Whether you have all your pension information, or if you have recently found all your pensions using our quick ‘How to’ steps, now’s the time to explore your next move. Engaging with your pension will help you make more informed decisions for your retirement plan.
It may be beneficial to consolidate multiple old pension pots, sometimes referred to as pension schemes, into one single plan; this depends on your type of pension.
Defined Contribution Pension Schemes
Consolidation can be particularly beneficial for Defined Contribution (DC) pensions; the dominant type of workplace pension in the private sector, in which you build up a personal pot of money that can be used to provide income when you retire. This type of pension plan makes you responsible for the income you would like to receive in later life and is why you may wish to engage with your pension now to improve your financial future.
Engaging with your pension can look like:
- Finding all your old pensions.
- Logging into your pension portal and monitoring performance.
- Reviewing your annual pension statements.
- Changing your investment choices from the default option to align with your attitude to risk, values, and beliefs.
- Setting retirement goals and checking your current pension contributions align with those goals.
There can be many benefits to consolidating multiple pension pots, for example:
- It could reduce charges and fees; more funds are invested with the one pension provider.
- It can be easier to manage savings.
- Some of your pension providers may offer protected pension age (meaning you could access your pension earlier than the current minimum of 55), and you may be able to consolidate the ones who don’t into a plan which offers this.
Before consolidating your pensions it’s always a good idea to check you won’t lose out on any valuable benefits with your existing pension providers, such as guaranteed annuity rates, enhanced tax-free cash (above the standard 25%), or a protected pension age. Additionally, it’s good to check that there are no exit fees to ensure more money stays in your pocket.
Defined Benefit Pension Schemes
For those who have Defined Benefit (DB) schemes, consolidating multiple schemes may not be recommended or possible, as not all DB schemes allow transfers. The process is more complex, and if transferring to a DC scheme and the transfer exceeds £30,000 you are legally required to seek regulated financial advice; transferring from DB to DC is irreversible and may impact your financial future.