How much income will a £100,000 pension pot give you?
A £100,000 pension can provide income in different ways. These two examples use the full pot, before any tax-free cash.
Starting drawdown income
£333 /month
£4,000 a year before tax, using a 4% withdrawal assumption. Your pot stays invested and can run out.
Explore withdrawals →Annuity income at age 65
£673 /month
£8,081 a year before tax. Fixed income for your lifetime, with no continuing partner income or guarantee period. You give up access to this pot.
Explore annuity options →Annuity example scaled from published quotes dated 10 September 2026; your quote can differ. Fixed income loses buying power as prices rise. State Pension is extra if you qualify.
£100,000 measured against PLSA Retirement Living Standards
The estimated spending available is £15,752/yr after illustrative income tax, using 4% fully taxable drawdown plus one full State Pension. 2026 spending benchmarks outside London. Rent and mortgage payments are extra; household bills and basic maintenance are included.The standards are research benchmarks; whether any pot is "enough" in practice depends on housing costs, longevity, health, and other savings.
› How we calculate this
Annuity amounts use the same dated source snapshot across ages, not forecasts of future rates. Age 67 is interpolated between the published age-65 and age-70 examples.
The retirement-readiness calculator runs scenarios across ages, contribution rates, and PLSA lifestyle targets. Educational only — not personal financial advice.
Open the calculatorWith £100,000 available for withdrawals, taking 4% of the starting balance would provide £4,000 in the first year before tax. This is a chosen withdrawal assumption, not an investment return or a promise that the money will last. Taking cash out beforehand reduces the balance available for this illustration.
Adding the full State Pension once eligible gives £16,548/year before tax — after illustrative income tax, above the PLSA "minimum" standard (£13,900/yr) but roughly £16,948/yr short of "moderate" (£32,700/yr). This comparison treats the private withdrawal as fully taxable and assumes one person's full State Pension, with no other income. It is not a forecast of your State Pension entitlement.
Whether that income meets your needs depends on spending, housing costs, other income and how long retirement lasts. Drawdown leaves money invested: returns, fees and the withdrawals you take affect what remains, and the pot can run out. The tables on this page illustrate assumptions rather than recommend a withdrawal plan.
What it would take to build a £100,000 pot by 67
Illustrative monthly amount paid into a pension to build £100,000from a zero starting balance by age 67. This assumes a constant 5% annual return above inflation, net of fees; it is a chosen scenario, not an expected return. Age 67 is the target age for this example, not a check of your State Pension age.
What income £100,000 delivers at 55, 60, or 67
The earlier you retire, the longer the pot has to last and the lower the annuity rate. Drawdown income is the same at any age (4% of pot), but state pension only kicks in at 67.
Retiring before state pension age
From the minimum pension access age of 55 (rising to 57 from 2028) up until 67, the £100,000 pot is doing the work alone. At 4% drawdown that is £4,000/year with no state pension yet — after illustrative income tax, below the PLSA "minimum" standard (£13,900/yr) by around £9,900/yr. The bridging window narrows the closer to 67 you start: 12 years if you stop at 55, 7 years at 60, just 2 years at 65. From 67 the full state pension joins drawdown, taking total income to £16,548/year — after illustrative income tax, above the PLSA "minimum" standard (£13,900/yr) but £16,948/yr short of "moderate" (£32,700/yr). Annuity rates rise with age, so locking in a guaranteed income earlier costs more pot per pound of income: a single-life level annuity would pay around £6,964/year at 55, £7,364/year at 60, and £8,081/year at 65.
Retiring at 67 (state pension age)
From 67, drawdown at 4% combined with the full state pension produces £16,548/year — after illustrative income tax, above the PLSA "minimum" standard (£13,900/yr) but £16,948/yr short of "moderate" (£32,700/yr). There is no bridging gap and the pot does not have to stretch as far. A single-life level annuity bought at 67 would pay around £8,396/year for life — more than at 55 or 60 because the insurer expects to pay out for fewer years.
Is £100,000 a good UK pension pot?
Pot size alone cannot show whether retirement is affordable. The relevant comparison is income after tax against your spending, including housing costs, alongside other pensions and savings. The Retirement Living Standards comparison above uses example spending levels; it is not a personal budget or a guarantee that withdrawals will last.
MoneyHelper explains the flexibility and risks of leaving a pension invested in its pension drawdown guide.
What can affect your income from £100,000?
The drawdown income illustration uses 4% of the starting pot. The depletion table separately assumes constant 4% nominal growth. Neither is a guarantee of sustainable income; the variables below matter.
