Blog · Pension pots
What every pension pot pays
Find your pot, read across to the age you stop, and see the monthly income it supports in today's money, with a full State Pension from 67. Every figure comes from the same engine as our calculators.
The short answer
From 60, each extra £100,000 in a pension supports about £330 a month to 95 in today's money, on top of a full State Pension from 67. So about £113,000 reaches the Pensions UK minimum standard for one person, £587,000 a moderate retirement and £903,000 a comfortable one. Stop at 67 and moderate takes £431,000.
- what each extra £100,000 adds, from 60
- £330 a month
- reaches the minimum standard from 60
- £113,000
- reaches a moderate retirement from 60
- £587,000
- reaches a comfortable one from 60
- £903,000
What each pot pays from 60
Spread from 60 to 95, with a full State Pension from 67, every extra £100,000 in a pension supports about £330 a month in today's money. The bars show where each pot lands against the three Pensions UK standards for one person.
- £50k£638
- £80k£1,022
- £100k£1,105
- £150k£1,272
- £200k£1,438
- £250k£1,604
- £300k£1,770
- £400k£2,102
- £500k£2,435
- £600k£2,767
- £750k£3,266
- £1m£4,096
- £1.2m£4,761
- £1.5m£5,758
- £2m£7,420
- Below minimum (under £1,150)
- Minimum
- Moderate (£2,725+)
- Comfortable (£3,775+)
The first £100,000 does less than that, because the State Pension is the same whatever you have saved. From 67 it pays £1,046 a month on its own, so £100,000 stopping at 60 supports £1,105 a month and the State Pension pays almost all of it from 67. A small pot mostly decides how the years before 67 go; a large one decides the years after as well.
Ten pot sizes, ten different questions
At each size a different thing decides whether a pot is enough, so each guide is built around that one thing.
Every pot at every age
Read across to the age you stop. Each figure is monthly spending from that age to 95, before tax, in today's money, with a full State Pension from 67.
| Pot | Stop at 55 | Stop at 57 | Stop at 60 | Stop at 65 | Stop at 67 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £50,000 | £391 | £460 | £638 | £1,140 | £1,240 |
| £80,000 | £626 | £737 | £1,022 | £1,251 | £1,357 |
| £100,000 | £782 | £920 | £1,105 | £1,325 | £1,435 |
| £150,000 | £1,095 | £1,160 | £1,272 | £1,510 | £1,630 |
| £200,000 | £1,247 | £1,317 | £1,438 | £1,695 | £1,825 |
| £250,000 | £1,399 | £1,474 | £1,604 | £1,880 | £2,020 |
| £300,000 | £1,551 | £1,631 | £1,770 | £2,066 | £2,215 |
| £400,000 | £1,855 | £1,945 | £2,102 | £2,437 | £2,605 |
| £500,000 | £2,159 | £2,260 | £2,435 | £2,807 | £2,995 |
| £600,000 | £2,463 | £2,574 | £2,767 | £3,178 | £3,385 |
| £750,000 | £2,919 | £3,046 | £3,266 | £3,734 | £3,970 |
| £1 million | £3,678 | £3,831 | £4,096 | £4,660 | £4,945 |
| £1.2 million | £4,286 | £4,460 | £4,761 | £5,402 | £5,724 |
| £1.5 million | £5,198 | £5,403 | £5,758 | £6,513 | £6,895 |
| £2 million | £6,717 | £6,975 | £7,420 | £8,366 | £8,844 |
| £3 million | £9,756 | £10,118 | £10,742 | £12,073 | £12,743 |
- Below minimum (under £1,150)
- Minimum
- Moderate (£2,725+)
- Comfortable (£3,775+)
57 is in the table because it becomes the earliest age you can draw most pensions on 6 April 2028. Stopping before then means living on ISAs or other savings until the pension opens.
The pot each standard needs
Read the other way, about £113,000 reaches the minimum standard from 60, £587,000 a moderate retirement and £903,000 a comfortable one. Every year you work on makes each of them smaller.
| Standard | Monthly cost | Stop at 55 | Stop at 60 | Stop at 65 | Stop at 67 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | £1,150 | £168,000 | £113,000 | £53,000 | £27,000 |
| Moderate | £2,725 | £686,000 | £587,000 | £478,000 | £431,000 |
| Comfortable | £3,775 | £1,032,000 | £903,000 | £761,000 | £700,000 |
Rounded to the nearest £1,000. The standards assume you own your home outright; rent or a mortgage comes on top.
Your own spending is a better target than any standard. How much do you need to retire? works through it from what you spend now.
For a couple
A couple sharing one pot gets two State Pensions from 67, worth £25,095 a year together, so the same pot goes a good deal further.
| Pot | One person | A couple | Couple standard reached |
|---|---|---|---|
| £100,000 | £1,105 | £1,277 | Below minimum |
| £250,000 | £1,604 | £2,377 | Minimum |
| £500,000 | £2,435 | £3,209 | Minimum |
| £750,000 | £3,266 | £4,039 | Moderate |
| £1 million | £4,096 | £4,870 | Moderate |
Against the couple standards: minimum £1,875, moderate £3,775, comfortable £5,225 a month.
How every figure here is worked out
These are the assumptions every pot-size guide shares. Each guide shows what changes when one of them moves.
- Balanced growth, after fees and inflationA 5% return before inflation, 2.5% inflation and 0.4% fees, so every figure is in today's money.
- A full State Pension from 67£241 a week, or £12,548 a year, in 2026/27, rising with prices. A smaller forecast lowers every figure from 67.
- Spent by 95The pot is drawn evenly so the last pound goes around your 95th birthday. Planning to 100 lowers each figure a little.
- Before taxEach figure is what you spend before income tax. Each guide works out the tax at its own size.
- One person, unless it says a coupleA couple's figure adds a second full State Pension from the same age.
- The Pensions UK standardsMinimum £1,150, moderate £2,725 and comfortable £3,775 a month for one person, with no rent or mortgage.
Frequently asked questions
How much income does £100,000 in a pension give?
About £1,105 a month from 60 to 95 in today's money, including a full State Pension from 67, or £1,435 a month if you stop at 67. Bought as an annuity at 65, the best level rate on the market on 8 October 2026 paid £8,172 a year for life.
How big a pension pot do I need for a moderate retirement?
About £587,000 for one person stopping at 60, or £431,000 stopping at 67, with a full State Pension and no rent or mortgage. That buys the Pensions UK moderate standard of £2,725 a month.
How much does each £100,000 add to a pension income?
About £330 a month from 60 to 95, or £390 a month from 67, in today's money on balanced growth.
Do these figures include the State Pension?
Yes. Every figure is total monthly spending with a full State Pension of £1,046 a month from 67. If your forecast is lower, the figures from 67 drop by the difference.
Sources
- The new State Pension: what you'll get · GOV.UK
- Check your State Pension forecast · GOV.UK
- Retirement Living Standards · Pensions UK (formerly the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association)
- Best annuity rates · Hargreaves Lansdown
Keep going
This article is guidance, not financial advice. Every figure is produced by the same engine that powers our free calculators, stated in today's money on the assumptions named above, and checked against 2026/27 rates. Your own position will differ - if a decision this size is close, speak to a regulated financial adviser.