Increasing your retirement income

If there’s a gap between how much you’ve saved and how much you’ll need to live on, you could consider increasing the payments you make into your pension.

Remember, your employer is already paying into your pension and you'll get tax benefits on any payments you make.

Also think about putting a one-off payment into your pension - for example if you get a bonus at work.

More about extra payments

Investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than what was paid in. Laws and tax rules may change in the future. The information here is based on our understanding in April 2022. Your own circumstances and where you live in the UK also have an impact on tax treatment.

Delay retirement

You can normally take your pension benefits from age 55 (may be subject to change), even while you're still working.

But you don’t have to take your pension benefits at your originally selected retirement date - you can delay to a date that suits you. You can also boost the value of your state pension by delaying when you take it.

Our retirement planner can help you plan for your retirement.

Once you retire you might be able to claim benefits like Pension Credit, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit on top of your state pension.

What you’re entitled to depends on your own circumstances and whether you normally live in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales.

Find out more about these benefits at the Citizens Advice Bureau

Working in retirement

You may want or need to supplement your retirement income by continuing to do some work.

If you’re claiming means tested benefits, you need to check whether any extra income would affect your entitlement. And remember, all your income, including your pension, is taxable.