How much tax relief do I get on pension contributions?

You get relief at your marginal rate. A basic-rate taxpayer gets 20% (added automatically), a higher-rate taxpayer 40% and an additional-rate taxpayer 45% — with the extra above 20% reclaimed through your tax return or tax code.

What is the pension annual allowance for 2025/26?

£60,000, or 100% of your earnings if lower. It tapers down to as little as £10,000 for very high earners with adjusted income above £260,000.

Can a pension contribution restore my personal allowance?

Yes. Contributions reduce your adjusted net income, so paying into a pension can claw back the personal allowance lost between £100,000 and £125,140 — giving an effective relief rate of around 60% in that band.

Pensions · UK · 2025/26

Pension Tax Relief Calculator

See how much tax relief a UK pension contribution attracts, what it really costs you after relief, the higher-rate top-up to reclaim, and how much annual allowance you have left.

Your contribution

Gross annual salary

Pension contribution (gross, per year)

Gross means the total going into your pension, including the 20% basic-rate relief.

Real cost after tax relief

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— into your pension for a net cost of this

Your money –Tax relief –

Basic-rate relief (at source)

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Extra relief to reclaim

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Total tax relief

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Effective relief rate

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UK pension tax relief at a glance — 2025/26

Relief is given at your marginal rate: 20% (basic), 40% (higher), 45% (additional).
Basic-rate 20% is added automatically; higher/additional taxpayers reclaim the rest via their tax return or code.
Annual allowance: £60,000 (or 100% of earnings), tapering to as low as £10,000 for very high earners.
Contributions between £100,000 and £125,140 of income can restore the personal allowance — about 60% effective relief.

Last updated 19 June 2026 · compiled from official sources — how we source figures.

Worked examples

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Higher-rate earner: £10,000 contribution

On a £60,000 salary, a £10,000 gross contribution gets 20% at source and roughly another 20% reclaimed — though part falls back into the basic-rate band.

Gross into pension£10,000

Total tax relief£3,946

Real cost to you£6,054

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£110,000 earner: the 60% band

Between £100,000 and £125,140 the personal allowance is withdrawn. A £15,000 contribution claws it back, supercharging the relief.

Gross into pension£15,000

Total tax relief£8,000

Real cost to you£7,000

How pension tax relief works

When you pay into a pension, the government effectively refunds the income tax you paid on that money. Under "relief at source", you pay in from your take-home and the provider automatically adds 20% basic-rate relief. If you're a higher- or additional-rate taxpayer, you claim the extra 20% or 25% back through your tax return or tax code — it isn't added to the pension automatically, so it's easy to miss.

The 60% band

Because pension contributions reduce your "adjusted net income", paying in while you earn between £100,000 and £125,140 can restore some or all of the personal allowance you'd otherwise lose — pushing effective relief towards 60%. The calculator captures this automatically.

Mind the annual allowance

You can usually get relief on contributions up to £60,000 a year (or 100% of your earnings, if lower), including employer contributions. Very high earners see this tapered. Exceeding it can trigger a tax charge, though unused allowance from the previous three years can sometimes be carried forward.

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Income Tax

Take-home pay & bands

Frequently asked questions

How much tax relief do I get?

Relief at your marginal rate — 20% basic (added automatically), 40% higher or 45% additional, with the amount above 20% reclaimed via your tax return or code.

What is the annual allowance for 2025/26?

£60,000, or 100% of earnings if lower, tapering to as little as £10,000 for very high earners.

Can a contribution restore my personal allowance?

Yes — between £100,000 and £125,140 of income, contributions claw back the withdrawn allowance, giving roughly 60% effective relief.

Does salary sacrifice change this?

Salary sacrifice can also save National Insurance, making it more efficient. This calculator models income-tax relief at source only.

Estimate only. UK income-tax relief at source for 2025/26. It excludes National Insurance savings from salary sacrifice, employer contributions toward the annual allowance, the tapered/Money Purchase annual allowances, carry-forward, Scottish rates, and any lifetime/lump-sum limits. Verify with HMRC and a regulated financial adviser. Not financial or tax advice.