Free pension advice mostly means free guidance: Pension Wise and MoneyHelper cost nothing, while a personal recommendation from a regulated adviser is paid for.

Anyone searching for pension advice free of charge will find help at several levels, and they do different jobs. Government-backed guidance from Pension Wise and MoneyHelper is free; your employer, union or scheme may have arrangements of its own; and a personal recommendation from a regulated adviser is charged for, with the cost set out before you commit. Would you rather talk your circumstances over with a person? An FCA-authorised adviser phones whoever completes the brief form on this page, and that conversation is free of charge. The sections below set out what each route does and where it stops.

Is pension advice free in the UK?

Guidance can be free; personal advice is not. The FCA's consumer page on pension scams is blunt about it: "Professional advice on pensions is not free". The difference lies in what you are given. The FCA's Perimeter Guidance says "advice requires an element of opinion on the part of the adviser. In effect, it is a recommendation as to a course of action", while information is statements of fact or figures. Free services explain options and leave the choice with you; an adviser tells you which option fits your circumstances, which is why that part is a regulated, charged activity.

MoneyHelper puts the practical side this way: "If you’re not sure whether paying for advice is best, you could consider free guidance first. This can help you get a general overview of your options but you’ll need to decide how to act on that information." The same page says a good retirement adviser offers a free initial meeting, and that you must be told the cost of advice before you commit. So a first conversation can cost nothing, yet the advice that follows is priced; what advisers typically charge is covered in pension advice cost, and what the money buys in are pension advisers worth it?

One warning belongs here. The FCA says an unexpected offer of a free review of your pension is probably a scam, and that most of the companies offering free pension reviews are not authorised, though many falsely claim they are. A call you requested yourself is a different thing from one that arrives unasked; how pension scams work lists the tactics to watch for. For the broader question of what counts as advice at all, see what pension advice means.

What does Pension Wise cover, and what does it leave out?

Pension Wise is the free service most people mean. MoneyHelper describes it as an appointment that "explains the options for taking money from your defined contribution pension" and says it is impartial and backed by government. An appointment sets out when you can reach your pots, the choices for taking the money, the usual tax on each, and how to avoid scams. The longer story is in what Pension Wise is, and a walk-through of the session itself is in how long a Pension Wise appointment lasts.

Who can book matters, because the service is built around one type of pension. You need a UK-based defined contribution pension and, in the ordinary case, to be 50 or over. People under 50 can book if they have inherited someone else's pension, are retiring early because of poor health, or their scheme lets them take the pension before 55. Size does not count against you: "It doesn’t matter how much your pension is worth." If you are not sure whether your pension is defined contribution or defined benefit, MoneyHelper offers a tool to find out, and your provider can tell you.

Appointments are online, for people aged 50 to 74, or by phone with one of MoneyHelper's pension specialists, lasting up to 60 minutes. MoneyHelper's booking page (August 2026 copy) says new face-to-face bookings are paused, and a video call can be arranged for anyone who would struggle with a phone appointment.

What Pension Wise does not do is choose for you. In its December 2025 copy, MoneyHelper said of the appointment: "We cannot recommend specific products or provide advice on what’s best for you to do." You leave with a list of next steps and a summary you can print, and the decision is yours. Whether you must take the appointment before you can access your money is a separate question, answered in do I have to use Pension Wise?

Where can you get free pension help if you do not qualify for Pension Wise?

MoneyHelper says it can still help people who are not eligible for Pension Wise. Its own pension guides and tools are open to everyone, and its pension specialists give free guidance on the phone, by webchat or through an online form, Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. That suits a younger saver, someone with a defined benefit pension, or anyone who wants to ask a question before deciding whether an appointment is needed.

Preparation helps whichever route you take. MoneyHelper says you will usually benefit more from a Pension Wise appointment if you first ask each of your pension providers how much your pension is currently worth and whether it has special features such as a guaranteed pot value or annuity rate, and check your State Pension forecast on GOV.UK. Tracking down a forgotten workplace or personal pension is a GOV.UK job: its pension contact-details service finds who to write to, though it "will not tell you whether you have a pension, or what its value is".

