--- title: "UK retirement calculator with State Pension | AumnI tools" description: "Project a UK pension pot against the income you want, with the new State Pension and workplace auto-enrolment contributions counted, and see any shortfall." url: https://aumnitools.com/uk/tool/retirement-planning-calculator category: "Financial" country: "United Kingdom" updated: 2026-11-08 --- # Retirement Planning Calculator A UK retirement plan usually rests on two parts: the new State Pension, paid from age 66 and rising to 67, and a workplace pension fed by automatic enrolment. Add both to your own savings here, and the calculator inflates the income you want, then reports the pot required and any gap in pounds. ## United Kingdom rules and figures - The full new State Pension is £241.30 a week, or £12,547.60 over 52 weeks. It needs 35 qualifying years of National Insurance. - State Pension age is 66, rising to 67 between 2026 and 2028, and it is legislated to rise to 68 between 2044 and 2046. - The government said it does not plan to change the later rise to 68. - Automatic enrolment minimums are 5% from the employee and 3% from the employer, 8% in total, on qualifying earnings between £6,240 and £50,270 a year. - Those figures are legal minimums, and a scheme can pay more than that. Sources: [GOV.UK: The new State Pension, what you will get](https://www.gov.uk/new-state-pension/what-youll-get) (checked 2026-11-08); [GOV.UK: Workplace pensions, what you, your employer and the government pay](https://www.gov.uk/workplace-pensions/what-you-your-employer-and-the-government-pay) (checked 2026-11-08); [GOV.UK: State Pension age review 2023](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-pension-age-review-2023-government-report/state-pension-age-review-2023) (checked 2026-11-08) ## How the retirement planning calculator works Your savings and monthly deposits grow at the return you enter, compounded monthly, up to your retirement age. The income you want is raised with inflation for the same years. The State Pension, also raised with inflation, is subtracted, and what remains is divided by 0.04 to give the pot required. Formula: `pot required = (wanted income × (1 + inflation)^years − State Pension × (1 + inflation)^years) ÷ 0.04, compared with the projected pot` - Retirement age starts at 66, the State Pension age used here, and the pension box starts at £12,547.60 a year. - The State Pension counts only if your retirement age is at or after its start age; retire earlier and it is left out. - Enter a yearly salary to add workplace pension contributions. The boxes start at 5% from you and 3% from your employer. - The percentages are applied to the whole salary, whereas the legal minimums are worked out on part of it, so adjust them if your scheme differs. - Everything is expressed in future pounds, so compare the monthly income shown with the inflated target rather than today's prices. ## How to use the retirement planning calculator 1. **Enter your ages.** Enter your age today and the age you expect to stop work. The second box opens at 66, the State Pension age used here. 2. **Add savings and deposits.** Enter what you hold in pensions now, including workplace and personal schemes, and what you add each month. 3. **Add your workplace pension.** Optionally enter a salary and check the employee and employer percentages. 4. **Set return, inflation and income.** Pick the growth and inflation rates you expect, then name the yearly income you are aiming for at current prices. 5. **Read the gap.** Compare your projected pot with the pot required, and open the Analysis tab for the extra monthly saving. ## Example: Age 30 to 66 with a £35,000 salary, £15,000 saved and £200 a month at 6% The 5% and 3% workplace rates add £233.33 a month to the £200, so £433.33 a month goes in for 36 years. Savings grow to £129,369 and deposits to £660,798, a pot of £790,167. A £30,000 goal with 2.5% inflation becomes £72,976, of which the State Pension covers £30,522, leaving a required pot of £1,061,339 and a shortfall of £271,172, or about £178 more a month. Without the State Pension, the required pot would be £1,824,401. ## When to use the retirement planning calculator - **Seeing what the State Pension covers.** Leave it included, then untick it to see how much of the target it carries. - **Testing retirement at 62 or 66.** Change the retirement age to see the State Pension drop out for earlier years. - **Checking workplace contributions.** Enter a salary to see how the employee and employer percentages add to the monthly total. - **Sizing a top-up.** Read the Analysis tab for the extra monthly amount that closes the gap. ## What the retirement planning calculator does not do - The State Pension amount is the full new rate, entered as a single yearly figure. Your record of National Insurance years decides what you receive, so use your forecast. - Tax on pension income, the tax-free lump sum and the annual allowance are not included. - Growth and price rises stay level until retirement, and spending is modelled as a flat 4% drawdown. - Workplace percentages apply to the whole salary entered; the legal minimums use qualifying earnings only. - The older basic State Pension and contracted-out rules are not modelled. ## When something else is a better fit - **When you only want to watch a pot grow**, use the [Investment Return Calculator](https://aumnitools.com/tool/investment-return-calculator.md). - **When you want to see how pay and pension deductions combine**, use the [Payroll Calculator](https://aumnitools.com/tool/payroll-calculator.md). - **When you need your own State Pension forecast**, use the forecast on GOV.UK. ## Questions about the retirement planning calculator ### How much is the full new State Pension? £241.30 a week, which is £12,547.60 over 52 weeks, and it needs 35 qualifying years of National Insurance. ### What age does the State Pension start? 66, rising to 67 between 2026 and 2028. It is legislated to rise to 68 between 2044 and 2046. ### What are the minimum auto-enrolment contributions? 5% from you and 3% from your employer, 8% in total, on qualifying earnings between £6,240 and £50,270 a year. ### How large is the monthly top-up in the example? The Analysis tab suggests roughly £178 extra each month. It spreads the £271,172 gap over 432 deposits that each earn 6% a year until retirement. ### Why did my shortfall jump when I changed the retirement age? If you retire before 66 the State Pension is not counted, so the whole target has to come from your pot. ## Related tools - [Investment Return Calculator](https://aumnitools.com/tool/investment-return-calculator.md): Projects an investment from a starting sum and monthly contributions, with real value - [Savings Goal Calculator](https://aumnitools.com/tool/savings-goal-calculator.md): Works out the monthly deposit needed to reach a savings goal by a set date - [Tax Calculator](https://aumnitools.com/tool/tax-calculator.md): Estimates US federal income tax, FICA and state tax for 2026 by filing status ## About this page Runs in your browser: what you enter is processed on this device and is not uploaded. Estimates for planning only, not financial, tax or legal advice. Check figures that matter with a qualified professional. Last checked against the tool's code on 2026-11-08. Interactive version: https://aumnitools.com/uk/tool/retirement-planning-calculator