Group Life Master Trust

Introducing the Group Life Master Trust by Mercer Marsh Benefits

The Group Life Master Trust (GLMT) by Mercer Marsh Benefits (MMB) is a flexible and simple trust solution for Group Life Assurance (GLA), with the reassurance of a specialist adviser to keep things streamlined and in line with current legislation.

Where an organisation provides GLA for its employees, the scheme must be written under a trust. Running such a trust involves complex legal obligations and ongoing administration. The GLMT provides peace of mind that both administrative and complex legal requirements are met.

It also gives you the freedom to use any Mercer-approved provider in the market. Our trusts are portable between insurers, allowing you to take advantage of competitive pricing without sacrificing convenience.

In the event of a claim, our independent trustee takes charge of the difficult and sometimes complex decision-making responsibilities, leaving you to focus on the impact to your people and business.

What does our Master Trust offer?

The GLMT offers both Registered and Excepted solutions compatible with any GLA arrangement, allowing you to benefit from a straightforward alternative to time-consuming and costly duties. A registered Group Life scheme is the most common way to set up Group Life policies. The scheme is registered with HMRC and any benefits paid to beneficiaries count towards their Lifetime Allowance (the figure you’re allowed to receive from registered schemes during your lifetime). An excepted Group Life scheme falls under Life Insurance legislation rather than pension legislation.

Because the GLMT is compatible with any insurer in the market, there is no additional administration to deal with if you decide to move your insurance policy to take advantage of the most competetive terms available to you.

One key advantage of the GLMT is the involvement of the third-party professional trustee, who sets up and manages the master trust containing all employees within the organisation. By becoming part of this collective arrangement, responsibility for maintaining the trust is taken out of your hands, and the professional trustee also acts on your behalf in the event of a death.

At a challenging time for many businesses, corporate trustees and HR professionals may well be familiar with the sometimes onerous task of gathering information and managing the claims process when a death occurs. Additionally, challenges arising from outdated legal documentation can lead to serious implications for the employee’s survivors and the business alike. The GLMT takes care of these elements of running a trust, so that you can discharge your GLA duties with confidence and without hassle.

We are specialists in trust governance, so you can be confident that your scheme will always be fit and healthy

Our independent board of trustees is regularly and rigorously examined to ensure it demonstrates significant and deep experience in effectively managing trustee duties. Our robust trust governance framework ensures the following:

Continual oversight of administration and reporting performance

Regular trustee performance reviews

Immediate access to existing registered or excepted trusts

An efficient, off-the-shelf solution, making it easy to use and requiring minimal set-up time

Less risk to organisations, as MMB and the independent trustees have control over the governance of the trust and ensure it is kept up-to-date with legislative changes

No ongoing administration required from organisations in running the trust once it is set up

Independent claims decisions, taking the pressure off the employer

Trust portability, making it easier to move around the market

Our experts

Chris Bailey

Chris Bailey
Managing Director, Mercer Marsh Benefits UK&I

Angus McAinsh

Angus McAinsh
Partner, Mercer Marsh Benefits

Bonny Payne

Bonny Payne
Principal, Mercer Marsh Benefits

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Speak to a member of the Group Life Master Trust team

If you have any questions or queries you'd like to discuss with us, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

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Important notice. The trustees of the scheme are Trustee Solutions Limited (TSL). Through the MGLMT TSL will take on all responsibilities of the trustee and make decisions on claims. TSL are an independent, impartial third-party that is not tied to MMB, the insurer or the employer.

Mercer Marsh Benefits Group Life Master Trust