AJ Bell SIPP vs Ready-made pension: in the SIPP you choose the investments, in the Ready-made pension you pick one of AJ Bell's five funds.
Both are personal pensions from one firm; they differ in who runs the money, what it costs and when you can take it out. The figures here are AJ Bell's own, from its pages and key features as read on 26 October 2026. Which suits you turns on your other savings and when you need the money; an FCA-authorised adviser can set one against the other for you free of charge, once your query lands in the form on this page.
Who chooses the investments in each?
In the SIPP you do. AJ Bell's SIPP key features list among your commitments: "Take responsibility for deciding how your SIPP is invested." The range spans funds, ETFs, shares, bonds and gilts; what an AJ Bell SIPP can hold has the detail. The same key features also describe a "Pension Builder fund" as a standard low-cost option for people who want a helping hand, adding that it "isn’t tailored to your circumstances and won’t be right for everyone".
In the Ready-made pension AJ Bell's in-house team manages the funds, and you choose one of five: Cautious, Moderately Cautious, Balanced (its standard "Pension builder" option), Moderately Adventurous or Adventurous. Money paid in goes into your chosen fund, usually within one working day. You can change fund whenever you like, but only one AJ Bell fund can be held at a time, so the old one is sold before the new one is bought.
Neither comes with advice from AJ Bell. The SIPP key features answer "No – we aren’t authorised to give advice to help you choose your investments", and the Ready-made key features say it does not offer financial advice. Fund values can fall as well as rise, and you may get back less than you put in.
AJ Bell SIPP vs Ready-made pension at a glance
| SIPP | Ready-made pension | |
|---|---|---|
| Investments | Your own choice from the platform range | One of five AJ Bell funds |
| Account charge | 0.25% on shares (up to £10 a month) and 0.25% on funds, falling with size | 0.35% a year, all in |
| Dealing charges | Fund deal £1.50, share deal £5.00; regular investing in selected investments free | None |
| Smallest payments (net) | £25 a month by direct debit, or £500 one-off | £25 a month by direct debit, or £500 one-off |
| Taking money out | From 55 (57 from 6 April 2028) | Not currently possible (terminal illness aside); transfer out first |
| Pension finder | Yes | Yes |
Sources: AJ Bell's SIPP charges page, SIPP key features (print code AJBYI/SIPP/G/20261019) and Ready-made key features. Net means before tax relief is added.
What does each one charge?
The Ready-made pension has one all-in charge. AJ Bell's key features give 0.35% a year for each of the five funds, taken from the fund itself, with "no additional charges to pay, such as a dealing charge for buying or selling the fund or any account charges".
The SIPP charges are built up in layers. AJ Bell's charges page lists an account charge of 0.25% on shares, capped at £10 a month, and on funds 0.25% on the first £250,000, 0.10% on the next £250,000 and nothing above £500,000. Dealing costs £1.50 for a fund and £5.00 for a shares deal (£3.50 with 10 or more share deals in the previous month), and regular monthly investing into selected investments is free. Each fund you buy also carries its own ongoing charges figure, set by the fund. Cash held in the SIPP has no charge and earns interest (SIPP cash interest); a Ready-made pension holds no cash and pays none on money awaiting investment.
So the two percentages are not like for like: the SIPP's covers the platform, the Ready-made figure covers everything. Which total you would pay turns on your pot, your funds and how often you trade; the adviser who phones once you send the form here can work that through at no cost. For the wider picture see pension charges.
Minimums and who can pay in
The two match closely. Both have a £25 (net) monthly direct debit minimum and a £500 (net) minimum for a single payment; the SIPP caps direct debits at £4,000 (net) a month. The Ready-made product page (read 26 October 2026) says that after a first payment of £500 there is no minimum, while the undated key features give £500 (net) as the single-payment minimum, so check the terms shown when you apply. Pensions moved in have no minimum value, and a SIPP can be funded by transfer alone.
To hold a Ready-made pension you must be 18 or over and UK resident for tax purposes; the SIPP key features ask for UK residence. In both, AJ Bell cannot accept your own payments once you reach 75. How pension tax relief works applies to each. AJ Bell's Pension finder is available with each, though its Ready-made page says pensions with special guaranteed benefits, public sector pensions and those from jobs left before 1990 cannot be combined.
For the SIPP's application steps, see how to open an AJ Bell SIPP.
When can you start drawing an income?
This is the sharpest difference. The SIPP lets you access your pension from 55 (57 from 6 April 2028), and when you do you need to keep at least £100 in the account to keep it open.
The Ready-made key features say it is "designed for growing your pension savings only": it is not currently possible to withdraw cash from it unless you are terminally ill. When you reach pension age and want an income or lump sum, you transfer to another provider that allows it. AJ Bell's own Ready-made page says it "may be right" for people who do not need access for at least 5 years, and that its SIPP "may be more suitable" for those wanting more control who plan to access their pension soon. Our guides to pension drawdown and taking a pension from 55 cover the options once you get there; Pension Wise is free government guidance.
Can you hold both, or move between them?
Not at once. AJ Bell limits each customer to a single type of pension account, so an existing SIPP rules out a Ready-made pension and the reverse.
The Ready-made key features say a transfer out goes as cash, so the fund is sold first, and that you can move to another UK registered scheme at any time. AJ Bell's Ready-made page points to its own SIPP as a destination, and its charges page says transfers in are free. Moving a pension between providers has its own checks and trade-offs: see how to transfer a pension. Both key features add that a stakeholder pension may meet your needs at least as well; personal pension vs SIPP compares the wider types, and AJ Bell SIPP review looks at the SIPP more broadly.
AJ Bell SIPP or Ready-made pension: your questions
Is the Ready-made pension a SIPP?
No. AJ Bell offers them as separate accounts, and the Ready-made pension has no self-selected investments: its funds are the five AJ Bell ones. The SIPP key features do list the Pension Builder fund among SIPP choices.
Is anything charged on top of the Ready-made 0.35%?
AJ Bell's key features say no: no dealing charge for the fund and no account charge.
Can I switch fund inside the Ready-made pension?
Yes, at any time; AJ Bell sells the fund you hold and invests in the new one.
What happens to cash in each?
A SIPP can hold cash, which pays the monthly charges. In a Ready-made pension cash is invested in your fund, usually within one working day, and earns no interest while it waits.
Still torn between SIPP and Ready-made? Fill the form on this page; expect an adviser's call to compare the two with you, free of charge.