The pension Annual Allowance (AA) is the maximum amount you (and your employer + tax relief combined) can pay into your UK pensions in a tax year while still receiving full tax relief. Exceed it and you face an Annual Allowance Charge that effectively claws back the excess relief. The headline £60,000 figure has three big complications: the taper for high earners, the MPAA after pension access, and carry-forward of unused allowance.
To check whether the tax, NI and PAYE lines look right on your own slip, see How do I check my payslip is correct?.
Want to check if your own payslip adds up?
The 2026/27 figures in one place
| Allowance | 2026/27 |
|---|---|
| Standard Annual Allowance | £60,000 |
| Taper applies when | Threshold income is above £200,000 and adjusted income is above £260,000 |
| Taper rate | £1 of allowance lost for every £2 of adjusted income above £260,000 |
| Minimum tapered allowance | £10,000, reached once adjusted income hits £360,000 |
| Money Purchase Annual Allowance | £10,000, from the moment a DC pension is flexibly accessed |
| Carry-forward window | The previous 3 tax years, oldest first |
| Limit with no UK taxable earnings | £3,600 gross a year (£2,880 net plus £720 basic-rate relief) |
| Scheme Pays becomes mandatory at | A charge above £2,000, where the allowance was breached at scheme level |
Each figure is explained in full below.
The headline £60,000
For 2026/27, the standard Annual Allowance is £60,000 (GOV.UK, tax on your private pension: annual allowance). This counts:
- Your own contributions (gross - i.e. including the basic-rate tax relief added by the pension provider).
- Your employer's contributions to your pension.
- Salary sacrifice into pension (this is technically employer contribution).
- Any third-party contributions on your behalf.
So if you contribute £20,000 + your employer contributes £15,000, your AA used = £35,000. You have £25,000 of headroom remaining for the year.
Tax relief on the contributions
When you (or your employer) pay into a UK pension, you get tax relief at your marginal rate:
| Your position | Effective income tax relief |
|---|---|
| Basic-rate taxpayer | 20% |
| Higher-rate taxpayer | 40% |
| Additional-rate taxpayer | 45% |
| Income £100,000 to £125,140 (Personal Allowance taper) | 60%, or 62% via salary sacrifice |
The 60% figure in the last row is not a separate relief rate: you save 40% tax and recover the Personal Allowance you were losing at £1 for every £2 of income above £100,000. Contribute through salary sacrifice and the 2% NI saving on top takes it to 62%.
The basic-rate relief is automatic via the pension provider. Higher-rate + additional-rate relief is claimed via Self Assessment (or a phone call to HMRC for simple cases).
The taper for high earners (2026/27)
If your threshold income exceeds £200,000 AND your adjusted income exceeds £260,000, your AA is tapered down by £1 for every £2 of adjusted income above £260,000 (HMRC, work out your tapered annual allowance).
Worked example: adjusted income £312,000.
Excess above £260,000: £52,000
Reduction (£1 per £2): £26,000
Tapered AA = £60,000 - £26,000: £34,000
The taper bottoms out at £10,000 of allowance once adjusted income reaches £360,000: a £100,000 excess over £260,000 strips £50,000 off the £60,000 standard allowance, and the reduction stops there.
What's threshold income
Threshold income = your taxable income MINUS any personal pension contributions you made.
What's adjusted income
Adjusted income = your taxable income PLUS your employer's pension contributions (and yours via salary sacrifice).
The two-test approach catches high earners trying to dodge the taper by using salary sacrifice.
The MPAA - £10,000 after pension access
If you've flexibly accessed any defined contribution (DC) pension (e.g. taken a flexible drawdown, an UFPLS, or a small pots payment), your AA is reduced to the Money Purchase Annual Allowance (MPAA) of £10,000/year.
This is to prevent recycling: taking pension money out (with 25% tax-free), then paying it back in, claiming relief twice.
The MPAA applies from the moment you flexibly access. It doesn't apply if you only take tax-free cash (the 25% Pension Commencement Lump Sum) or use a secured income annuity.
Once you've triggered the MPAA, you cannot return to the standard £60,000 - even if you stop drawing from the pension.
Carry-forward - using prior years' allowance
Unused AA from the previous 3 tax years can be carried forward. You can use carry-forward IF:
- You were a member of a UK registered pension scheme in the year you're carrying forward from (even if you didn't contribute).
- You've used your full current-year AA first.
- Carry-forward is taken in chronological order (oldest year first).
Worked example: 2026/27 AA = £60,000. You contribute £100,000 in 2026/27.
