Smarter Onboarding. Greater Fee Control.

We have released three updates to the Timeline platform, each designed to reduce the time advisers spend on administrative tasks and give them greater flexibility in managing their client relationships. Here is what has changed.

1. Pre-Filled Client Onboarding Through Bulk Data Import

One of the most time-consuming parts of switching to a new platform is re-entering client data that already exists in your back office system. We have addressed this by partnering with Woven, a specialist firm that provides two services for Timeline advisers: suitability reports for platform switches, and data cleaning and bulk import from your back office system into the Timeline platform.

How the bulk import works

Woven receives client data from your firm, cleans it, and sends it to us. We then import the data, which will either update existing client records or create new ones. The client onboarding flow is pre-filled with the following information, where available:

• Name, date of birth, email address, and home address
• National Insurance number and bank details
• Marital status, retirement age, and employer details
• Suggested wrappers and model portfolios

Please note that this release does not yet cover the import of transfers, contributions, or withdrawals data. This will follow in a future update.

Suitability reports

Alongside the data import service, Woven can produce suitability reports to support the due diligence process when moving clients from one platform to another. These reports help document the rationale for a switch in a clear, structured format, which can be particularly useful when managing larger transfers or consolidating client holdings.

Both services are available through your Business Development Manager, who can introduce you to the Woven team, walk you through what is involved, and help you assess whether it is the right fit for your firm.

2. Variable Initial Fees Deducted Before Reinvestment

When you request a cash transfer into a model and select a variable initial fee, the fee is now automatically deducted from the transfer amount before the remaining cash is invested. The result is a cleaner, more straightforward process: the fee is handled at the point of transfer, with no forced disinvestment and no unnecessary capital gains tax risk on day one.

To illustrate: on a £200,000 transfer with a 1% variable initial fee, £2,000 is deducted upfront and £198,000 is invested into the model. The fee does not come out of invested assets after the fact.

Please note: this currently applies to variable initial fees only. Support for flat initial fees will follow in a future release.

3. Updating Ongoing Adviser Fees After Onboarding

You can now update the ongoing fee arrangement you have with your clients anytime after initial onboarding. In the client’s settings page, you will see two new sections, which mirror the fee configuration available during onboarding:

• Client-level fees: applies a single fee structure across all of a client’s accounts.
• Account-level fees: allows a bespoke fee configuration for individual accounts.

Depending on your fee structure:

• Percentage-based fees: you can add tiered fee bands and select a nominated account for fee deduction. You can also apply a bespoke fee percentage per account.
• Flat fees: you can set bespoke flat amounts per account.

What happens when you confirm a fee change

Because this is a regulated change, we follow a structured notification and consent process:

1. The client receives an email containing updated cost illustrations that reflect the proposed changes.
2. They have two weeks to contact Timeline or their adviser if they do not wish to proceed.
3. If no action is taken within that period, the change is confirmed automatically.
4. New fees go live on the 1st of the month following the end of the two-week window.

Two examples to illustrate the timing:

• A request made on 5th February: the two-week period ends on 19th February, with new fees going live on 1st March.
• A request made on 17th February: the two-week period ends on 3rd March, with new fees going live on 1st April.

Find Out More

All three features are available on the Timeline platform now. If you are an existing user with questions about any of the changes above, your Business Development Manager or our support team will be happy to help.

If you are not yet using Timeline and would like to see what the platform can do for your firm, we would be glad to arrange a walkthrough or answer any questions. Get in touch with our team to set something up.