Guided Reading
Start here
If you're new to pensions, start with the two articles below. Everything else on the site builds on them.
Pensions Explained: The Complete UK Guide
What a pension is, how compound interest makes starting early so powerful, how tax relief works, what auto-enrolment means, and when you can access your money. Around 10 minutes.
Types of Pensions in the UK
The difference between defined contribution and defined benefit, State Pension vs workplace vs personal, and what a SIPP is. Most people don’t know which type they have. This is a good place to find out.
If you have a specific question
You’ve just started a new job
You want to understand tax relief and salary sacrifice
You’ve changed jobs a few times and pensions are scattered around
You’re approaching retirement and thinking about how to take money out
You’re a higher earner and the Annual Allowance is becoming relevant
You want to understand how pension funds actually invest
The one thing worth knowing now
The earlier you start, the less you have to contribute to reach the same outcome. Starting at 20 instead of 30 means needing to contribute around 43% less per year to retire with the same pot. The complete guide has the numbers.
What this site can't help with
Personal financial advice. If you're facing a significant decision — whether to transfer a defined benefit pension, how to structure retirement income, how pensions interact with your estate — you need a regulated adviser. MoneyHelper offers free impartial guidance and can direct you to regulated advice services.
Affiliate