UK Retirement Planner: Pension Income After Tax
Estimate your pension pot and the income it could support. See how pension start dates and tax affect your spending target, in today's money.
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Enter invested pension savings, gross monthly contributions and a spending target after tax. Add State Pension and defined benefit pensions using confirmed amounts and start dates.
This planner shows one editable scenario through your chosen end age. It does not estimate State Pension entitlement, supply annuity quotes or guarantee that your money will last for life.
All figures are in today’s pounds. Use investment returns after fees and inflation. These are editable examples, not a forecast of your pension entitlement.
Your timeframe and savings
The projection stops on this birthday; it does not assume how long you will live.
57 is an example. Check your scheme and the rules applying when you retire.
Exclude NHS, Teachers’ and other defined benefit pensions.
Include housing and your own household costs.
Gross amount, including any provider tax relief. Do not enter a net payment and expect automatic grossing up.
After fees and inflation; zero and negative scenarios are supported.
A constant assumption, not a guaranteed return.
Pension income and upfront cash
Enter your GOV.UK forecast or award, expressed in today’s pounds. Zero means no State Pension is included.
Use your scheme’s retirement quote, including any early-retirement reduction. One combined amount must have one start date.
0–25% of the projected pot, limited by your remaining allowance. All later drawdown is treated as taxable.
£268,275 is the standard total allowance, not necessarily what you have left. Check prior use and any protection.
This model combines pension income before calculating Income Tax. It excludes earnings, savings, dividends, benefits and individual tax-code adjustments. Upfront cash is held outside the projection and is not used to meet the spending target.
Get your official State Pension forecast · Planning retirement before pension access?
Your retirement scenario
Projected pot
£277,947
Upfront cash outside this plan
£69,487
Starting drawdown pot
£208,460
The first modelled shortfall is in the period starting at age 74. Try a lower spending target, later retirement or different savings assumptions.
Monthly amount going into the fund: £450. Future contributions included: £145,800. Remaining pot at the end: £0. Rounded figures below may not sum exactly.
Annual income, tax and remaining pot
| Age | State Pension | Other pension | Drawdown | Income Tax | Net income | Shortfall | End pot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 67–68 | £0 | £0 | £28,108 | £3,108 | £25,000 | £0 | £182,156 |
| 68–69 | £0 | £0 | £28,108 | £3,108 | £25,000 | £0 | £155,589 |
| 69–70 | £0 | £0 | £28,108 | £3,108 | £25,000 | £0 | £128,757 |
| 70–71 | £0 | £0 | £28,108 | £3,108 | £25,000 | £0 | £101,656 |
| 71–72 | £0 | £0 | £28,108 | £3,108 | £25,000 | £0 | £74,284 |
| 72–73 | £0 | £0 | £28,108 | £3,108 | £25,000 | £0 | £46,638 |
| 73–74 | £0 | £0 | £28,108 | £3,108 | £25,000 | £0 | £18,716 |
| 74–75 | £0 | £0 | £18,716 | £1,229 | £17,486 | £7,514 | £0 |
| 75–76 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £25,000 | £0 |
| 76–77 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £25,000 | £0 |
| 77–78 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £25,000 | £0 |
| 78–79 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £25,000 | £0 |
| 79–80 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £25,000 | £0 |
| 80–81 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £25,000 | £0 |
| 81–82 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £25,000 | £0 |
| 82–83 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £25,000 | £0 |
| 83–84 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £25,000 | £0 |
| 84–85 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £25,000 | £0 |
| 85–86 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £25,000 | £0 |
| 86–87 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £25,000 | £0 |
| 87–88 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £25,000 | £0 |
| 88–89 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £25,000 | £0 |
| 89–90 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £25,000 | £0 |
| 90–91 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £25,000 | £0 |
| 91–92 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £25,000 | £0 |
| 92–93 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £25,000 | £0 |
| 93–94 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £25,000 | £0 |
| 94–95 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £25,000 | £0 |
Read the gap before State Pension starts
Retiring before State Pension or a scheme pension begins means your invested pot must cover more of the earlier spending. Check the annual table to see when income starts, what tax is deducted and whether your target is met.
Use your own budget rather than a generic lifestyle benchmark. Compare a lower return, a longer planning period and a higher spending target before relying on one result.
How the calculation works
Reviewed 16 October 2026. This single-person scenario uses 2026/27 tax rules. Contributions arrive at month end. In retirement, each annual withdrawal happens at the start of the model period, then the remaining pot receives the assumed return.
Periods run between birthdays, not tax-year dates. Income starting during a period is prorated by month. Tax is approximated over each period; an actual tax-year calculation can differ.
Worked example: retiring before State Pension
With £100,000 at age 60, no upfront cash, no growth and a £20,000 net target, gross drawdown is £21,857.50 in each of the first two periods. If £12,000 annual State Pension begins at 62, drawdown falls to £9,857.50. At age 64, £36,570 remains. This uses England, Wales and Northern Ireland tax bands and no other income.
Sources and limitations
- GOV.UK: official State Pension forecast
- GOV.UK: pension taxation and Income Tax rates
- MoneyHelper: lump sum allowances
- GOV.UK: pension access age change
Contribution tax-relief eligibility, annual allowances, MPAA, protected benefits and suitability are not assessed. Check your statements and scheme rules before turning a scenario into a decision.
Retirement planner questions
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