The best stakeholder pension providers in the UK are not ranked by any official source; the law fixes the standards, and only some firms still sell plans.
Best stakeholder pension providers in the UK: why there is no official ranking
People searching for the best stakeholder pension provider usually want a league table, but no regulator or government body publishes one, and a table built from a single firm’s charges would date quickly. What can be checked is narrower and more useful: the standards every stakeholder plan has to meet, and what each provider currently says about its own plan. This page sets both out, in alphabetical order rather than ranked, so you can weigh them yourself. Short on time to read up on every plan? Submit the form on this page to speak with an FCA-authorised adviser about stakeholder plans; the call is free.
GOV.UK puts the idea in one line: stakeholder pensions “must meet specific government requirements, for example limits on charges”. That is why two plans from different firms can look alike on paper while differing in charges, funds and who may join.
What every stakeholder pension has to meet
The requirements sit in the Stakeholder Pension Schemes Regulations 2000 (SI 2000/1403), as amended. They are the baseline against which any provider’s plan is judged.
- The charge cap. The 2005 amending regulations raised the cap, for people joining after 6 April 2005, “from 1% to 1.5% per year” for the first 10 years of membership. After that it is 1% a year, and it stays at 1% for anyone who joined before that date and has kept their rights. Regulation 14 states these as daily figures, so the full explanation of who gets which cap, and what the cap counts, is on stakeholder pension charges.
- A low minimum. A scheme “may permit the trustees or manager to refuse to accept a payment to the scheme of less than £20”, though that power does not extend to tax relief paid into the plan.
- No forced fund choice. Nobody can be required to pick investments. For someone who joined from 6 April 2005 and makes no choice, the scheme must normally apply lifestyling, a gradual move to lower-variation holdings that begins at least five years before retirement; a scheme closed to new members is one exception.
- Cheap to leave. MoneyHelper describes stakeholder plans as having “capped charges, lower minimum payments, fee-free transfers” and usually a choice of funds.
These are minimums. The cap is a ceiling, not a price, so a plan can charge less, and the rules say nothing about how well the funds perform or how good the service is. GOV.UK also suggests checking that the provider is registered with the FCA (or the Pensions Regulator, for a stakeholder pension).
Which providers offer a stakeholder pension to new customers?
Each row below comes from that provider’s own page or document, read on 29 October 2026, with the date the page itself prints where it prints one. Providers are in alphabetical order, and nothing here is a ranking or a recommendation.
| Provider | What its own page says | Date shown on the page |
|---|---|---|
| Aviva | A Stakeholder Pension guide (print code SP01001) sets out eligibility and how to apply, a start from “as little as £20”, over 40 funds and total charges “capped at 1%” | No date in the text |
| Royal London | Its RL(CIS) Stakeholder Pension page says the product “isn’t available to new customers” | Undated |
| Standard Life | A Stakeholder Pension page with an “Apply online” option beside its Personal Pension, a 1% annual charge in its key features, and a start from £16 (which tax relief tops up to £20) | Charge comparison stated as correct at 11 October 2024 |
So, on these pages, Aviva and Standard Life describe plans a new individual customer can apply for, while Royal London says its RL(CIS) plan is closed to new customers. That is the position each firm states, not a statement about the whole market. Other firms may sell stakeholder plans too. Which of these plans takes new customers today is something an adviser can confirm when they ring you after you submit the form.
If your employer has set up a stakeholder plan as the workplace scheme, you join the provider the employer chose, which is a different route from the ones above; best workplace pension providers covers how that choice is made.
Comparing stakeholder pension charges and performance
On charges, the figures providers publish are their own. Aviva says there is “just one charge – our annual fund charge of 0.55% per annum and, for our Stakeholder Pension, the total charges are capped at 1%”. Standard Life’s key features give “an annual charge of 1% of the value of the funds you accumulate”, reduced by extra units once a fund passes £25,000 (the document gives 0.1% a year from that level), and say the charges on the plan “cannot exceed” the government limits. Both sit at or under the 1% mark, below the 1.5% that the cap allows in a new member’s first ten years. Charges can change, so use the current key features and your personal illustration, and see Aviva pension charges and pension charges and fees for how those fit into total cost.
