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

Will I have a £250k pension at 26?

Yes — time is on your sideOn track for £296k by 67

Yes. Starting from the £7k 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 £296k by 67 — you'd pass £250k around age 63. About 71% 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 £250k — you grow it

Of the £296k pot built by 67, about £85,620 is money you put in and roughly £210,837 is investment growth — 71p in every £1 comes from compounding, not a bigger salary.

Target £250k£296kAge 26Age 67
Money you put in Investment growth £250k 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
26
41 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
£6,900
ONS median pot for savers this age
Growth
5% a year
Above inflation
Target
£250k
Pension pot by 67

How the pot builds up

  • Age 26
    Not yet
    Paid in
    £7k
    Pot value
    £7k
  • Age 31
    Not yet
    Paid in
    £17k
    Pot value
    £19k
  • Age 36
    Not yet
    Paid in
    £26k
    Pot value
    £35k
  • Age 41
    Not yet
    Paid in
    £36k
    Pot value
    £56k
  • Age 46
    Not yet
    Paid in
    £45k
    Pot value
    £82k
  • Age 51
    Not yet
    Paid in
    £55k
    Pot value
    £115k
  • Age 56
    Not yet
    Paid in
    £65k
    Pot value
    £157k
  • Age 61
    Not yet
    Paid in
    £74k
    Pot value
    £211k
  • Age 63
    Not yet
    Paid in
    £78k
    Pot value
    £237k
  • Age 66
    Past £250k
    Paid in
    £84k
    Pot value
    £281k
  • Age 67
    Past £250k
    Paid in
    £86k
    Pot value
    £296k

On these average figures you’d pass £250k around age 63 — and it keeps compounding after that.

What a bit more each month does

+£50/mo
£373k
by 67 (£210/mo total)
Reaches £250k
+£100/mo
£450k
by 67 (£260/mo total)
Reaches £250k
+£200/mo
£603k
by 67 (£360/mo total)
Reaches £250k

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 £250k at ~63

You'd reach £250k around age 63 and have about £296k by 67. Around 71% of that is investment growth.

Pot at 67
£296k
Hits target
Age 63
You put in
£86k
Growth adds
£211k

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 26

What pension could I have at 26? →

A £250k pension at another age

Will I ever have a £250k 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 £250k pension at 26?

Yes. Starting from the £7k 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 £296k by 67 — you'd pass £250k around age 63. About 71% 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 (£7k), and 5% investment growth a year above inflation to age 67.

Do I need a high salary to get a £250k pension?

No. On the median £31k full-time salary for ages 20–29 (ONS), paying only the legal minimum, you'd build around £296k by 67, past £250k. The reason is compounding: about 71% 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 £250k 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 £250k earlier or leave headroom.

Is a £250k pension enough to retire on?

It depends on your spending and other income. A £250k 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 £250k 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.