Client feedback

“It’s a pleasure working with key members of the PSGS team: their experience and leadership means that they know how to get the job done, working in partnership with fellow trustees, employers and advisers to achieve the best result for members.”
Mark Smith,
Partner at Taylor Wessing
“I wanted to look at the effectiveness of our trustee board, so Gillian, our PSGS scheme secretary, provided their trustee self-assessment tool to help me gather thoughts and opinions from others on the board. The tool was extremely easy to use and asked all the right questions to help me collect the information I needed as Trustee Chair. It is a great example of the way PSGS shares knowledge with their clients and makes dealing with key governance issues easy. As well as enabling me to meet one of the Regulator’s 21st century trusteeship requirements, using the tool has flagged trustee training needs and ways we could improve trustee meetings further. ”
Claire Silvester,
Vector Aerospace
“Many organisations and people provide the services that clients need. In my opinion, the differentiator is in the way those services are provided and to that extent, Kathy embodies the qualities that I have come to value from PSITL. Kathy is organised but not fussy; diligent but not dogmatic; persistent without being pushy and compliant in a pragmatic way. Whilst she takes ownership and drives issues forward, Kathy is a team player who uses her and her colleagues experience to provide services to her trustee client whilst working closely with those like me representing the sponsoring employer. She works collaboratively with advisers but constructively challenges the scope of services, fees and service standards whenever necessary and makes sure that member needs are always taken into account. I enjoy working with her and trust that she will deliver what is required by the trustee and the members they represent in a manner satisfactory to the sponsoring employer. ”
Stuart Barker,
Internal Pensions Consultant, RSPCA
“Where PSGS are appointed to act in conjunction with an existing body of trustees, we have found that they are quickly able to fit in well and gain the trust and respect of their co-trustees. ”
Duncan Buchanan,
Partner at Hogan Lovells
“The Trustee Training course is very good. Excellent coverage of material presented in an easy-to-digest manner and quality of presentation by both presenters. ”
Jonathan Williams ,
Bangor University
“I found the trustee training really beneficial, highly recommended. I am not a trustee, I represent the employer and I think it will be valuable for me in future, having a better understanding of the trustees' perspective.”
Dave Strain,
Royal Yachting Association
image for Group life trustee | Death in service benefits | Master trust

Group & excepted life assurance schemes

Death in service benefit decisions can be complicated and personally difficult to make. Using PSGS as independent trustee to your group life or excepted life scheme relieves that burden and responsibility.

Many employers use a life cover only trust to provide death in service benefits to employees, particularly those who are not members of a trust-based pension scheme. For employees affected by the pension lifetime allowance, an excepted life scheme can be used.

Exercising discretion over who should receive the benefit from a group life assurance or excepted life trust can be fraught with pitfalls. Take a look at our briefing note to see how Pensions Ombudsman rulings on death complaint cases show this can be a minefield.

Are you sure your group life and excepted life claims and discretion processes are effective and efficient, with:

  • the correct steps being taken at the correct time?
  • the right questions being asked of the right people?
  • all relevant information collected swiftly and accurately?
  • sensitive liaison with the individuals’ relatives?
  • claims administration and communications handled promptly and professionally?
PSGS life assurance master trusts

Our master trust solution helps employers navigate a safe and cost effective path through the death in service benefit claims and discretions process. The benefits of using PSGS's group life master trust and excepted life master trust include:

  • peace of mind that difficult death in service benefit decisions are being handled by an experienced, independent professional
  • certainty your claims management process follows best practice guidelines
  • confidence that rational and non-conflicted decisions are being made
Why use a master trust for death in service benefits?

Group life and excepted life assurance schemes come with compliance and governance issues that can lead to tax charges and Ombudsman complaints if not handled correctly.

PSGS's group life and excepted life master trusts provide a simple solution for employers to use to provide death benefits for all employees, including those affected by the pension lifetime allowance.

The PSGS master trust will help you:

  • ensure compliance and avoid periodic tax charges and exit tax charges
  • manage the risk of making improper decisions
  • remove the need to re-establish your excepted life assurance trust every time you change insurer

To learn more about how a PSGS master trust could help you manage the risks and complexities of providing death benefits to some of your most valuable employees, please contact us or download our service flyers:

PSGS group life master trust

PSGS excepted life master trust

Speak direct to our specialist in this area
Picture of James Double independent trustee at PSIT

James Double

Head of Trusteeship
Email James
Or call us on:

0845 313 0024

Read more

Blog

Is this as good as it gets?

Group life master trust

An overview of PSGS's trustee service for life-only trusts

Excepted life master trust

Learn about how a PSGS master trust could help you

Trustee discretions - payment of death benefits

Read our trustee discretions briefing note

Call: 0845 313 0024

online enquiry