Pension contribution calculator
See what your workplace pension really costs you once tax relief, National Insurance and your employer’s contribution are counted, and how the pot could grow.
For a defined contribution workplace pension, where your pot depends on what’s paid in and how it grows. Your payslip or pension provider can tell you your percentages and how contributions are taken.
Into your pension a month £191.73See resultsWhere the money comes from
Everything that goes into your pension, split by who pays for it.
Add your salary to see the breakdown.
The same contributions, three ways
What the same percentages would cost you under each method. Your employer chooses the method, not you, but this shows why it matters. Choose a row to switch to it.
Add your salary to compare the methods.
Bar length shows the cost to you, after any extra relief you can claim.
Monthly and annual breakdown
Your pay with and without the pension, line by line.
| Item | Without pension, a year | With pension, a month | With pension, a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enter your salary above to build the table. | |||
How your pot could grow
An illustration, not a promise. Real returns go up and down, and the value of investments can fall. Hover over the chart, or focus it and use the arrow keys, to read any year.
- Projected pot in 30 years
- £0
- Paid in, including today’s pot
- £0
- Growth after charges
- £0
Add the years until you take your pension to see a projection.
How tax relief works
Pension contributions get tax relief, so part of what goes in would otherwise have been paid as tax. How you get it depends on how your scheme takes contributions.
Relief at source
Your contribution is taken from your pay after tax. You pay 80% and your pension provider claims the other 20% from HMRC and adds it to your pot. If you pay tax above 20%, you can claim the difference through Self Assessment or by contacting HMRC. In Scotland, that applies from the 21% intermediate rate upwards. Your payslip or scheme paperwork usually says which method it uses.
Net pay arrangement
Your contribution comes out of your pay before Income Tax is worked out, so you get relief at your highest rate straight away. National Insurance is still charged on your full salary. If you earn less than the £12,570 personal allowance, you pay no tax to get relief from; HMRC may make a top-up payment after the tax year instead.
Salary sacrifice
You agree to a lower salary and your employer pays the difference into your pension. Because your salary is lower, you pay less Income Tax and less National Insurance, and so does your employer, at 15%. Some employers add their saving to your pension. It changes your contract, so it can affect things based on salary, such as mortgage applications, and it can’t take your pay below the National Minimum Wage.
From 6 April 2029, the government plans to charge National Insurance on salary sacrificed above £2,000 a year into a pension. Income Tax relief isn’t changing. This calculator uses the 2026/27 rules, where there’s no cap.
Qualifying earnings or full salary
For automatic enrolment, the minimum is 8% of qualifying earnings, with at least 3% from your employer. Qualifying earnings are your earnings between £6,240 and £50,270 a year, so the first £6,240 and anything above £50,270 aren’t counted. Some employers base contributions on your full salary instead, which means more goes in for the same percentage.
How the calculator works it out
It works out your Income Tax and National Insurance for the year twice: once with no pension, and once with your contributions. The difference in take-home pay is the cost to you. For relief at source, the extra relief to claim is the tax on your salary, less the tax on your salary minus your gross contribution, less the 20% your provider adds. Monthly figures are the yearly figures divided by 12.
2026/27 rules this calculator uses
For the tax year 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027, checked against official sources on 13 October 2026.
| Taxable income above the personal allowance | Rate |
|---|---|
| Up to £37,700 | 20% |
| £37,701 to £125,140 | 40% |
| Over £125,140 | 45% |
| Taxable income above the personal allowance | Rate |
|---|---|
| Up to £3,967 | 19% |
| £3,968 to £16,956 | 20% |
| £16,957 to £31,092 | 21% |
| £31,093 to £62,430 | 42% |
| £62,431 to £125,140 | 45% |
| Over £125,140 | 48% |
- Personal allowance: £12,570, reduced by £1 for every £2 of income over £100,000.
- Employee National Insurance: 8% on pay between £12,570 and £50,270 a year, then 2%.
- Employer National Insurance: 15% on pay above £5,000 a year.
- Automatic enrolment: qualifying earnings between £6,240 and £50,270; earnings trigger £10,000; minimum 8% in total with at least 3% from the employer.
- Annual allowance: £60,000, tapered for some people with threshold income over £200,000 and adjusted income over £260,000. Tax relief is limited to 100% of your earnings.
- Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027, GOV.UK. Checked 13 October 2026.
- Scottish Income Tax rates and bands, 2026 to 2027, Scottish Government. Checked 13 October 2026.
- Automatic enrolment earnings trigger and qualifying earnings band for 2026/27, GOV.UK. Checked 13 October 2026.
- Tax on your private pension: pension tax relief, GOV.UK. Checked 13 October 2026.
- Tax on your private pension: annual allowance, GOV.UK. Checked 13 October 2026.
- Joining a workplace pension, GOV.UK. Checked 13 October 2026.
- Pensions auto-enrolment: contributions, LITRG (Low Incomes Tax Reform Group). Checked 13 October 2026.
- Pensions relief relating to net pay arrangements, GOV.UK. Checked 13 October 2026.
- Salary sacrifice and the effects on PAYE, GOV.UK. Checked 13 October 2026.
- Salary sacrifice reform for pension contributions from 6 April 2029, GOV.UK. Checked 13 October 2026.
Assumptions and limitations
Read these before relying on the result.
- Projections are illustrations, not guarantees. The growth, charges and inflation figures are assumptions you choose. Real investment returns vary from year to year and can be negative, and your pot could be worth less than shown.
- Your salary is your only income. Other income, benefits in kind, a tax code that isn’t 1257L (or S1257L in Scotland), student loans and other deductions aren’t included.
- Worked out for the whole year. Payroll works out tax and National Insurance each pay period, so a single payslip can differ by a few pence. National Insurance assumes category A.
- Defined contribution pensions only. Defined benefit (final salary or career average) schemes work differently and aren’t covered.
- Contributions stay at these percentages. The projection doesn’t include pay rises beyond inflation, breaks in saving or changes to your scheme.
- It isn’t financial advice. For free, impartial guidance, use MoneyHelper. For regulated advice, use a firm on the FCA Register.
Questions
Why does my pension cost me less than the amount going in?
Because of tax relief and your employer. For a basic-rate taxpayer, every £1 you contribute costs 80p, and your employer adds their share on top. With salary sacrifice you also save National Insurance.
What is the 5% and 3% minimum?
Under automatic enrolment, at least 8% of your qualifying earnings must go in, and your employer must pay at least 3%. The rest, usually 5%, comes from you, including tax relief.
Do I need to claim extra tax relief?
Only with relief at source if you pay tax above 20%, or above 20% in Scotland. With net pay and salary sacrifice, you get your relief automatically through payroll.
Is anything I type saved or sent anywhere?
No. Everything is worked out in your browser. Nothing is stored, so refreshing or closing the page clears your figures. To keep a copy, use Print or save as PDF.