Limits to tax relief for pension contributions

Under current rules, you can claim tax relief for your private pension contributions. The annual allowance for tax relief on pensions is £40,000 for the current tax year. There is a three year carry forward rule that allows you to carry forward any unused amount of your annual allowance from the last three tax years if you have made pension savings in those years. There is also a lifetime limit for tax relief on pension contributions. The limit is currently £1,073,100 and will remain frozen at that level until at least April 2026.

You can get tax relief on private pension contributions worth up to 100% of your annual earnings, subject to the overriding limits. Tax relief is paid on pension contributions at the highest rate of Income Tax paid.

This means that if you are:

• A basic rate taxpayer you get 20% pension tax relief
• A higher rate taxpayer you can claim 40% pension tax relief
• An additional rate taxpayer you can claim 45% pension tax relief

The first 20% of tax relief is usually automatically applied by your employer with no further action required if you are a basic-rate taxpayer. If you are a higher rate or additional rate taxpayer, you can claim back any further reliefs on your Self-Assessment tax return.

The above applies for claiming tax relief in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. There are regional differences if you are based in Scotland.