Private pension schemes are ways for you or your employer to save money for later in your life.
There are 2 main types:
defined contribution - a pension pot based on how much is paid in
defined benefit - usually a workplace pension based on your salary and how long you have worked for your employer
Defined contribution pension schemes
These are usually either personal or stakeholder pensions. They are sometimes called money purchase pension schemes.
They can be:
workplace pensions arranged by your employer
private pensions arranged by you
Money paid in by you or your employer is put into investments (such as shares) by the pension provider. The value of your pension pot can go up or down depending on how the investments perform.
Some schemes move your money into lower-risk investments as you get close to retirement age. You may be able to ask for this if it does not happen automatically - ask your pension provider.
What you will get
The amount you will get when you take your pension pot depends on:
how much was paid in
how well the investments have done
how you decide to take the money, for example as regular payments, a lump sum or smaller sums
You usually get 25% of your pension pot tax free.
The pension provider usually takes a small percentage as a management fee - ask them how much this will be.
Defined benefit pension schemes
These are usually workplace pensions arranged by your employer. They are sometimes called final salary or career average pension schemes.
What you will get
How much you get depends on your pension scheme’s rules, not on investments or how much you have paid in. Workplace schemes are usually based on a number of things, for example your salary and how long you have worked for your employer.
The pension provider will promise to give you a certain amount each year when you retire.
You can usually choose to get 25% tax free. You will get the rest as regular payments.