Use 2026/27 AA in full: £60,000
Carry forward from 2023/24 (£60k unused): £60,000
Available so far: £120,000
Contribution: £100,000
Remaining unused 2023/24: £20,000
You stay within allowance, no charge. The remaining £20,000 of 2023/24 carry-forward expires after 2026/27.
The Annual Allowance Charge
Exceed your AA and you face an AA Charge at your marginal income tax rate on the excess. Effectively HMRC reclaims the tax relief.
Worked example: higher-rate taxpayer, £75,000 contribution, AA of £60,000.
Excess over AA: £15,000
Charge at 40% (higher rate): £6,000
Net cost of the contribution:
Initial outlay (gross): £75,000
Less higher-rate relief (40%): -£30,000
Plus AA Charge: £6,000
Net cost: £51,000
The charge claws back the relief on the excess, so the £15,000 above the allowance ends up costing you what it would have cost with no pension relief at all. The contribution itself is not invalid - the money is still in the pension - but the tax advantage on that slice is gone.
Pay your AA Charge - two routes
You have two options for paying the AA Charge:
Option 1 - Pay personally via Self Assessment
The charge appears on your SA return. Pay alongside your normal income tax bill.
Option 2 - Scheme Pays
Your pension scheme can pay the charge directly from your pension pot. Mandatory if the charge exceeds £2,000 AND your AA was breached at the scheme level. Optional for smaller charges.
Scheme Pays preserves your cashflow but reduces your eventual pension pot.
Special cases
You have a defined benefit (DB) pension
Your DB pension contribution is calculated on a Pension Input Amount (PIA) = 16 × the annual increase in your accrued pension benefits. Talk to your scheme administrator for the actual PIA - it's not always intuitive.
You have multiple pensions
The AA applies across all your registered pension schemes combined, not per-scheme. Add up contributions across every scheme.
You're not earning UK taxable income
If you're not earning, you can still contribute up to £3,600 gross per year (£2,880 net + £720 basic-rate relief). Useful for stay-at-home parents or those between jobs.
You're a Scottish taxpayer
Same AA + same MPAA. The relief rates differ slightly (Scottish bands: 19/20/21/42/45/48% as of 2026/27) but the AA structure is identical.
When to use the AA aggressively
Maxing the AA is most tax-efficient when:
- You're in the £100,000 to £125,140 Personal Allowance taper zone, where relief is worth 60%, or 62% through salary sacrifice.
- You're approaching retirement and need to compress contributions into the final earning years.
- You've had a one-off windfall (bonus, redundancy lump sum, inheritance) and want to shield it.
- You have unused carry-forward from prior years that's about to expire.
When to be cautious
Not every situation calls for max AA contributions:
- You haven't built emergency cash savings (pension money is locked until 55, rising to 57 in 2028).
- You need cashflow for current expenses (mortgage, family).
- You're under 30 - ISAs may be more flexible.
- You're at risk of the LSA / LSDBA - the post-2024 lump sum allowances cap your tax-free pension benefits.
When to talk to a regulated financial adviser
The pension AA decisions get complex when interacting with:
- The Lifetime Allowance. The charge was removed from 6 April 2023 and the allowance itself abolished from 6 April 2024, but transitional certificates and pre-2024 crystallisations still affect what you can take tax-free.
- Lump Sum Allowance (£268,275) and Lump Sum and Death Benefit Allowance (£1,073,100) - the post-2024 framework.
- Pension transfer decisions (DB to DC, defined contribution consolidation).
- Inheritance tax planning via pensions.
- Cross-border pension issues (overseas pensions, expat pensions, non-UK domiciled status).
For substantial pension decisions, use a regulated financial adviser via the Money Helper Retirement Adviser Directory.
Disclaimer
PayslipIQ provides automated educational guidance based on the figures you supply. It is not regulated pension or financial advice. Pension rules are complex and change frequently - this guide reflects 2026/27 rates. For substantial pension decisions, particularly around the AA taper, MPAA, carry-forward, or transfer decisions, consult a regulated FCA-authorised pension adviser.
Ready to check your own payslip?
Enter your figures and get an instant AI-powered analysis. Free, private, no signup.
Check my payslip freePayslipIQ provides educational information and estimated calculations only. It does not provide tax, legal, financial, payroll, accounting, pension, benefits or employment advice. Always verify your payslip, tax code, deductions and take-home pay with your employer's payroll department, HMRC, your pension provider, a qualified accountant, tax adviser or another appropriately qualified professional.