New data from our latest savings and resilience tool shows only just over a third of households are on track for a ‘moderate’ income in retirement.
To reach a moderate lifestyle a single person would need an annual income of £31,300 and a couple would need £43,000. This standard will allow you to spend more money on any nice-to-haves.
This is due to rising inflation boosting the amount of money needed for a moderate retirement with the pension gap opening up to £31,546 – four times more than it was in 2019.
Added to this the cost-of-living crisis has had a bruising impact on our finances which many households are still grappling with.
£31,300
Which regions are furthest behind?
There are big regional differences in who’s on track and who isn’t.
Wokingham for instance is well on track – on average, households have a pension gap of just £265.
Compare this to Kingston upon Hull where the gap to a moderate retirement income stands at a massive £54,094.
Proportion of households on track for a moderate retirement income
This article isn’t personal advice. If you’re not sure what’s right for you, ask for financial advice. Remember, pension and tax rules can change, and any benefits depend on individual circumstances. You also can’t normally access money in a pension until age 55 (rising to 57 in 2028). Investments rise and fall in value, so you could get back less than you invest.
How can we close the pension gap?
The good news is that there’s lots of way we can narrow the current pension gap.
The government’s ongoing ‘Pensions Review’ is looking at how to deliver better outcomes for members.
Moves to reduce lost pensions and the proliferation of small pots will do a lot to make sure much needed pension savings don’t go astray.
Tracking down lost pensions can potentially add thousands of pounds to your pension pot.
It’s worth taking the time to sit down and make a list of all your employers and checking to see if you have pension paperwork for them.
If you don’t and you think you might have had a pension with them, then contact the government’s Pension Tracing Service.
If you have a personal pension and don’t have any paperwork relating to it, the Tracing Service could help you too.
All you need is either your employer’s name or that of your pension provider. The service can’t tell you if you have a pension with them, but they can give you contact details so you can find out.
You can call the Tracing Service on 0800 731 0175 – Monday to Friday, 10am to 3pm.
Time to consider a ‘Lifetime Pension’?
We’re also urging the government to continue to look closely at the potential of the ‘Lifetime Pension’ to boost engagement, as well as competition in the industry.
Being able to choose the pension provider you want your pension contributions to be paid to throughout your career could really boost people’s retirement planning.
It would be far less likely to be lost as you change jobs and gives people an overarching view of what they have which can help better decision making.
You’ll approach one larger pension pot in a very different way than you would several small pots which you might be tempted to simply take as cash and spend.
A Lifetime Pension could go a long way in helping reduce how complicated it all can be, while making sure providers give better value.
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Increasing auto-enrolment minimums beyond the current 8% is also an option for the government. But it shouldn’t be implemented without considering the impact it would have on people’s short-term financial resilience.
At HL we’ve argued that there are other ways to incentivise pension saving. For instance, the potential to receive a higher employer contribution if you increase your own.
This would offer a real incentive for those with the money to spare, without forcing those who don’t have the money to boost contributions to a level they can’t afford.
It shows the importance of checking in on your pensions, so you have some idea of what you’re on track to have come retirement.
Taking the opportunity to boost your contributions every time you get a pay rise for instance, or a new job can make a huge difference to how much you end up with.
Using HL’s pension calculator can give you a good idea of how much income you could receive – this gives you the confidence to know if you’re on track and the time to do something about it if you aren’t.
Looking for a pension provider?
Whether you’re looking to top up your pension, change your current pension provider or bring all your pensions under one roof, with an HL Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) you’re in control of how and where you invest.
Join over 500,000 clients already using the HL SIPP and benefit from:
Flexible payments – monthly direct debits from as little as £25 a month, where you can pause or cancel payments.
Invest where and how you want to – pick your own investments, invest in the
HL Ready-Made Pension Plan, or get someone to help you invest with financial advice for a fee.
Freedom at retirement – with the HL SIPP, you're free to choose from all the main retirement options.
A SIPP is for those who want to take control of their retirement savings. Before you transfer, check you won’t trigger any expensive fees or lose valuable benefits or guarantees. It’s rarely a good idea to transfer a final salary pension scheme.