Project your retirement pot at your chosen retirement age. See how current savings, monthly pension contributions and long-term investment returns build over your working life — and what annual income that pot could generate.
| Retire At | Years Left | Projected Pot | Annual Income | Monthly Income |
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Retirement planning is fundamentally a maths problem: how much do you need, how much have you got, how long do you have and what return can you earn? This estimator projects your pension pot at any retirement age, shows the income it generates at your chosen drawdown rate and compares multiple retirement age scenarios — so you can see exactly what retiring 3 or 5 years earlier costs in terms of pot size and monthly income.
The 4% withdrawal rule (from the 1994 Trinity Study) suggests withdrawing 4% of your portfolio annually gives a high probability your money lasts 30 years, assuming a diversified investment mix. At 4% drawdown: a £300,000 pot generates £12,000/year. A £500,000 pot generates £20,000/year. Combined with the State Pension (up to £11,502/year in 2026/27), a £300,000 pot could generate a £23,500/year combined income.
The full new State Pension is £11,502/year in 2026/27 (£221.20/week). You need 35 qualifying National Insurance years for the full amount. This should be added on top of any private pension projection. Check your NI record at gov.uk/check-state-pension for your personalised forecast.
Auto-enrolment requires a minimum 8% total contribution (3% employer + 5% employee on qualifying earnings). Many employers offer enhanced matching — contributing more if you contribute more. Always maximise the employer match before considering other investments; it is a guaranteed 100% instant return on the matched portion.
The PLSA (Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association) Retirement Living Standards suggest: Minimum £14,400/year (single), Moderate £31,300/year, Comfortable £43,100/year. Including the full State Pension (£11,502/year), you need a private pot generating £20,000–£32,000/year for a moderate-to-comfortable standard. At 4% drawdown, that requires a pot of £500,000–£800,000.
UK pension providers typically use 5% as a mid-range assumption for a diversified investment portfolio. The DWP uses 3.5%, 5% and 7% for low, medium and high growth scenarios. Our default of 6% represents a realistic mid-estimate for a balanced pension invested across equities and bonds over 20+ years, in nominal terms before inflation.
The minimum pension access age in the UK is currently 57 (rising from 55 in 2028). State Pension starts at 66 (rising to 67 by 2028). Delaying pension access allows more growth — retiring at 63 vs 65 with 6% returns can reduce the final pot by 13%. Every extra year of contributions and growth compounds significantly.