Annual pension payment limits, after taking a pension from a part time job

I'm 55 and I have recently retired from the fire service for which I worked part time and I’m now receiving a pension. I took the 25% tax free lump sum. But I still work full time job and pay into a pension for that job. Normally the annual allowance for payments into a pension is £40,000, but I understand it reduces to £4,000, if you have taken flexible retirement income. I have retired at the usual age for my part time job, under the scheme rules. Have I taken flexible retirement income? According to https://www.gov.uk/tax-on-your-private-pension/annual-allowance, it just says your annual allowance might be lower if you have: flexibly accessed your pension pot a high income

Hi,

The guidance below explains how to establish if you have in fact taken flexible retirement income, and have thereby gone above the money purchase annual allowance.                    

Check if you’ve gone above the money purchase annual allowance

Thank you.

That article only explains what happens if you have flexibly accessed your pension pot. It does not answer my question "Have I taken flexible retirement income?" The Firefighters Pension Scheme is a defined benefit occupational pension scheme, if that helps answer the question. But as allowed under the rules of the scheme I took 25% tax free lump sum. Is that action defined as a flexibling accessing my pension pot? Thanks

Hi Mark 999,

Flexibly accessing a pension pot by cash or a short term annuity from a flexi access drawdown fund or cash from a pension pot (uncrystalised funds pension lump sum) impact the annual allowance, which changes to become the alternative annual allowance of £4000.00 every year in the future.

 You should speak to your pension provider to confirm if you have flexibly accessed your uncrystalised pension pot.  

They are best placed to confirm whether you are now required to use the alternative annual allowance of £4000.00 from now on.

Thank you.