Pension Calculator

Two questions, one tool. Where is my pension heading if I carry on as I am? And when I put money in, how much of it is actually mine to give up, once tax relief is counted?

What do you want to work out?

What my pot could grow toWhat a contribution really costs

You and your pension

Your age now

Age you plan to retire

Value of your pot today (£)

Your salary before tax (£)

You contribute (% of pay)

Your employer adds (% of pay)

Those percentages are of…

Qualifying earningsFull salary

This matters more than it sounds. "Qualifying earnings" is the legal default and counts only pay between £6,240 and £50,270 — on your salary that's £31,760, not £38,000. Many employers are more generous and use full salary. Your pension statement or scheme booklet will say which. If you're not sure, qualifying earnings is the safer assumption.

Your assumptions

These are guesses about the future, not facts. Change them and watch how much the answer moves — that spread is the real message.

Investment growth (% a year)

Pay rises (% a year)

Inflation (% a year)

Where you're heading

Pot at 68: £366,742about £162,358 in today's money
Paid in over 33 years: £110,873
Investment growth: £235,869
Your employer's share: £100,004including its growth

The £162,358 figure is the one to plan with. It's the same pot, expressed in what it would buy today, which is easier to judge than a number 33 years away.

Show the year-by-year breakdown

Age	Salary	Paid in	Growth	Pot
36	£38,000	£2,541	£1,068	£23,609
37	£39,140	£2,632	£1,251	£27,492
38	£40,314	£2,726	£1,448	£31,666
39	£41,524	£2,823	£1,659	£36,148
40	£42,769	£2,922	£1,886	£40,956
41	£44,052	£3,025	£2,129	£46,110
42	£45,374	£3,131	£2,390	£51,631
43	£46,735	£3,240	£2,669	£57,539
44	£48,137	£3,352	£2,967	£63,858
45	£49,581	£3,467	£3,286	£70,611
46	£51,069	£3,522	£3,625	£77,759
47	£52,601	£3,522	£3,983	£85,264
48	£54,179	£3,522	£4,358	£93,144
49	£55,804	£3,522	£4,752	£101,419
50	£57,478	£3,522	£5,166	£110,107
51	£59,203	£3,522	£5,600	£119,229
52	£60,979	£3,522	£6,056	£128,808
53	£62,808	£3,522	£6,535	£138,865
54	£64,692	£3,522	£7,038	£149,425
55	£66,633	£3,522	£7,566	£160,514
56	£68,632	£3,522	£8,120	£172,157
57	£70,691	£3,522	£8,703	£184,381
58	£72,812	£3,522	£9,314	£197,218
59	£74,996	£3,522	£9,956	£210,696
60	£77,246	£3,522	£10,629	£224,847
61	£79,564	£3,522	£11,337	£239,707
62	£81,950	£3,522	£12,080	£255,309
63	£84,409	£3,522	£12,860	£271,692
64	£86,941	£3,522	£13,679	£288,894
65	£89,549	£3,522	£14,539	£306,955
66	£92,236	£3,522	£15,442	£325,920
67	£95,003	£3,522	£16,391	£345,833
68	£97,853	£3,522	£17,386	£366,742

Assumes contributions and growth compound monthly, your salary rises each year by the rate you set, and no charges are deducted. Real pension funds do charge fees, which reduce the pot. Investment returns are never guaranteed and can be negative in any year.

🔒 Calculated on your device; nothing is stored or sent. This tool is education, not pension advice.

This calculator needs JavaScript (it runs entirely on your device). The short version: most employees are automatically enrolled into a workplace pension with a minimum total contribution of 8% of qualifying earnings, of which the employer pays at least 3%. Money you put in attracts tax relief at your marginal rate, so a £100 contribution costs a basic-rate taxpayer £80 and a higher-rate taxpayer £60. Check your own figures at gov.uk.

Important information

Any growth rate here is an assumption, not a forecast, a promise, or a typical result. Where you have not changed it, the figure is our default rather than your choice, and you can change it. Investments can fall as well as rise, you may get back less than you put in, and past performance is not a guide to future performance.

The content of this calculator is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or professional advice. It is not regulated financial, tax, mortgage, investment or legal advice, and using it does not make us your adviser.

We do not make personal recommendations. The tool shows you the result of a calculation based on the figures you enter. It does not tell you what you should do, and nothing it shows is presented as suitable for you or your circumstances.

The figures are estimates worked out by a computer program from the assumptions and information you enter. They are not a quote, an offer, or a statement of what you will actually pay or receive, and they will not reflect every part of your personal circumstances.

Please do not make a financial decision on these figures alone. Check your position against the relevant official source, or with a suitably qualified professional, before you act.

We take care to keep this tool accurate, but we cannot guarantee it is free from error or fully up to date, and so far as the law allows we cannot accept liability for any loss that comes from relying on it.