Thanks for posting this Confused87, it is very informative and thank you to all of the contributors on it.
Like you I am a member of a DB scheme and on current salary projections will retire with circa 50k (including State Pension) The scheme that I am in might be different to yours though.
I am in a Semi State and I do not believe I have the option to take my Tax free lump sum from AVC's.
In my schemes case the lump sum (with full service) is 3 x Salary divided by 2. The Db pension is then circa 35k (with the State Pension making the other circa 15k). Is there an option I wonder, to not "commute" and increase the Scheme DB annuity or pension ?
We were always advised that you "could not" invest in AVC's unless you were going to be a large number short of years required for "full service" 40 years in our schemes case. I had a bit of a battle with Irish Life to explain to them that yes indeed I could invest in AVC's even though I would retire with 40 years service. (had to insist on getting it pushed up the chain multiple times.)
I initially thought that I could draw down AVC's to top up the Tax free lump sum above and beyond what my salary would earn but learned through some helpful posters that this was not the case and that it was solely limited to your final salary.
However I thought that I could take my AVC's when drawing down my DB pension and convert them into an ARF.
Now though I am wondering if before I convert it into an ARF, do I need to pay 52% tax on it and then put the remainder into the ARF or can I put the full sum into the ARF and then pay the applicable tax on drawdown through the ARF ?