Aviva pension charges: the Aviva SIPP's published charge is 0.35% a year on the first £500,000, plus fund and dealing costs. Workplace plans differ.

What you pay depends on which Aviva pension you hold. The figures below come from Aviva's SIPP documents and from its guide for members of company schemes, each named and dated; this page is not written by or for Aviva. Anyone about to draw on a pension can use Pension Wise, which MoneyHelper calls "free, impartial and backed by government". If you would like your Aviva paperwork read alongside everything else by an FCA-authorised adviser, say so on the short form on this page; Aviva plays no part in it.

The Aviva Charge on an Aviva SIPP

Aviva sells its self-invested personal pension as the Aviva Pension (SIPP), and its key features document (print code RD01002 07/2026) says "The Pension is a self-invested personal pension (SIPP)". A company scheme that an employer arranges with Aviva is a different product with a different charge, covered further down. The SIPP guide explains the term, and what an Aviva pension is covers Aviva's range.

The SIPP's main charge carries Aviva's name. Its SIPP page says: "The Aviva Charge is 0.35% each year on the first £500,000 of your investments with us. There’s no charge on any investments above £500,000." The key features' charges table shows the same two tiers. These are the published figures as read on 18 October 2026, and Aviva says it will "give you 30 days’ notice if we’re going to change our Aviva charge or trading charge", so they can change.

The key features call it "the amount we charge for administering your investments"; it applies to funds, UK shares, ETFs and investment trusts, but "It isn’t applied to money in your cash account". Aviva's charges page gives its own example: "if you have £100,000 invested with us, you'll pay £350 a year."

Aviva counts more than one product together: an Aviva Stocks & Shares ISA or Investment Account held through the same online service is included "when we calculate the Aviva charge."

What else you pay on the Aviva SIPP

Aviva's SIPP page says "Depending on the investments you choose, you may also pay investment charges, such as fund management fees or ongoing charges figure (OCF)." The charges page is clear that these come from the funds, not from Aviva: "We don't apply these charges, they're taken from the value of those individual investments."

Dealing costs depend on what you buy:

  • Shares, ETFs and investment trusts. The key features say "We’ll charge a fee of £4.99 for each trade in shares and other exchange-traded investments." On top of Aviva's fee, they say "you’ll be charged any stamp duty reserve tax at 0.5% on purchases, foreign tax charges where applicable and any PTM Levy at £1.50", and that these "will be fully disclosed on the contract note".
  • Funds. The charges page says "It is free to buy or sell funds with Aviva."
  • Cash. The same page says "We don't charge a fee for holding cash in this account. Instead, we'll retain a percentage of the interest earned on it." The amount "will depend on the interest rate at the time"; how retained interest works is in SIPP interest on cash.

Each kind of charge is explained in pension charges and fees. Whatever you hold, Aviva's own warning applies: "the value of your investments may go down as well as up, and you may get back less than has been paid in."

Moving out, moving in and drawing an income

Moving a pension out of Aviva

The Aviva SIPP key features say: "We don’t make a charge for transfers, although other providers may. We reserve the right to pass on any third-party charge." The company scheme guide has its own line: "We don’t charge for a transfer, but depending on investment performance, the amount transferred may be less than the total payments to your plan."

Coming the other way, Aviva's transfer page says "We won’t charge you a penny to transfer your pension, whether you’re moving one or several pensions into an Aviva SIPP", and asks you to "check with your current provider whether they charge exit fees". The key features add a caution of their own: "This plan may have higher charges than your other pension." The legal cap on exit charges is covered in pension transfer fees, and the move itself, step by step, in how to transfer a pension.

Taking money out through drawdown

On the SIPP, the key features say "Charges will continue to apply" after you retire, and "We don’t currently make a separate charge for taking your retirement benefits. If this changes, we’ll let you know." Aviva's annuity terms are in Aviva pension annuity rates, the steps for taking money out in Aviva pension withdrawals, and what to compare between providers in choosing a drawdown provider.

The company scheme guide says of its drawdown option: "We don’t currently make a separate charge for this option. If this is to change, we’ll let you know." It also says "You can take income drawdown payments as and when you need to. You can’t arrange regular drawdown payments in this plan", and that anyone wanting regular payments "will need to transfer your money to another pension that can provide this."

A lower charge somewhere else can come at the price of a feature you would give up, and only your own pots show which matters more. Sorting that out pot by pot is something an FCA-authorised adviser can help with; to start, note your Aviva plan type on the form on this page.

Aviva company schemes and older plans

A company scheme run by Aviva has its own charges. Aviva's guide for employees (SP03303 08/2026) lists an "Annual fund charge (AFC)" that "pays for the cost of setting up your plan, ongoing administration and investment management", an "Additional yearly charge" for "the extra cost of managing some funds", and a "Fund manager expense charge (FMEC)" on some funds. It leaves the main figure to the employer: "Your employer will tell you the annual fund charge percentage." For the rest it says "Please see your investment guide for details of your charges."

The guide adds that "A charge may also be applied if you’ve received individual advice from a financial adviser and agreed to pay this charge through your plan." Legal limits on default-fund charges under automatic enrolment sit with the auto-enrolment rules; comparing scheme providers is in workplace pension providers.

The Aviva SIPP key features say it is not a stakeholder pension, because "the total annual charges on some funds may be higher than the Government standards". For a plan taken out years ago, its own policy documents and statements are the place to look, and Aviva's with-profits fund has a page of its own: how the Aviva with-profits fund works.

To pin down your own figure: Aviva's charges page says each fund's charge "appears as an ongoing charges figure (OCF) on your statement"; for the SIPP it says "To work out how much your Aviva Charge could be, use our charges calculator"; and company scheme members can "ask us about your funds and their charges".

If someone contacts you unexpectedly about moving an Aviva pension, the FCA says: "If you get a call out of the blue (a cold call) about your pension, the safest thing to do is hang up. It’s illegal and probably a scam." Warning signs are listed on the FCA's pension scams page, and weighing Aviva against other providers is covered in choosing a pension provider.

Aviva pension charges: questions people ask

How does Aviva take the charge from a SIPP?

The key features say "We take the Aviva charge each month from your cash account", and that "It’s your responsibility to ensure there’s sufficient cash in your cash account to pay charges due." If there is not enough, they say "we will automatically sell enough investments to pay any charges."

Does Aviva charge for switching funds?

The SIPP key features say "There’s no trading charge for buying or selling investment funds or insured funds". The company scheme guide says "We don’t currently charge you for switching your funds or investment approaches. We’ll tell you if this changes."

Your next step

Charges sit alongside guarantees, investment choice and tax. If you would like your Aviva plan looked at together with your other pensions, list each of them on the form on this page so the FCA-authorised adviser it reaches can go through them with you. Asking costs nothing.

Sources, accessed 18 October 2026: Aviva's SIPP, Investment charges and Transfer pages; Aviva, Key features of the Pension (RD01002 07/2026); Aviva, Your company pension scheme (SP03303 08/2026); FCA, Pension scams; MoneyHelper, Pension Wise (archived copy). Aviva's figures can change.