027: 40% IHT hits the pot. His UK-based daughter pays income tax on drawdown. Combined rate: above 60%.

On money he spent 30 years building.

[Paul Dickinson, Trust & Estate Planning SE Asia @Pauld22]

From April 2027, your UK pension pot is exposed to 40% IHT. Wealth in a properly structured QNUPS isn't.

Worth knowing the difference. #IHT

[Paul Dickinson, Trust & Estate Planning SE Asia @Pauld22]

Most UK expats know what a QROPS is. Almost none know about QNUPS — and it's the more flexible tool.

[Paul Dickinson, Trust & Estate Planning SE Asia @Pauld22]

QNUPS = Qualifying Non-UK Pension Scheme.

Sits outside your UK estate for IHT. You don't transfer your pension in — you contribute new wealth directly. Can hold property, investments, business assets.

[Paul Dickinson, Trust & Estate Planning SE Asia @Pauld22]

A pension left untouched in the UK felt like good planning in 2018.

In 2027 it looks very different. Get it reviewed.

[Paul Dickinson, Trust & Estate Planning SE Asia @Pauld22]

UK expats in Thailand now have two pension tax problems running simultaneously.

[Paul Dickinson, Trust & Estate Planning SE Asia @Pauld22]

Problem 1: Thailand's 2026 tax rules may tax foreign income you remit — including pension drawdown.

Problem 2: April 2027 IHT will hit your pension pot at 40% on death. Beneficiaries then pay income tax on top.

[Paul Dickinson, Trust & Estate Planning SE Asia @Pauld22]

QROPS and QNUPS exist specifically to get pension assets out of this firing line.

But they take 6–9 months to implement properly. The clock is running. #IHT

[Paul Dickinson, Trust & Estate Planning SE Asia @Pauld22]

Here's the maths: 40% IHT hits the pension pot on death. Beneficiaries then pay up to 45% income tax on drawdown.

Combined = 64–67% gone. On money you already paid tax to earn.

[Paul Dickinson, Trust & Estate Planning SE Asia @Pauld22]

Your UK pension is about to become a 67% tax liability.

April 2027. 10 months away.

[Paul Dickinson, Trust & Estate Planning SE Asia @Pauld22]

📰 Pensions News — South Korea:

South Korea has raised its National Pension contribution rate from 9% to 13% — its first major hike in nearly three decades — while adjusting the income replacement rate to 43% starting 2026.

Our take: Korea's pension overhaul is a bellwether for the region. As aging demographics pressure retirement systems across Asia, SEA policymakers face mounting urgency to act on contribution adequacy and long-term fund sustainability.

Read more 👉 https://t.co/lWykUAKyd7

#PensionsNews #SEAPensions #GlobalRetirement #FinancialPlanning

[Paul Dickinson, Trust & Estate Planning SE Asia @Pauld22]

💡 Pensions Tip of the Week:

Start early — even small contributions compound dramatically over time. A 25-year-old contributing $200/month will accumulate significantly more than a 35-year-old contributing $400/month, thanks to an extra decade of compound growth.

Relevant across markets — from the UK to Singapore to Malaysia.

Did you know? The average Singaporean CPF member who maximises voluntary top-ups from age 30 can accumulate up to 40% more at retirement than one who starts at 40 — a pattern mirrored in UK pension data and Malaysian EPF statistics.

#PensionAdvice #RetirementPlanning #GlobalFinance

[Paul Dickinson, Trust & Estate Planning SE Asia @Pauld22]

11 months left. Not to decide. To complete.

What's stopping you from having the conversation this month? #IHT #UKExpat

[Paul Dickinson, Trust & Estate Planning SE Asia @Pauld22]

"I'll sort it next year."

The most expensive sentence in expat financial planning.

[Paul Dickinson, Trust & Estate Planning SE Asia @Pauld22]

QROPS transfers. Trust structures. Estate restructuring. Months to implement — not weeks. Pension providers alone need 90+ days. Q4 2026 is already cutting it close. Q1 2027 may be too late.

[Paul Dickinson, Trust & Estate Planning SE Asia @Pauld22]

UK expat. Bangkok. £820K SIPP. Never moved it.

"I didn't think it applied to me because I live here now."

It did.

April 2027: £328K to HMRC if nothing changes.

11 months left.

[Paul Dickinson, Trust & Estate Planning SE Asia @Pauld22]

Transfers take months — due diligence, approvals, regulatory sign-offs.

11 months left. Starting in March 2027 isn't starting in time.

Know what you hold.

[Paul Dickinson, Trust & Estate Planning SE Asia @Pauld22]

QROPS vs QNUPS.

From April 2027 this distinction is worth hundreds of thousands.

QNUPS: brought into IHT scope.
QROPS: not.

[Paul Dickinson, Trust & Estate Planning SE Asia @Pauld22]

HMRC's technical note (May 2026) confirms QNUPS will be included in estates from April 2027.

QROPS remains outside UK IHT on death.

£800K in a QNUPS = £320K your family doesn't get. Unless you act.