To retire in the UK with a moderate lifestyle as a single person, you need about £32,700 a year after tax, according to the Retirement Living Standards updated in June 2026. The full new State Pension pays about £12,548 a year, so the rest has to come from your own pension. That works out to a private pension pot of roughly £335,000 to £505,000 for one person. Here is what you need for each lifestyle, plus a simple target by age.
How much income you need in retirement
| Lifestyle | Single person (per year) | Couple (per year) |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum | £13,900 | £22,500 |
| Moderate | £32,700 | £45,400 |
| Comfortable | £45,400 | £62,700 |
These are after-tax amounts from the Retirement Living Standards, calculated for Pensions UK by Loughborough University. They assume you own your home outright, so add rent if you will not.
How big your pension pot needs to be
| Lifestyle (single) | Income needed from your pension | Estimated pot |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum | £1,684 a year | £23,000–£34,000 |
| Moderate | £25,184 a year | £335,000–£505,000 |
| Comfortable | £42,172 a year | £560,000–£845,000 |
For a couple splitting costs equally, each person needs roughly £170,000 to £255,000 for a moderate lifestyle and £315,000 to £470,000 for a comfortable one. These estimates assume you receive the full new State Pension, which is £241.30 a week (about £12,548 a year) in 2026/27.
How much should you have by age?
A common rule of thumb is to aim for a multiple of your salary at each age. These are rough guides, not hard rules:
| Age | Rough target |
|---|---|
| 30 | About 1x your salary |
| 40 | About 3x your salary |
| 50 | About 5x to 6x your salary |
| 60 | About 8x your salary |
| 67 (State Pension age) | About 10x your salary |
If you are behind, you are not alone. Most workers save the auto-enrolment minimum of 8% of qualifying earnings, which many experts say is not enough for a moderate retirement.
How to boost your pension
- Take the full employer match. If your employer matches extra contributions, that is the best return available.
- Use tax relief. Pension contributions get relief at your highest rate of income tax, so £100 into a pension costs a basic-rate taxpayer £80 and a higher-rate taxpayer £60.
- Consider salary sacrifice if your employer offers it, which also saves National Insurance.
- Trace old pensions with the government’s free Pension Tracing Service and consider combining them.
- Check your State Pension forecast on GOV.UK and fill National Insurance gaps if it makes sense.
Compare pensions with ISAs in SIPP vs ISA, see the Lifetime ISA, and test a withdrawal plan with the 4% rule.
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Frequently asked questions
Is £100,000 a good pension pot?
Combined with the full State Pension, it can provide a retirement between the minimum and moderate standards for one person, depending on how you draw it.
How much is the full State Pension in 2026/27?
£241.30 a week, about £12,548 a year, for people who reached State Pension age after April 2016 and have 35 qualifying years.
When can I access my private pension?
From age 55, rising to 57 from April 2028. You can usually take 25% tax-free.
This article is general information, not financial advice.
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