Lifetime Business Tax Plan

Two structures. One plan. Complete tax efficiency.

The Lifetime Business Tax Plan (LBTP) combines a SSAS pension with a Family Investment Company. Together they reduce Corporation Tax, grow tax-advantaged wealth, and protect it for the next generation - a co-ordinated plan built exclusively for company directors.

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Company directors reviewing a tax plan
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structures, one plan: SSAS and FIC working together
The most comprehensive director tax plan
What it is

Two structures that work harder together

The Lifetime Business Tax Plan is not a single product - it is a strategy that combines the two most powerful tax-planning structures available to company directors: a SSAS pension and a Family Investment Company.

Used separately, each structure is powerful. Used together, they address every stage of a director's financial life: cutting the Corporation Tax bill each year (SSAS), growing tax-free pension assets (SSAS), compounding investment wealth outside the estate (FIC), and passing that wealth to the next generation with minimal Inheritance Tax (FIC). TLPI designed the LBTP to give directors a single, co-ordinated plan rather than two unrelated structures.

How it works

The SSAS handles today. The FIC builds tomorrow.

The SSAS receives employer pension contributions that reduce Corporation Tax in the year they are paid. The pension can then lend funds back to the company if it needs capital. Meanwhile the FIC holds investments and family wealth outside the pension environment, using the dividend-exemption regime to compound returns inside the company.

  • SSAS contributions cut Corporation Tax each year
  • SSAS assets grow free of Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax
  • FIC receives dividend income largely exempt from Corporation Tax
  • FIC share structure allows controlled succession to family members
SSAS and FIC working together
What it does

The four pillars of the Lifetime Business Tax Plan

Each page is handled by the right structure - SSAS or FIC. Select a card to see how.

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Cut your Corporation Tax bill
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Employer contributions to the SSAS are an allowable business expense and reduce taxable profit in the year they are paid. The money does not leave the family - it moves into a HMRC-registered pension trust controlled by the director.

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Grow tax-free pension wealth
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Assets inside the SSAS are free of Income Tax, Capital Gains Tax and Corporation Tax. Commercial property held in the SSAS earns tax-free rent from the company. The fund can also lend up to 50% of its assets back to the sponsoring company on commercial terms.

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Compound investment wealth
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The FIC receives investment income - particularly dividends from UK companies - largely exempt from Corporation Tax. Returns compound inside the company until extracted. When extraction does happen, shareholders pay dividend tax rates, which are lower than Income Tax on salary.

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Plan succession and reduce IHT
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FIC share classes allow the founding director to gift economic value to children and grandchildren while retaining voting control. Over time, growth accrues outside the estate, reducing the Inheritance Tax exposure without the need for a trust structure.

Tax advantages

The full picture

No other structure available to company directors delivers all of these advantages in a single co-ordinated plan.

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SSAS contributions are deductible against Corporation Tax in the year they are paid.

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SSAS assets are free of Income Tax, Capital Gains Tax and Corporation Tax.

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Commercial property held in a SSAS earns tax-free rent and grows tax-free within the scheme.

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A SSAS can lend up to 50% of its net assets back to the sponsoring company on commercial terms.

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FIC dividend income from UK companies is largely exempt from Corporation Tax.

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FIC share classes allow controlled, tax-efficient succession to family members without triggering trust charges.

FAQs

Lifetime Business Tax Plan questions, answered

The questions company directors ask us most about the LBTP.

The Lifetime Business Tax Plan (LBTP) is a co-ordinated tax planning strategy that combines a Small Self-Administered Scheme (SSAS) pension with a Family Investment Company (FIC). It is designed for company directors who want to reduce Corporation Tax, grow wealth tax-efficiently, and plan succession - all from a single structured plan.

The LBTP is designed for company directors and business owners who are paying significant Corporation Tax, want to build wealth outside their business, and plan to pass assets to their family tax-efficiently. It is most effective when both a SSAS and a FIC are appropriate for the director's situation.

Yes. A SSAS is a pension trust; a FIC is a private limited company. They are separate legal entities with different tax treatments. Having both is the foundation of the LBTP. TLPI advises on, and administers, both structures together so they work in a co-ordinated way.

The two structures can interact. For example, a FIC can receive dividends from investments that would otherwise sit in the company's main trading account, while the SSAS receives employer pension contributions that reduce Corporation Tax. They operate independently but can be managed together as part of the LBTP strategy.

  • SSAS contributions reduce Corporation Tax in the year paid.
  • SSAS assets grow free of Income Tax, Capital Gains Tax and Corporation Tax.
  • FIC dividend income is largely exempt from Corporation Tax for UK companies.
  • FIC share classes reduce Inheritance Tax over time through gifting.
  • Extraction via dividends is taxed at lower rates than salary.

The SSAS element is regulated by HMRC and The Pensions Regulator; it is not an FCA-regulated product. The FIC is a private limited company and is not regulated by the FCA. TLPI is a tax planning specialist, not an FCA-regulated firm.

Setting up a SSAS typically takes several weeks to complete HMRC registration and, where applicable, pension transfers. Setting up a FIC requires company formation and drafting of the share structure and articles of association. TLPI co-ordinates both, but the combined timeline is usually two to three months from initial engagement.

Yes. Employer contributions to the SSAS can be made each year up to the annual allowance (currently £60,000). Additional family members can be added to the SSAS or issued shares in the FIC at any time. The LBTP is a long-term plan that evolves with the director's business and family circumstances.

Design your Lifetime Business Tax Plan

A free, no-obligation call to see how SSAS and FIC work together for your business.

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