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

Will I have a £150k pension at 29?

Yes — time is on your sideOn track for £280k by 67

Yes. Starting from the £12k 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 £280k by 67 — you'd pass £150k around age 56. About 70% 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 £280k pot built by 67, about £84,460 is money you put in and roughly £195,775 is investment growth — 70p in every £1 comes from compounding, not a bigger salary.

Target £150k£280kAge 29Age 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
29
38 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
£11,500
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 29
    Not yet
    Paid in
    £12k
    Pot value
    £12k
  • Age 34
    Not yet
    Paid in
    £21k
    Pot value
    £25k
  • Age 39
    Not yet
    Paid in
    £31k
    Pot value
    £43k
  • Age 44
    Not yet
    Paid in
    £40k
    Pot value
    £65k
  • Age 49
    Not yet
    Paid in
    £50k
    Pot value
    £94k
  • Age 54
    Not yet
    Paid in
    £60k
    Pot value
    £131k
  • Age 56
    Not yet
    Paid in
    £63k
    Pot value
    £148k
  • Age 59
    Past £150k
    Paid in
    £69k
    Pot value
    £177k
  • Age 64
    Past £150k
    Paid in
    £79k
    Pot value
    £237k
  • Age 67
    Past £150k
    Paid in
    £84k
    Pot value
    £280k

On these average figures you’d pass £150k around age 56 — and it keeps compounding after that.

What a bit more each month does

+£50/mo
£345k
by 67 (£210/mo total)
Reaches £150k
+£100/mo
£409k
by 67 (£260/mo total)
Reaches £150k
+£200/mo
£539k
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 ~56

You'd reach £150k around age 56 and have about £280k by 67. Around 70% of that is investment growth.

Pot at 67
£280k
Hits target
Age 56
You put in
£84k
Growth adds
£196k

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 29

What pension could I have at 29? →

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 29?

Yes. Starting from the £12k 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 £280k by 67 — you'd pass £150k around age 56. About 70% 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 (£12k), 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 £280k by 67, past £150k. The reason is compounding: about 70% 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.