Performance is harder to compare, because a stakeholder plan has no single return. What you get depends on the funds you pick, or the default if you pick none, the date you pay in and the charges taken, and past results are no guide to the future. Aviva’s guide says its default is a mixed-investment lifestyle approach; it also says the value of a pension pot can go down as well as up and may be worth less than the amount paid in. Fund factsheets from the provider’s own fund centre are the place to look at a fund’s record, and any figure should carry its date and the warning that you may get back less than you paid in.
Both Aviva and Standard Life also point to their personal pensions: Standard Life says its Personal Pension “may offer better value for money depending on the investments you choose, so it’s worth considering both”, and Aviva says its Personal Pension may suit someone “looking for a wider investment choice”. How the two types differ is in stakeholder vs personal pension. Putting a stakeholder plan beside your other pensions takes one conversation. Tell this page's short form you want a call, and you will hear from an FCA-authorised adviser; the call itself carries no fee.
How to choose between stakeholder pension plans
With no ranking to lean on, a short checklist does the work. Each point can be answered from the plan’s key features.
- Can you join? Providers set their own conditions. Aviva, for instance, says that under its plan “Aviva requires you to take your benefits by age 75”, and its guide lists who the plan is aimed at.
- What is the actual charge? The cap is a maximum. Ask for the charge on the default fund and on any fund you might choose, and whether discounts apply as the pot grows.
- What happens if you never choose a fund? The default is set by the provider, so read what it invests in and how it changes as retirement nears.
- How easy is it to move? Aviva says it does not charge to accept a transfer in, though “there may be a charge from your existing pension provider if you leave them”. Check what you could lose first; how to transfer a pension lists the steps.
- Is there a workplace scheme you are leaving unused? MoneyHelper says paying into a workplace pension “could give you a bigger pension pot at retirement than a personal pension” unless you want a separate pension alongside it, because employers usually add money. See workplace pension rules.
Tax relief works the same way across personal and stakeholder plans, explained in pension tax relief. For the wider question of what stakeholder pensions are worth, see are stakeholder pensions any good, and for a broad view of all pension types, best pensions UK.
Stakeholder pension providers compared: your queries answered
Which is the best stakeholder pension?
There is no official best. A plan suits someone when its charge, funds, minimum and entry conditions fit their situation, so compare the current key features of the plans still open to new customers. Aviva and Standard Life are the two in the table whose pages describe applying.
Is the Aviva stakeholder pension good?
Whether it is good for you depends on your circumstances. Its own guide gives a minimum of £20, over 40 funds, an annual fund charge of 0.55% with the total capped at 1%, and a requirement to take benefits by 75. Whether those suit you is a comparison with other plans and your existing pensions.
Where can I see the best performing stakeholder pensions?
Performance belongs to funds, not to the stakeholder label. Each provider shows fund factsheets and past results, with the warning that past performance is no guide, and the same fund can do differently for people who joined at different times.
Are stakeholder pensions still available from my bank or insurer?
Some are, some are closed, as the table shows. Your own provider’s page or paperwork says whether a plan still takes new customers, and your annual statement shows the charge you pay on an existing one.
If you are unsure whether to keep, switch or add
Choosing a stakeholder plan, or deciding whether to keep one, often depends on the other pensions you hold. Anyone unsure whether to keep a stakeholder plan, switch, or pay in more can ask an FCA-authorised adviser through this page’s form; the call afterwards is free, and plan details come up then. You can also use Pension Wise or MoneyHelper, both free, and remember that investment values can fall as well as rise, so you may get back less than you paid in. For the basics, stakeholder pensions explained is the place to start.
Sources: legislation.gov.uk (SI 2000/1403, regulations 3, 10A, 14 and 17, and the 2005 amending regulations’ explanatory note); GOV.UK, Personal pensions; MoneyHelper, personal pension plans (archived 5 June 2026); Aviva, Stakeholder Pension guide (SP01001); Standard Life, Stakeholder Pension page and key features (WL000102); Royal London, RL(CIS) stakeholder pension page. Provider pages read 29 October 2026.