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Start here if pensions are new to you. These guides explain the main types of pension in the UK, auto-enrolment, how to read a statement and how a pension can affect means-tested benefits.
Talk to an adviser before you choose →Can I cancel my pension in the UK? Often yes: a new personal pension carries a 30 calendar day cancellation right, and a workplace pension can be left with…
Yes, you can have as many private pensions as you like, each with its own charges; for couples, providers such as ii hold a pension in one name only.
Is a pension a benefit in the UK? The State Pension is, paid by DWP. Workplace and private pensions are your own savings, but can affect means-tested benef…
A pension overpayment means your scheme, or DWP for the State Pension, has paid you too much. You usually have to repay it, though plans and defences exist.
UK pensions explained: the State Pension, workplace and personal pensions, the two ways a pension is built, and how tax and access ages fit in.
Is a pension an investment account? A defined contribution pension is a tax-advantaged wrapper that holds investments; a defined benefit pension is a promi…
Is ill health retirement worth it? It can start a pension early without the usual reduction, but reviews, benefits and tax can eat into the gain.
In England and Wales a pension in a registered scheme is normally kept out of a bankruptcy estate, but income already being paid can be claimed.
Pension statements explained: each shows what the pension is worth, how that changed and the income it may pay. None arrived? Ask the provider.
A stakeholder pension is a type of personal pension that must meet legal minimum standards; other personal pensions, SIPPs included, set their own terms.
Stakeholder pension vs workplace pension: one is a personal pension you arrange yourself, the other is arranged by your employer, and the two can overlap.
State Pension vs private pension: you can have both. One rests on your National Insurance record, the other on money paid in by you or an employer.
UK private pension changes already set in law start from April 2027, with more announced at the 28 October 2026 Budget. Dates and status are below.
A SIPP can hold most investments, but HMRC taxes residential property and tangible moveable assets such as art or cars, and each provider sets its own list.
Do pension fund trustees get paid? Professional trustees are; others may volunteer, and a scheme's trust deed can set its own rules on pay.
Private pension rates are not fixed: a personal pension is invested, so growth varies and can be negative, and projections must use capped rates.
SIPP vs SSAS: a SIPP is a personal pension you open yourself, while a SSAS is a small employer scheme, usually for up to 11 members, run by its own trustees.
A Section 32 pension is a buy-out policy: an insurer took over your pension from an employer's scheme, sometimes with a guaranteed minimum pension inside.
A personal pension plan is a defined contribution pension you set up yourself with a provider, which invests what you pay in and adds tax relief.
A protected rights pension was the pot built from contracting out of SERPS or the State Second Pension; its special rules ended on 6 April 2012.
A retirement annuity contract (RAC, or Section 226 policy) is an older type of personal pension, sold until 1988 and aimed at the self-employed.
How do with-profits pensions work? Your money joins a pooled fund and earns bonuses, smoothed over time, with guarantees that can be lost if you leave.
An executive pension plan (EPP) is a company pension arranged for a director or senior employee; older plans can carry valuable extras worth checking.
Workplace pension rules explained: auto-enrolment is the law that makes employers put eligible staff into a pension. Here is who must be enrolled and who c…
A pension eligibility check at work turns on age and pay: between 22 and State Pension age, on over £10,000 a year, means automatic enrolment in 2026/27.
Why are pension investments falling? A pension pot is invested, so its value moves with shares, bonds and currencies, and what a fall means depends on your…
Three short questions, no financial details to start. One FCA-authorised adviser firm can talk through your pension or equity release questions and explain your options, and how it is paid. Free to enquire, no obligation.