Enter your age, salary, contributions, and employer match to project your retirement pot, estimated monthly income, and how much the State Pension adds. Completely private — nothing leaves your browser.
This calculator uses compound growth applied monthly to your growing contributions. It accounts for salary increases over time (lifting your contributions) and assumes your employer contribution is a percentage of your full salary throughout. Tax relief at basic rate (20%) is added on top of your personal contribution — if you are a higher rate taxpayer contributing via relief at source, claim the extra 20% through self-assessment.
Always contribute at least enough to capture your full employer match. If your employer matches up to 5% and you contribute 3%, you are giving up 2% of your salary as free money every year. Maximise the match first — always — before any other financial decision.
| Who pays | Minimum % | Based on |
|---|---|---|
| Employee (you) | 5% (inc. tax relief) | Qualifying earnings band |
| Employer | 3% | Qualifying earnings band |
| Total minimum | 8% | Between £6,240–£50,270 (2025/26) |
Qualifying earnings for auto-enrolment are calculated on the band between £6,240 and £50,270 — not your full salary. So 5% of a £40,000 salary under auto-enrolment is calculated on £33,760, not £40,000. Many better employers use full salary as the basis — check your contract carefully.
The full new State Pension is £221.20 per week (2025/26) — approximately £11,502 per year or £958 per month. You need 35 qualifying National Insurance years to receive the full amount, and 10 qualifying years minimum to receive anything. Check your NI record and State Pension forecast at gov.uk/check-state-pension.
The State Pension age is currently 66, rising to 67 between 2026 and 2028, and provisionally to 68 between 2044 and 2046. The Normal Minimum Pension Age (NMPA) — the earliest you can access a workplace or personal pension — rises from 55 to 57 in 2028. Check gov.uk for the latest confirmed dates as these have been subject to policy review.
Salary sacrifice — amplify your pension contributions with income-tax and NI relief · FIRE calculator — when your pension+ISA pots can sustain your spending · Compound interest — how small contribution increases grow over decades · ISA vs GIA — the tax case for maxing both wrappers.
Jump straight to any section