Retirement planning guides
Each guide explains one question in plain English, with a worked example you can change to your own figures.
- Can I retire at 55? A UK worked example you can changeCan you retire at 55 in the UK? See how long £300k, £500k or £800k lasts, the pension age rising to 57 in 2028, and a worked example you can change.
- Can I retire at 60? A UK worked example you can changeCan you retire at 60 in the UK? See how long £300k, £500k or £800k lasts, how to cover the years before the state pension, and a worked example to change.
- Can I retire at 65? A UK worked example you can changeCan you retire at 65 in the UK? See how long £200k, £300k or £500k lasts, the two years before a state pension at 67, and a worked example you can change.
- How long will my pension last?How long will your pension last? See how long £200k, £300k or £500k lasts, the chance across 500 market tests, and a worked example you can change.
- Go-go, slow-go, no-go: a retirement income that changes with agePlan a retirement income that changes with age: more in the go-go years, less later. A worked example compares it with a flat income from the same pots.
- Pension drawdown tax calculator: what you keep after taxSee the tax on pension drawdown withdrawals in 2026/27, in England, Wales, NI or Scotland, year by year with the state pension, plus emergency tax explained.
- Taking your 25% tax-free cash: all at once or in stagesHow taking your 25% tax-free pension cash all at once compares with taking it in stages (UFPLS), over a whole retirement, with tax and growth worked out.
- Will pension tax-free cash be cut in the Budget on 28 October 2026?The Budget is on 28 October 2026. The tax-free cash rules now, what the last two Budgets did, and what HMRC says about paying a lump sum back.
- Guaranteed annuity rates: what a GAR pays, with and without tax-free cashWhat a guaranteed annuity rate pays, how taking 25% tax-free cash reduces it, the break-even age, and what drawing it down instead gives up. Worked example.
- Taking a final salary pension early: how the reduction worksHow much a final salary pension is cut for each year taken early, the age the later pension catches up, and the lump sum option, in a worked example.
- Inheritance tax on pensions from 6 April 2027: what heirs could receiveFrom 6 April 2027 unused pensions count towards your estate for inheritance tax. See who pays, what's excluded, heirs' income tax and a worked example.
- Which pot to spend first: pension or ISA?From April 2027 pensions count for inheritance tax. Five ways to draw a pension and an ISA, side by side: tax while alive, tax after, what family gets.
- Regular gifts from income: free of inheritance taxRegular gifts paid from income are free of inheritance tax straight away, with no limit and no 7-year wait. The three conditions, the allowances and taper.
- Paying family to clean or care: does it cut tax?Paying a relative to clean, garden or care for you: what it does for income tax and inheritance tax, Carer's Allowance and the minimum wage. True or false.
- Annexes, relatives and care home feesWhen the council ignores your home for care fees: a partner, a relative aged 60 or over or disabled, or an annexe. Myths, 2026/27 limits and the 7-year rule.
- What a funeral costs in the UK, and who paysA UK funeral costs about £3,828 for a simple service and £1,628 for a direct cremation. What's on the bill, and who pays.
- Direct cremation: what's included, and what costs extraA direct cremation costs about £1,628. What's included, the extras to ask about, and how to compare national firms with local funeral directors.
- Funeral plans: how they work, and what protects your moneyFuneral plans have been regulated by the FCA since July 2022. How to check a provider, what protects your money, and what to check a plan includes.
- State pension age and how much state pension you'll getYour state pension age by date of birth, the full new state pension for 2026/27, how many National Insurance years you need, and how it fits a retirement plan.
- Your UK State Pension if you live in the EULiving in Spain, France, Portugal or elsewhere in the EU? How your UK State Pension is paid and increased, tax, healthcare, and voluntary NI from April 2026.
Can I retire on…?
What each pot size pays a year from 55, 60, 65 or 67, how often it lasts, the tax, and a couple's figure.
State pension age by year of birth
The month you reach state pension age for each birth date, and when private pensions open.