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Do you get taxed on your pension?

A pension annuity provides a guaranteed, regular income for life, and is paid for by transferring money from your existing pension pot. The money is taxed as earned income, like a salary.

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How are pensions taxed?

As a general rule, when you decide to start withdrawing your pension savings the money is treated in the same way as income from employment and is taxed like any other earned income you receive. However, you have some options on how best to withdraw money to make sure you don’t pay any more tax than you need to. The amount of tax you pay will depend on your individual circumstances, and may be subject to change in the future. Making decisions about how to finance your retirement is important, so it’s worth shopping around and using available guidance and advice before choosing how to access your pension savings. You can do this through Pension Wise, a free service from MoneyHelper, or Unbiased.

Tax on your State Pension

In the UK your State Pension is taxable as earned income, much like your salary. It’s paid ‘gross’ every four weeks - in other words, without any tax deducted. Any tax due is collected from any other source of earned income you have. You’ll still receive your personal allowance each year. This is the amount of income you can receive before you pay tax. The standard personal allowance is higher than the State Pension, which means you won’t usually pay any tax if this is your only income.

Tax on your personal pension

When you want to access your personal pension savings, the tax you pay could vary depending on the way you choose to withdraw your money.

Tax on your pension lump sum

You can withdraw money from your pension pot as a lump sum. However only the first 25% is tax-free and doesn’t affect your personal tax allowance. Withdrawing anything more than this is taxable. It’s also added to any other income you have, which could push you into a higher tax bracket. Tip: If you're keen to take all your pension pot as cash it could mean you will pay a higher rate of tax for that year, so spreading the withdrawals over several years could help to avoid this.

Continue to work and contribute to your pension

If you take no more than your tax-free cash amount, typically 25% of your pension pot, you can still contribute to your pension. You can continue to pay up to your annual allowance of £40,000 each year or 100% of your salary if this is less than £40,000, and benefit from tax relief on your contributions. You may be able to carry forward any annual allowances unused during the three previous tax years.

Use your pension pot to generate an income

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When you’re ready to take an income, there are a few options for using your pension pot: A guaranteed income. A pension annuity provides a guaranteed, regular income for life, and is paid for by transferring money from your existing pension pot. The money is taxed as earned income, like a salary. You can also choose to receive a guaranteed income for a fixed term with the option of a maturity lump sum at the end of the term. A pension annuity provides a guaranteed, regular income for life, and is paid for by transferring money from your existing pension pot. The money is taxed as earned income, like a salary. You can also choose to receive a guaranteed income for a fixed term with the option of a maturity lump sum at the end of the term. Opt for a flexible income. With income drawdown you leave your pension pot invested and withdraw money when you need it. You can vary how much income you take, which means you can manage the tax you pay. Like an annuity, the money you withdraw is taxed as earned income. Remember, if your pension pot is left invested the value can go down as well as up. It isn’t guaranteed, so you may get back less than you put in. If you want to make contributions into your pension plan after you’ve started taking an income, you’ll be restricted to paying in a maximum of £4,000 each year thereafter. This is referred to as the Money Purchase Annual Allowance (MPAA). You cannot carry forward any unused MPAA from the previous tax year. TIP: If you’re tempted by the security of an annuity, but also attracted by the flexibility of income drawdown, you can ’mix and match’ and split your money between both. You can find out how much income you might receive from your pension savings with our handy calculator

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