Pension Pot Projection
Estimate your pension pot at retirement based on contributions.
What is the Pension Pot Projection?
A pension pot projection calculator estimates how large your pension fund could be by retirement, based on your current pot size, combined (you plus employer) monthly contributions, the number of years until you plan to retire, and an assumed annual growth rate. It works the same way as a compound savings projection: each month the pot grows by the monthly-equivalent growth rate and that month's contribution is added, repeated for every month between now and your chosen retirement age. To estimate it manually, work out the number of months until retirement, then compound your current pot and running contributions month by month at your assumed rate — real pension growth also depends on fund performance and charges, which this simplified projection doesn't model.
How it works
This projection compounds your current pension pot plus regular monthly contributions (typically your contribution plus your employer's) at an assumed annual growth rate, for every month between now and your target retirement age — the same underlying compounding maths as our ISA and compound interest calculators, applied to a retirement time horizon.
UK context
Most UK employees are automatically enrolled into a workplace pension, with both employee and employer contributing a minimum percentage of qualifying earnings — many employers contribute more than the statutory minimum, and some match additional employee contributions, which can meaningfully boost the projected pot. Pension contributions also typically receive tax relief, effectively boosting the amount that reaches your pot compared with saving the same amount after tax.
Tips
- Even a modest increase in monthly contribution, made consistently over a long period, compounds into a meaningfully larger pot by retirement — small increases matter more the earlier they start.
- Check whether your employer offers pension contribution matching above the statutory minimum — this is effectively free additional money you may be leaving on the table if you're not contributing enough to get the full match.
- Fund charges reduce net growth over time, even if they seem small as an annual percentage — it's worth knowing what you're being charged.
Frequently asked questions
How accurate is a pension pot projection?
It's an illustrative estimate based on the contribution rate and growth assumption you enter — actual pension growth depends on fund performance, charges and how long you contribute, none of which can be predicted precisely decades in advance.
Does my employer have to contribute to my pension?
Under UK auto-enrolment rules, most employees are automatically enrolled into a workplace pension with minimum employee and employer contribution percentages — check your own scheme's specific rate, since many employers contribute more than the statutory minimum.
Do pension contributions get tax relief?
Generally yes — pension contributions typically receive tax relief, meaning the actual cost to you is lower than the amount that reaches your pension pot. The exact mechanism depends on your scheme type (relief at source vs net pay).
A quick note
This is an illustrative projection only, not a substitute for a pension forecast from your provider or a regulated financial adviser. Real pension growth depends on fund performance, fees and charges.