Calculators
Pension calculator
Enter the handful of numbers you already know and see what your pot could be worth at retirement.
Try it →Self-employed pension calculator
No employer, no auto-enrolment. See what your own monthly contributions could become.
Try it →Employer match calculator
See what a better employer match is worth by the time you retire, and whether you are leaving money behind.
Check my match →Pension charges calculator
Turn your provider's annual percentage into the pounds it takes out of your pot over the years.
See the cost →Saving and planning
How much should I have in my pension?
Contribution targets by age, the pot each retirement lifestyle needs, and why starting early beats paying in more later.
Read guide →Pension or ISA?
Tax relief in, or tax-free out. The maths on which wins, and the 2027 changes that shift the answer.
Read guide →How to find and combine old pensions
Tracking down lost pots from old jobs, and when combining them makes sense.
Read guide →Pension basics
The 25% tax-free lump sum explained
How the tax-free cash works, when you can take it, and the £268,275 cap.
Read guide →SIPPs explained, and SIPP vs workplace pension
How a SIPP works, what it costs, and the order of priority that decides whether you need one.
Read guide →Pension charges explained
The fees hiding in your pot, the 0.75% cap, and what half a percent really costs over a career.
Read guide →Workplace pension charges compared
Nest, The People's Pension, NOW: Pensions and Smart side by side, from each provider's own pages.
Read guide →Defined benefit vs defined contribution
Final salary or a pot of your own? How to tell which you have, what each is worth, and why transfers are locked down.
Read guide →Workplace pensions
State Pension
The State Pension: how much and when
The £241.30 weekly rate, the rise to 67 month by month, deferring, tax and filling NI gaps.
Read guide →Filling National Insurance gaps
£957 buys £358 a year for life. Who should top up, who gets years free, and the checks to make first.
Read guide →Grandparents' National Insurance credits
Look after a grandchild under 12? There's an unused NI credit you can move to your own record, worth £358.50 a year for life.
Read guide →Pensions and tax
Pension tax relief explained
How the 20%, 40% and 45% top-ups work, and the relief higher earners forget to claim.
Read guide →What happens to your pension when you die?
Who inherits it, the age 75 rule, and unused pots joining your estate for inheritance tax from April 2027.
Read guide →The annual allowance and carry forward
What counts towards the £60,000, using up to £240,000 with carry forward, the taper and the £10,000 MPAA trap.
Read guide →The lifetime allowance is gone
No more cap on pot size. What the £268,275 lump sum allowance means and who needs to care.
Read guide →Taking your pension
Annuity vs drawdown
Guaranteed income for life, or flexibility with your pot invested. How to choose, or mix both.
Read guide →The pension age is rising to 57
From April 2028 the earliest access age jumps two years. Who's affected, and the 1971-73 quirk.
Read guide →Emergency tax on withdrawals
First withdrawals are often overtaxed by thousands. Why it happens and the form that gets it back.
Read guide →How long will my pension last?
The 4% rule, the new 3.9% research, and how many years each withdrawal rate really buys.
Read guide →Life and work
Self-employed pensions guide
No auto-enrolment, no employer money. How to build a pension yourself, and protect your State Pension.
Read guide →Pensions for parents and carers
The Child Benefit trap, free NI credits families miss, and how grandparents can claim credits too.
Read guide →Pensions and divorce
Sharing, offsetting and attachment orders in plain English, and the mistakes that cost at retirement.
Read guide →Pension scams: the red flags
The average victim loses £38,400. The warning signs, and the 2-minute FCA check that stops most scams.
Read guide →Pension Sprout provides illustrations and general information only, not regulated financial advice. Figures across these guides reflect the 2026/27 tax year, correct as of August 2026. For advice tailored to your circumstances, speak to a financial adviser regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), or get free guidance from MoneyHelper.