- Inflation. Future cash amounts and today’s spending budgets use different money bases. At an assumed 2.5% annual inflation, fixed payments lose about half their purchasing power over 28 years. Increasing withdrawals to keep pace also places more demand on an invested pot.
- Fees. A 0.5% fee applied to an unchanged £100,000 balance is £500 for one year. Actual charges depend on balances, funds, transactions and any caps; future fee effects depend on the full scenario.
- Investment returns. A withdrawal percentage is not an investment return. Losses early in retirement, combined with withdrawals, can leave less money available to recover when markets improve. The constant-return table does not model this sequence risk.
- Withdrawal rate. Taking more money out leaves less invested. No fixed percentage on this page guarantees that a pot will last for a particular lifetime. Spending needs, returns, fees and the withdrawal pattern all matter.
- Tax. Tax-free cash depends on scheme rules, protections and remaining allowances. Taxable withdrawals are assessed alongside other taxable income. The timing and size of withdrawals affect tax; the simplified examples do not establish a suitable withdrawal strategy.
- Retirement age. Published examples differ by age, but today’s rates at older ages are not a forecast of the rates available if you wait. Buying later also means fewer years of payments. State pension age also matters: retiring before 67 means bridging on the pot alone.
Frequently asked questions
How much income does a £100,000 pension pot give you?
Through drawdown at 4%, a £100,000 pot provides £4,000/yr. Combined with the full state pension (£12,548/yr), that's £16,548/yr or £318/week. Alternatively, an annuity purchased at 65 could provide around £8,081/yr guaranteed for life.
Is £100,000 enough to retire on in the UK?
A £100,000 pension pot provides around £16,548/yr through the 4% drawdown rule plus the full state pension. After illustrative income tax, £15,752/yr is available for spending. That falls short of the PLSA "moderate" Retirement Living Standard (£32,700/yr). The PLSA moderate standard implies a pot of around £629,613 under a 4% fully taxable drawdown assumption plus full state pension at age 67, using 2026/27 England/Wales/NI tax. Rent and mortgage payments are extra.
What annuity will a £100,000 pension pot buy?
A £100,000 pot bought as a single-life level annuity at age 65 could provide around £8,081/yr for life. Joint-life, inflation-linked (RPI), or enhanced annuities pay different amounts — see the annuity breakdown on this page.
How long will a £100,000 pension pot last?
It depends on how much you withdraw. At £8,000/yr, a £100,000 pot lasts approximately 18 years under a 4% growth assumption. At higher withdrawal rates it depletes faster. A 4% starting withdrawal (£4,000/yr) is a common planning benchmark, not a guarantee.
How much of a £100,000 pension pot is tax-free?
The illustration allows £25,000 tax-free from a £100,000 pot, assuming the usual 25% rules and the full unused standard £268,275 lump sum allowance. The remaining £75,000 is taxable when withdrawn. Previous allowance use, protections and scheme rules can change the result.
- PLSA Retirement Living Standards — Benchmark retirement income levels (minimum / moderate / comfortable)
- HMRC pension tax rules — Official guidance on pension tax-free lump sum and income tax
- New State Pension (gov.uk) — Current full new state pension rate and NI eligibility
- ONS Wealth and Assets Survey — UK pension wealth distribution by age and percentile
- FCA Retirement Income Market Data — Retirement income product sales and drawdown market statistics
- •Drawdown income on this page uses the 4% rule (£4,000/yr from a £100,000 pot). Sustainable withdrawal rates depend on net-of-fee returns, sequence-of-returns risk, and longevity — not average growth in isolation.
- •Annuity figures are illustrative single-life level rates at the ages shown. A £100,000 pot's actual quote moves with gilt yields, provider, health, and spouse age — get multiple quotes before buying.
- •Figures are nominal. £4,000/yr today buys roughly £3,125/yr of spending power after a decade at 2.5% inflation, before any market drag.
- •State pension figures use the full new State Pension (£12,548/yr) starting at age 67. Your entitlement depends on your National Insurance record — check your forecast at gov.uk.
- •2026 RLS target pots gross up single-person spending for illustrative England, Wales and Northern Ireland income tax, deduct the full State Pension, then divide by 4%. Pension withdrawals are fully taxable; rent and mortgage payments are extra. They're research benchmarks, not personal targets.
- •The tax-free cash illustration is £25,000, assuming the full unused standard £268,275 lump sum allowance and usual 25% rules. The remaining £75,000 is taxable when withdrawn. Previous use, protections and scheme rules can change these amounts.
- •Pension Bible publishes editorial analysis and general information, not personal financial advice. For decisions about your own pension, speak to an FCA-regulated financial adviser.