Pension planning: how much you need to save now for a comfortable retirement

How much money do you actually need to cover your retirement?

New analysis from Interactive Investor has pinpointed the sums we need to be putting aside for our later years, based on our age when starting pension saving

The new study builds off previous work from the Pension and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) which identified the sorts of amounts needed for a minimum, moderate and comfortable retirement.

With the minimum level, it means that your needs are all covered, with a small sum left over for some fun, while at the moderate level there’s more financial security and stability, meaning you have more to devote to the weekly food shop and can afford a fortnight in Europe every year.

Finally, there’s the comfortable retirement, which would mean more money for food shopping, as well as luxuries like regular beauty treatments, theatre trips and three weeks in Europe each year.

This initial study found that for a single person, a pension pot of £36,500 would be needed for the minimum level, rising to £248,000 for moderate and £530,000 for comfortable. 

Here’s how Interactive Investor has worked out the minimum monthly contribution amounts needed at different age levels and for the different comfort standards:

Age	Minimum	Moderate	Comfortable
25	£23	£155	£331
30	£29	£193	£411
40	£46	£314	£671
50	£87	£625	£1,336

These figures are also based on being employed, and so benefiting from employer contributions as well thanks to the workplace pension scheme.

If you are self-employed then you will have to put in more.

Finally, there are certain assumptions made in the calculations, like inflation of 2% and a 5% investment growth net of fees.

There are some important points to take from this. Clearly, the sooner you start saving, the easier it is going to be to enjoy some level of comfort in your later years.

While it's going to be difficult sticking aside £300 a month in your 20s, it's certainly more achievable than £1,300 plus if you wait until your fifties.

But also the importance of making use of any help available to you, like the workplace pension scheme. Having to make those additional contributions yourself really adds up over time.

The impact of the cost of living crisis

A previous study from Interactive Investor identified how the sums needed for  decent retirement have grown over the last year, in large part due to the cost of living crisis.

rising food and fuel prices having a disproportionate impact on the sums needed for a basic retirement. 

An important point to bear in mind here is that costs will vary significantly by region.

Your living costs are going to be higher in the capital than elsewhere, for example, which will impact the minimum sums you need to save.

Another consideration is housing costs.

Mortgage and rental costs are excluded, on the basis that most people who reach retirement are projected to either own their own home or will receive welfare payments to cover those housing costs.

However, this won’t be the case for everyone. 

The State Pension

Of course, what’s clear is that the State Pension is not going to be enough to deliver even a basic level of comfort in retirement.

The old basic State Pension pays a maximum of £7,376, while the new State Pension pays £9,628.

That’s a big shortfall, particularly given our life expectancy. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the average male aged 65 in the UK in 2020 could expect to live almost another 20 years, growing to 22 years for women.

So, it’s vital that those hoping to retire soon make sure they have enough money to last them through retirement.

We’ve picked the brains of financial planners to get a better idea of just what people nearing retirement should be doing, whether they have an undersized, average, or large pension pot at their disposal.

Sadly, many of us underestimate how much we are actually likely to need for a comfortable retirement and so don’t put enough aside during our working years.

So, if you are nearing retirement and are worried about having enough money in retirement, what can you do to ensure your later years are still as comfortable as possible?

Patrick Connolly, head of communications at Chase De Vere, flagged that people in this position face the difficult decision of either having to delay their retirement to save more, or commit to a frugal lifestyle once they do retire.

“You should carefully work out how much income you have now and much you are spending,” commented Connolly.

“Is there any way that you can increase your income or reduce your expenditure? If you have more disposable income, you can hopefully save some more money.”

For people approaching this position, he suggested doing whatever possible to save more in pensions and Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs).

“Even though you have left it late, it is better to save something rather than nothing at all,” said Connolly.

He recommended adopting a ‘fairly cautious investment strategy’; which would see around 30% to 50% of the portfolio invested in equities.

It is also important for people in this position to ensure they have sufficient money available in cash that they can turn to in case of any short-term emergencies.

Danny Cox, chartered financial planner at Hargreaves Lansdown, said that someone in this position is likely to be heavily reliant on the State Pension, and suggested an annuity is their best bet for their private pension pot as it provides certainty of income.

It’s worth looking into all your options and shopping around for the best rate possible if you want an annuity.

Cox added that while someone in this position is unlikely to pay much tax – any interest from their cash savings is likely to fall within the Personal Savings Allowance (PSA) – it is still a good idea to make use of an ISA.

If people in this position still find they are struggling, they may need to adopt a more significant life change, such as downsizing to a smaller property or going for an equity release scheme according to Connolly.

Cox also pointed out that a crucial part of planning for people in this position is to establish what flexibility they have in terms of how and when they will retire, as it is possible that retiring earlier will mean a lower standard of living during retirement.

If they are able to work a little bit longer and continue contributing to a pension, particularly if it benefits from employer contributions, it can make a noticeable difference to the income they can derive from the pot when they do eventually give up work.

Connolly suggested annuities will play a big role for pension savers in this position, either for part or all of their pension pot, as they provide some certainty on incomes without the risk of running out of money.

 “Try to maximise pension contributions in the run-up to retirement as this is likely to be the main financial goal, especially if you’re unlikely to have much disposable income in retirement,” said Connolly.

"And make sure you have a good understanding of your income and expenditure so that you aren’t living beyond your means or unnecessarily living too frugal a lifestyle.”

For an investment strategy, Connolly suggested around 50% of the portfolio should go into equities, with the rest going into fixed-interest assets and commercial property.

Having a more significant pension pot at your disposal should mean a comfortable retirement is within your grasp.

But this position presents plenty of its own challenges if you want to keep as much of that pot to yourself without surrendering large amounts to the taxman.

Connolly suggested it is worth looking at how you can make gifts or offer financial support to family members with money that you don’t actually need to maintain your own standard of living.

This is a useful way to reduce the size of your estate and so lower your Inheritance Tax (IHT) liability.

Everyone enjoys a £3,000 annual gift allowance, with additional gift amounts allowed on top in the event of things such as weddings.

For more information, check out How to cut your Inheritance Tax bill.

Connolly also recommended that people in this position access their savings through drawdown and keep the rest invested.

Doing this should give them more flexibility over exactly when they take an income and help them keep their tax bill to a minimum.

This has become particularly important after the introduction of pension freedoms, which means individuals can access their entire pension pot at once – but this comes with a significantly more punishing tax bill than accessing that money more slowly over a longer period of time.

As for an investment strategy, people in this position may be able to take a riskier one to try to generate larger returns, as they won’t be entirely reliant on all of their pension pot to pay for their future.

Connolly suggested people in this position consider investing as much as 70% of their portfolio in equities.

Having a plan in place is only the start – it’s not enough to make your investments and then hope that it all pays off as you need to keep reviewing how they are performing and change course if necessary.

“Ideally people should review how things are going every six months, or at the very least annually,” advised Connolly.

"This is even more important for less well-off people as they need to make sure the income they are taking will be sustainable for their lifetime.

“They are the ones most at risk of actually running out of money.”

If you need a change, consider putting your money in a Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP).