Have I Enough?
Have I Enough?
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Pension outlook · worked example

Will I have a £150k pension at 23?

Yes — time is on your sideOn track for £318k by 67

Yes. Starting from the £3k an average saver your age already has, and paying in the auto-enrolment minimum of about £160 a month on the median £31k full-time salary for your age, you're on track for roughly £318k by 67 — you'd pass £150k around age 53. About 72% of that is investment growth, not money you save — you don't need a big income, you need time.

Change these numbers liveOpen the full planner

You don’t save your way to £150k — you grow it

Of the £318k pot built by 67, about £87,780 is money you put in and roughly £230,653 is investment growth — 72p in every £1 comes from compounding, not a bigger salary.

Target £150k£318kAge 23Age 67
Money you put in Investment growth £150k target

Here’s the scenario

A typical earner your age, built from ONS national medians — not a high flyer. Everything is in today’s money.

Age now
23
44 years to age 67
Median salary
£30,525
ONS median full-time pay, ages 20–29
Paid in / month
£160
Auto-enrolment minimum (you + employer)
Already saved
£3,300
ONS median pot for savers this age
Growth
5% a year
Above inflation
Target
£150k
Pension pot by 67

How the pot builds up

  • Age 23
    Not yet
    Paid in
    £3k
    Pot value
    £3k
  • Age 28
    Not yet
    Paid in
    £13k
    Pot value
    £15k
  • Age 33
    Not yet
    Paid in
    £23k
    Pot value
    £30k
  • Age 38
    Not yet
    Paid in
    £32k
    Pot value
    £48k
  • Age 43
    Not yet
    Paid in
    £42k
    Pot value
    £72k
  • Age 48
    Not yet
    Paid in
    £51k
    Pot value
    £103k
  • Age 53
    Not yet
    Paid in
    £61k
    Pot value
    £142k
  • Age 58
    Past £150k
    Paid in
    £71k
    Pot value
    £192k
  • Age 63
    Past £150k
    Paid in
    £80k
    Pot value
    £255k
  • Age 67
    Past £150k
    Paid in
    £88k
    Pot value
    £318k

On these average figures you’d pass £150k around age 53 — and it keeps compounding after that.

What a bit more each month does

+£50/mo
£409k
by 67 (£210/mo total)
Reaches £150k
+£100/mo
£500k
by 67 (£260/mo total)
Reaches £150k
+£200/mo
£681k
by 67 (£360/mo total)
Reaches £150k

Try it with your own numbers

Live

The real planner engine, running in your browser. Change your pot, monthly saving, growth and target and watch the pot you’d have by 67 — and the age you’d hit your target — update instantly.

On trackHits £150k at ~53

You'd reach £150k around age 53 and have about £318k by 67. Around 72% of that is investment growth.

Pot at 67
£318k
Hits target
Age 53
You put in
£88k
Growth adds
£231k

Projected pot (today's money)

Pot
Open the full plannerAssumes contributions to 67 and growth above inflation. Illustrative only — not financial advice.

Other pension targets at 23

What pension could I have at 23? →

A £150k pension at another age

Will I ever have a £150k pension? →

Where these figures come from

The default salary, contribution and existing-pot figures are UK national medians, not a prediction about you — your own pay, employer scheme, other pensions and returns will differ. Change any of them in the live tester above. Growth of 5% a year above inflation is illustrative, and all amounts are in today’s money. This is a planning tool, not financial advice.

Frequently asked questions

Will I have a £150k pension at 23?

Yes. Starting from the £3k an average saver your age already has, and paying in the auto-enrolment minimum of about £160 a month on the median £31k full-time salary for your age, you're on track for roughly £318k by 67 — you'd pass £150k around age 53. About 72% of that is investment growth, not money you save — you don't need a big income, you need time. The figures use national medians (not a promise about you): the ONS median full-time salary for ages 20–29 (£31k), the auto-enrolment minimum of about £160 a month (you + employer, 8% of qualifying earnings), the ONS median pot for someone your age who already saves (£3k), and 5% investment growth a year above inflation to age 67.

Do I need a high salary to get a £150k pension?

No. On the median £31k full-time salary for ages 20–29 (ONS), paying only the legal minimum, you'd build around £318k by 67, past £150k. The reason is compounding: about 72% of the pot is investment growth rather than money you pay in. Starting earlier matters far more than earning more, because your early contributions have the longest to grow.

How much do I need to save each month for a £150k pension?

On these assumptions the auto-enrolment minimum of about £160 a month already gets there by 67. Paying in a little more, or starting sooner, would reach £150k earlier or leave headroom.

Is a £150k pension enough to retire on?

It depends on your spending and other income. A £150k pot plus the State Pension (about £11,502 a year from 67) might support a modest-to-comfortable retirement using the 4% guide. Use the free planner to test how long £150k would actually last at your target spending.

Are these numbers financial advice?

No. This is an illustrative worked example from a free planning tool using fixed assumptions (average pay, 5% real growth, pension access from 55). Your own pensions, employer, returns and career will change the result. Open the planner to run it with your real figures.