Calculator
Pension Contribution Calculator
If you put more into your pension, how much less reaches your bank account? Compare your current contributions with an increase, using 2026/27 rates.
Enter the gross amount reaching your pension from your own contributions or salary sacrifice. Include the provider's basic-rate top-up for relief at source; exclude your employer's separate contribution. For example, £80 paid plus a £20 top-up means enter £100. Use amounts from your scheme if it applies percentages to qualifying earnings.
What does another £100 cost?
For a £35,000 salary in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, with no existing pension, student loan or other adjustments, another £100 a month of pension salary sacrifice reduces estimated cash by £72 a month in 2026/27. The same pension funding through net pay costs £80. Under relief at source you pay £80 and the provider adds £20.
These examples sit within a single tax and NI band. The calculator handles contributions that cross thresholds and Scottish rates. It models a full year with the standard Personal Allowance, including its income taper, and ordinary employee NI. It does not model other income, Child Benefit, childcare eligibility or your individual tax code.
Which contribution amount should I enter?
Use the amount reaching the pension from your contribution, before fees. A scheme may calculate a percentage of qualifying earnings rather than your whole salary. Check the scheme statement instead of applying that percentage to all your pay. Employer matching is separate and is not counted here.
For relief at source, the calculator shows cash before later HMRC relief claims or pension-related code adjustments. Net pay relief is reflected in the tax calculation; later HMRC top-up payments for eligible low earners are not modelled. This is not a retirement-income forecast or an annual-allowance check.
Salary sacrifice needs your employer's agreement and must keep cash earnings above the applicable minimum wage. The warning here uses the age 21+ rate. Check effects on statutory pay and benefits before changing contributions.
Read qualifying earnings and pension deductions, how the three methods compare or how to claim additional relief.
Sources checked 10 October 2026: HMRC pension tax relief, salary sacrifice rules, workplace contributions and 2026/27 payroll rates.