Gaps in your National Insurance record reduce your State Pension. You can fill gaps going back 6 years with Class 3 voluntary NI at £18.40 per week. But not every gap is worth filling — here's how to work out if it pays.
You can take up to 25% of your pension pot as a tax-free lump sum (Pension Commencement Lump Sum). For 2026/27 the maximum is capped at £268,275. Here's how it works and how to maximise it.
UK auto-enrolment requires 8% total pension contributions (5% you, 3% employer) on qualifying earnings £6,240-£50,270. Here's how it works, why you shouldn't opt out, and how to boost above the minimum
How divorce financial settlements work in England & Wales 2026: pension sharing vs earmarking, clean break orders, the 50/50 myth, CETV calculations, mortgage implications.
The full UK State Pension for 2026/27 is £12,548/yr but you need 35 NI qualifying years. Here's how to check your forecast, identify gaps, and decide whether voluntary Class 3 contributions are worth it
At retirement (age 55, rising to 57 in 2028) you can take 25% of each pension pot tax-free — up to the £268,275 Lump Sum Allowance. How it works, the strategies, the traps to avoid, and what the LSA replaced.
Where should your £5,000 UK bonus go in 2025/26 — ISA, pension or split? Worked examples for basic, higher and additional-rate taxpayers showing the 30-year compounded difference between a £5,000 bonus into S&S ISA vs salary-sacrificed into pension.
Every 3 years UK employers must re-enrol staff who previously opted out of the workplace pension. The 2026 re-enrolment cycle explained: dates, who's caught, employer duties, and how the 8% minimum contribution rebuilds a pension pot worth tens of thousands by retirement.
HMRC's pension recycling rule prevents taking a 25% tax-free lump sum and 're-investing' it back into a pension to claim relief twice. Here's how the £7,500 trigger works and how to stay onside.
State Pension Age is 66 in 2026 but starts rising to 67 between April 2026 and March 2028, then to 68 from 2044. Here's exactly when your State Pension starts, based on date of birth, and what to do if there's a gap before then.
The 2025/26 UK tax year ends 5 April 2026. Use-it-or-lose-it allowances: £20k ISA, £4k LISA, £60k pension, £3k CGT, £3k IHT gifts, Marriage Allowance backdate. Step-by-step checklist.
Workplace pensions get employer matching and salary sacrifice efficiency. SIPPs get investment choice and platform flexibility. Most UK savers should use both — here's how to combine them in 2026.
