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Pensions
Pension tax relief
Calculate provider tax relief, payroll savings and potential additional HMRC relief on pension contributions in England.
Open calculatorEngland / 2026/27
Pension tax relief calculator
Calculations run in your browser.
Total pension tax relief / year
| Gross pension contribution | £5,000.00 |
|---|---|
| Provider basic-rate top-up | £1,000.00 |
| Tax saved through payroll | £0.00 |
| Additional HMRC relief to claim | £1,000.00 |
| Net cost after all relief | £3,000.00 |
Additional relief may need to be claimed from HMRC. Assumes it is not already in your tax code. Includes any restored Personal Allowance.
Check the inputs to calculate a result.
Calculation details
Relief at source
Enter the gross amount reaching the pension. For a £5,000 contribution, you pay £4,000 and the provider claims £1,000 in basic-rate relief. Higher or additional-rate relief may need to be claimed from HMRC. Gross contributions can also restore some or all of a tapered Personal Allowance.
Net pay
Your employer deducts the contribution before Income Tax. Relief is reflected in payroll, but NI earnings are unchanged. This tool excludes any separate HMRC top-up for eligible low earners. Pension salary sacrifice is covered by its own calculator.
Example
With a £60,000 salary and a £5,000 gross relief-at-source contribution, provider relief is £1,000 and potential extra HMRC relief is £1,000. The net cost after all relief is £3,000. Extra relief is limited by the income actually taxed above basic rate.
Assumptions
England, 2026/27. One job for a full tax year, standard Personal Allowance with income taper and ordinary employee NI below State Pension age. Excludes other income, benefits in kind, special tax codes and directors. Monthly figures are annual estimates divided by 12, not payslip predictions. Defined-contribution pensions only. This does not check your annual allowance, tapered allowance, money purchase annual allowance or carry-forward. Employer contributions also use your allowance. Contributions cannot exceed salary or £60,000 in this tool. Only salary income is modelled. Additional relief is assumed not to be included in your tax code already.
Sources
- Net pay and relief-at-source treatment, 20% provider relief and additional relief limited to higher-taxed income
- Pension salary sacrifice reduces cash pay and NI earnings; minimum-wage restriction
- Gross relief-at-source contributions reduce adjusted net income
- Standard annual allowance includes employer contributions; taper/MPAA may apply
- Section 10(6): relief-at-source extension of basic and higher-rate limits under Finance Act 2004 s192(4)
- Personal Allowance and adjusted-net-income taper
- England taxable-income band limits and rates
Checked 2026-10-25. Estimate only, not financial advice.