Standard Life FAQs

The government wants people to save for their retirement. But it realises that people might not want to commit to saving in a pension that can't be touched for some years. So to encourage people to save, it gives tax relief on your pension contributions.

As an example, if you invest £80 a month, the taxman currently adds £20 - making £100 in total. This happens automatically.

If you're a higher or additional rate taxpayer, you may qualify for extra tax relief. If this is the case we'll claim the first 20% tax relief for you and add it to your plan. You'll need to claim the additional tax relief through your tax return.

Tax relief may change. Its value depends on your individual circumstances. The information provided here is based on our understanding of current law and HM Revenue & Customs practice.

Relying on your property to fund your retirement income could be risky.

For a start, to release any cash you would need to move home and downsize. This could involve a lot of cost, such as paying stamp duty. Another alternative is equity release, which could prove an expensive way to raise the funds you need.

And having all your investments in one asset, a house, is risky. If your money is tied up in a house, you are at the mercy of the property market when you need to sell.

We normally send you a note at the end of the tax year about how much income you've received. If you can't find this or haven't received it then contact us and we can give you the information you need.

The maximum amount you can pay in during the 2011/2012 tax year is £10,680. But remember that this limit is reduced for any amount paid into a cash ISA in the same year, up to £5,340. These limits may change for future tax years.

No, ISAs do not have to be included in your tax return to HMRC (HM Revenue & Customs). Tax rules may change in the future.

No. There is no fixed time limit for the stocks and shares ISA. You should view your ISA as a medium to long-term investment, which means it should usually be held for at least five years.

It does not have a cash-in value and doesn't pay out at the end of the selected term.

The 50 Plus plan offers guaranteed life insurance for UK residents aged 50 to 80 at the start of the plan.

You pay monthly payments and after the first year it will guarantee you a cash lump sum when you die. You need to continue making your payments and should remember there is no cash in value at any time.

You can choose for your cover to remain the same (level cover) or increase in line with inflation (inflation linked cover).

Level cover
With this cover if you made a claim the monthly income LV= would pay you is fixed at the start of your plan and will not change in the future. You should remember that this will mean inflation may reduce the buying power of your monthly income payments over time.

Inflation-linked cover
With this cover if you made a claim the monthly income LV= would pay you and the premiums you pay would go up in line with rising prices. The policy terms prevent reducing cover. LV= would therefore either increase or maintain existing levels of cover. LV= measure these increases using the Retail Prices Index (RPI).

Online Services are for existing customers only. To register please fill out our registration form.

Once the form has been completed we will then present you with a User ID and will send you a temporary password in the post.

Your temporary password should arrive within 3 working days and you will be asked to change this password when you log in for the first time. The temporary password is valid for 90 days, so you will be asked to change this as soon as possible after receiving it.

To log in click on the ‘Customer login’ button that you can find on every page of www.standardlife.co.uk or go directly to www.standardlife.co.uk/online. Enter your user ID and click on the ‘Log in’ button.

If you are logging in for the first time, you will be asked for your temporary password and prompted to change this to a password of your choice. Passwords should be between 8 and 10 characters and contain at least one number. When you have changed your password you will be asked to set up security questions.

If you have previously logged in to online services, once you have entered your user ID you will be asked to enter three characters from your chosen password.

Remember to keep your password information secure.

We are dedicated to providing you with a secure online service. When you go to the online
servicing page, you’ll notice that the internet address in your browser’s address bar changes from
http to https. This means that all communications within that site are encrypted.

Yes you can get financial advice from Standard Life. We have experts on hand who can help you on the phone. And if you have more complex advice needs such as portfolio management, inheritance tax planning or retirement solutions via income drawdown, we can meet with you face to face. Simply call us on 0845 272 8810. Call charges may vary. Standard Life Direct only advise on, and sell products from subsidiaries of Standard Life plc and some external providers.

We’re in Edinburgh. You can find the telephone numbers on our contact us page.

Yes – our people volunteer their time, and offer their expertise on secondments. Our main priorities are:

• health
• homelessness
• older people
• education and training
• our immediate environment

We work to give communities access to skills they need, but can’t normally afford – we think it’s far more effective than simply making a donation.

Having a community spirit is good for our people too – helping them develop existing skills, and develop new ones.