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Pension Pot Calculator
How big your pension pot could be at the age you take it, how it builds up, and the tax-free cash it could give you
Pension Pot Calculator 2026/27
How big could your pension pot be when you take it?
Enter what you hold and what goes in each year. See your pot at the age you take benefits, how it builds up, and the tax-free cash it could give you.
Based on tax rates and allowances in England, 2026/27
Include tax relief, so the gross amount that lands in the pension.
Enter your own rate. Many planners use 3% to 6% a year for a mixed portfolio after charges. These are not forecasts, and returns can be lower. Pension limits are fixed pound figures, so this tool works before inflation.
What the numbers say
Enter your age, the age you plan to take benefits, your pension value today and a growth rate to see your projected pot.
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Your pension, year by year
Pension value £1,073,100, where tax-free cash stops growing Hover over or tap a bar to see its value
A consideration: the cap on tax-free cash
You can usually take a quarter of your pension tax-free, but only up to £268,275 over your lifetime. The cap limits that tax-free cash, not how much your pension can hold.
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Illustrative only, not financial advice. The calculator is based on tax rates and allowances in England for 2026/27. Growth is applied at the same rate every year, so this is a straight line assumption rather than a forecast. Real returns rise and fall. Figures are before inflation, because pension limits such as the £268,275 lump sum allowance are fixed amounts that do not rise with prices. Contributions are added each year until the age you take benefits. The annual allowance is £60,000 a year for most people and lower for high earners, so large contributions may need carry forward. Any tax-free cash you have already taken reduces what is left of the lump sum allowance, and some people hold a protected, higher figure. The results depend entirely on what you enter and your circumstances may differ. Talk your figures through with us, the first conversation is free.
How your pension pot grows, year by year
Your pension grows in two ways. You and your employer pay in, and the money already invested grows. Over twenty years or more, growth often adds more than the payments do. The calculator above shows both, year by year, up to the age you plan to take benefits.
It also shows the tax-free cash you could take, usually a quarter of the pot. There is a lifetime limit of £268,275 on tax-free cash. It only matters once a pot passes £1,073,100, so the tool shows it as a note rather than the main result.
The projection does not tell you whether to keep contributing. Pension contributions still earn tax relief and grow free of tax, and for many people they remain the right home for new money. Related tools: the pension tax relief calculator, the tapered annual allowance calculator for higher earners, and what happens when you crystallise a pension. Business owners deciding between a company pension and other routes may find company pension contributions useful.
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Growth before inflation, on purpose
Pension limits are fixed pound figures that do not rise with prices, so this tool projects in cash terms. You enter the growth rate, after charges. Many planners use 3% to 6% a year for a mixed portfolio.
What you pay in, and what growth adds
The results split your projected pot into what you hold today, what goes in and the growth on top. Hover over any bar in the chart to see the value at that age.
The tax-free cash cap is a consideration
Tax-free cash is usually a quarter of the pot, up to £268,275 in total. The cap limits the tax-free part, not the size of your pension. Withdrawals above it are taxed as income.
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Questions people ask about pension pot growth
How do I calculate how much my pension pot will grow?
Take the value today, add a year of growth at the rate you choose, then add the year’s contributions. Repeat for each year until the age you take benefits. The calculator above does exactly that. It uses the same rate every year, which is a simplification. Real returns vary, and the order of good and bad years changes the outcome.
What growth rate should I use?
This tool uses growth before inflation and after charges, because pension limits are fixed pound figures. You enter the rate. Many planners use 3% to 6% a year for a mixed portfolio, but these are not forecasts. Higher figures flatter the result. Treat anything above 10% as a stress test rather than a plan.
Does the annual allowance limit what I can pay in?
Yes. For most people the annual allowance is £60,000 a year across all pensions, including employer contributions and tax relief. High earners with adjusted income over £260,000 have a lower, tapered allowance. Unused allowance from the previous three years can often be carried forward. Our tapered annual allowance calculator works out your figure.
How much of my pension can I take tax-free?
Usually a quarter of it, up to a lifetime limit of £268,275 across all your pensions. That limit is the lump sum allowance, a quarter of the old lifetime allowance of £1,073,100. It caps the tax-free cash, not the pension itself. Some people hold a protected, higher figure from earlier rules.
Should I stop paying into my pension once I reach the cap?
Not automatically. Contributions still get income tax relief, employer contributions are still free money, and growth inside the pension is still tax-free. What changes is that new money adds nothing to your tax-free cash. For many people the right answer is to keep contributing and plan how to draw the taxable part efficiently. It depends on your tax rate now and in retirement, so it is a question worth asking properly.
Reviewed by
BSc, MLIBF, PETR, Chartered ALIBF · Co-Founder and Chartered Associate
Chris has spent over a decade in financial planning and specialises in research and technical analysis. He checks every figure and calculation on this page before it is published.
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