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Saving for retirement in your 50s

Important information - the value of investments can go down as well as up so you may not get back what you invest. Eligibility to invest in a SIPP and tax treatment depends on personal circumstances and all tax rules may change in the future. You cannot normally access money in a SIPP until age 55 (57 from 2028). It’s important to understand that pension transfers are a complex area and may not be suitable for everyone.

Deciding when to take your benefits and retire is a balancing act between what you hope for and the reality of a retirement that may last for two or three decades.

A lot of this uncertainty can be taken away by making sure you have a retirement plan.

There are lots of different places where you might have retirement savings, such as your state pension, any company or personal pensions, and other assets such as property and ISAs. Some automatically give you an income, while others require you to make decisions. Either way, you need to know how much you have so you can plan ahead effectively – find out more about creating a retirement plan.

Planning your retirement

The first step is to figure out what you might need in retirement, and what your current pensions might provide.

How much will you need?

Get an indication of the annual income you may need in retirement to help you work out how much you need to save.

What you can do now

If you have savings in several pensions – which is likely if you’ve changed jobs during your career – then bringing them together means you have just one company to deal with for every aspect of your income. Just make sure you are aware of your income options and that you have checked the charges that will apply.

Important information - It’s important to understand that pension transfers are a complex area and may not be suitable for everyone. Before going ahead with a pension transfer, we strongly recommend that you undertake a full comparison of the benefits, charges and features offered. To find out what else you should consider before transferring, please read our transfer factsheet. If you are in any doubt whether or not a pension transfer is suitable for your circumstances we strongly recommend that you speak to a Fidelity adviser or an authorised financial adviser of your choice.

In summary, a £100 contribution today typically costs you £80 if you live in the UK and are a basic-rate taxpayer, as little as £60 if you’re a higher-rate taxpayer and £55 if you pay additional-rate tax. You can do this by:

  • Increasing or starting a regular savings plan
  • Making a one-off payment
  • Using your carry-forward allowance, to make use of any annual allowance that you did not use during the three years immediately before the current tax year.

Rates of tax relief for Scottish Residents may differ to the rest of the UK.

If you have money in other assets such as ISAs, unit trusts or other investment accounts, there could be tax benefits to moving these into your pension. You should take care to thoroughly compare the tax benefits in relation to your personal tax circumstances before proceeding though as this won’t be the best option for everyone.

Think about where you are invested. Does your asset allocation match your appetite for risk and the type of income you would like to generate?

The carry forward allowance allows you to make use of unused annual allowance from the three previous tax years. This means you may be able to contribute more than your annual allowance to your pension pot this tax year (until 5 April) and still benefit from tax relief.

To use carry forward, you must make the maximum tax relievable contribution in the current tax year* and can then use unused annual allowances from the three previous tax years (provided you were a member of a pension scheme), starting with the tax year three years ago.

You can’t receive tax relief on contributions in excess of your earnings in a tax year and you only receive higher rate tax relief to the extent that you have paid it.

Did you know a single person will need about £43,100* a year for a comfortable retirement? With the new State Pension paying a maximum of £11,973 per year from April 2025, there’s clearly a gap.

Our guide provides you all the information you need to make sure you’re ready for the future you want.

Download guide >>

*Source: Pension and Lifetime Savings Association - UK Retirement Living Standards in 2023.

 

The tax benefits of a pension

  • Investment growth of your savings in your pension is not taxed
  • In a personal pension such as the Fidelity SIPP, we can claim 20% tax relief from the Government and add it to the money you save
  • You can save up to £60,000* a year in your pension and receive tax relief so long as it’s not more than you earned (or to £3,600 if you have no earnings).
  • You can claim money off your tax bill if you pay more than the basic rate of income tax.
  • From the age of 55 (57 from 2028) you can normally take a tax-free lump sum worth up to 25% of your pension, as long as this amount is not higher than your remaining lump sum allowance.

Our award-winning approach

We don’t like to blow our own trumpet, but it's nice when someone else does. We’re also proud to recognised by Which? as a Recommended Provider for our Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) and Pension Drawdown.

which-stack-of-four.jpg (265×178)  Boring Best for Customer Service 2024 Logowhich-logo

What next?

If you want to open a new pension or transfer an existing pension to Fidelity, then take a look at our Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP). It’s a flexible, tax-efficient and easy-to-manage pension designed to help you to reach your pension goals.

Open a pension

  • A tax-efficient way to invest for your retirement (subject to limits)*
  • Benefit from 20% government tax relief, added to your SIPP account
  • If you pay Income Tax at higher than the basic rate, you may be able to claim even more tax relief through your tax return
  • Employers can also contribute. Payments from a limited company are considered employer contributions

Transfer a pension

  • It’s easy to submit your transfer request online, and depending on your current pension provider your transfer could be complete in ten business days.
  • We’ll contact your providers and arrange for your investments (or cash) to be brought into your Fidelity account
  • We’ll pay any exit fee (up to £500 per person, T&Cs apply**) that your current provider may charge you
  • If you apply to transfer a SIPP through our website, you can track your transfer's progress using our transfer tracking tool.

*Tax relief is only available on the lower of the annual allowance (currently £60,000) or 100% of your earnings in a given tax year (or to £3,600 if you have no earnings). If you exceed your annual allowance you may have a tax charge to pay unless you have unused allowance you can carry forward. If you have earnings of £200,000 or more, the amount you can pay in and receive tax relief on could be ' tapered' down to £10,000. Alternatively, if you’ve already taken taxable income from your pension pot, your annual allowance may be £10,000 (known as the money purchase annual allowance) and you will not be able to use carry forward to contribute to a SIPP.

For more information on tax relief and all the allowances please visit our pension allowances page.

Important information - It’s important to understand that pension transfers are a complex area and may not be suitable for everyone. Before going ahead with a pension transfer, we strongly recommend that you undertake a full comparison of the benefits, charges and features offered. To find out what else you should consider before transferring, please read our transfer factsheet. If you are in any doubt whether or not a pension transfer is suitable for your circumstances we strongly recommend that you speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice.

Trying to manage pensions across different providers can be both time-consuming and difficult. Bringing them together into Fidelity’s Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) can help you take control and plan ahead more effectively. 

Carry forward

Find out more about taking advantage of unused annual allowance in our guide to carry forward

Thinking of transferring?

To find out what you should consider first, please read our Fidelity SIPP transfer guide.

Once you reach the age of 55 (57 from 2028), you’re usually free to take money out of your pensions, even if you don’t retire. If you have no immediate plans to use the cash, it may be better to leave it invested in your pensions.

Leaving your money invested means:

  • Your money stays in a tax-efficient environment
  • You may get a better return though this is not guaranteed

Your pension is there to give you an income for the rest of your life, so if you take too much too soon, you may not have enough left for what could be two or three decades of retirement.

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Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment please speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice.