Finance Calculator · UK
How much should I put in my pension — and what will I retire with?
The minimum total pension contribution in the UK is 8% of qualifying earnings — at least 3% from your employer and 5% from you. But most financial planners recommend contributing 10–15% of your salary to retire comfortably. A useful rule of thumb: take your age when you start contributing, halve it, and that's the percentage of your pre-tax salary to put in — so starting at 30 means contributing 15%.
Tax relief makes pensions extremely efficient. As a basic rate taxpayer, every £80 you contribute is topped up to £100 by HMRC. Higher rate taxpayers can claim an additional 20% through self-assessment, making it even more powerful. Your employer's contributions are essentially free money on top of this — always contribute enough to get your full employer match.
To see what your take-home pay looks like after pension contributions, use our Take-Home Pay Calculator. To understand how your pot grows over time, see our Compound Interest Calculator.