Aimed at trustees, employers and advisers, the dedicated helpline has been set up to assist with the large number of pensions law queries arising as a result of COVID-19, free of charge.
The practice has also produced a range of additional content to provide guidance on COVID-19-related legal issues. The articles, openly accessible on the Burges Salmon COVID-19 Hub via its website, cover topics such as advice for pension scheme trustees, RAAs and how to deal with a contributions crisis, as well as the key COVID-19 pensions considerations for employers, which include:
- If you’re planning to put employees on furlough, have you considered the pensions implications of doing so?
- If you’re looking to cut costs in the short to medium-term, have you considered whether there might be any flexibility to do so in relation to your pensions obligations?
- If you have one or more pension schemes, do you know if your Trustee board(s) is actively monitoring COVID-19 and its implications for their scheme(s), managing risks and (particularly for defined benefit schemes) considering opportunities?
Burges Salmon partner Richard Knight, who heads the Pensions practice, comments: “We have seen a considerable increase in inbound queries as advisers, trustees and employers are presented with never-seen-before legal challenges in relation to pensions-related matters and coronavirus.
“The team has launched the helpline in a bid to offer an initial free-of-charge discussion about pensions legal issues and to provide support to the business community in this difficult time.”
Get in touch with the team via the helpline today on 07812 001 810 or email us at covid-19pensionssupport@burges-salmon.com to discuss the challenges you are facing and to see how we could help.