Citizens Advice has a Pensions section on its website, with pages on types of pension, starting a pension and nearing retirement. It has also been the venue for face-to-face Pension Wise appointments: MoneyHelper's December 2025 preparation guide said a specialist would meet you at the Citizens Advice location you selected, before those bookings were paused. Benefit questions such as Pension Credit have their own page here: help claiming Pension Credit, with State Pension advice for the basic pension.

Relationship breakdown has a dedicated free route. MoneyHelper says you can book a free Pensions and divorce or dissolution appointment for impartial guidance from one of its pension specialists, and the same guide suggests also paying for legal advice from a solicitor and financial advice from an adviser, because valuing and splitting pensions is complicated. The basics are in what happens to your pension in a divorce.

Not certain which route suits? Enquire through the form on this page, then talk over where to begin when an FCA-authorised adviser phones; that chat is free.

Is there free pension help through work, a union or your scheme?

Sometimes, so ask before you pay for anything yourself. MoneyHelper suggests you "check if your employer, trade union or other organisation you’re a member of has special arrangements with advisory firms." Some employers provide or pay for pensions advice for their staff, which has its own tax exemption, and your HR or pensions team can say whether yours does. A money purchase pension may also be able to pay part of an adviser's bill straight from your pot, though schemes choose whether to offer this. The rules for both are in pension advice cost and the pension advice allowance.

Help for particular schemes is covered separately: see NHS pension advice, police pension advice, civil service pension advice, local government pension advice and USS pension advice. For the rules of a typical workplace pension, auto-enrolment and who must be enrolled covers the ground.

What if free guidance is not enough?

Free guidance explains the options; it does not pick one for you. GOV.UK's workplace pensions guide tells anyone wanting advice about increasing a workplace or private pension to speak to a financial adviser, and MoneyHelper notes that for some products advice is mandatory rather than optional, such as giving up defined benefit rights worth more than a set amount; when advice is required before a transfer sets out the rule. Finding and checking a firm is covered in finding a pension adviser.

The two kinds of help are not rivals: MoneyHelper says you can combine free guidance with paid advice, so a Pension Wise appointment beforehand costs you nothing and can sharpen the questions you take to a paid meeting.

More questions about free pension help

Can Citizens Advice give pension advice?

Citizens Advice publishes general information on pensions and has hosted face-to-face Pension Wise appointments, which are guidance rather than advice. A personal recommendation on what to do with your pot comes from a regulated adviser and is a paid service.

Does being self-employed rule out free pension guidance?

No. Pension Wise turns on the kind of pension you hold, not how you earn your living, and MoneyHelper's guides and specialists remain available to anyone who falls outside it.

Is there free help if I only have a small pension pot?

Yes. Pension Wise sets no minimum pot size. Paid advisers can differ: MoneyHelper suggests asking any firm whether it needs a certain amount, "such as a pension worth over £50,000 or £100,000", before it will advise you.

Does free pension guidance cover Scotland?

Yes. Living in Scotland makes no difference: Pension Wise is for people with a UK-based defined contribution pension who meet its age conditions. Rules that do differ in Scotland, such as how pensions are shared on divorce, are for the page on pensions on divorce and a Scottish solicitor.

Is it safe to take a call offering free pension help?

The FCA treats unexpected contact about your pension as a warning sign, and says the safest thing to do after a cold call is hang up. Use the services above, which you contact yourself, and check any adviser on the FCA's register first.

Choosing between free and paid help

Begin with the free route that suits your pension, whether a Pension Wise appointment or a conversation with MoneyHelper's specialists, and ask your employer and scheme what they offer. Paid advice earns its place for decisions that are hard to undo. Some readers would sooner say all this out loud, and an adviser with FCA authorisation will phone to talk it over once you complete and send the form on this page. That call is free, and Pension Wise and MoneyHelper stay open whatever you decide.