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

Will I have a £250k pension at 33?

Yes — time is on your sideOn track for £320k by 67

Yes. Starting from the £18k an average saver your age already has, and paying in the auto-enrolment minimum of about £220 a month on the median £39k full-time salary for your age, you're on track for roughly £320k by 67 — you'd pass £250k around age 62. About 66% 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 £320k pot built by 67, about £107,960 is money you put in and roughly £212,228 is investment growth — 66p in every £1 comes from compounding, not a bigger salary.

Target £250k£320kAge 33Age 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
33
34 years to age 67
Median salary
£38,961
ONS median full-time pay, ages 30–39
Paid in / month
£220
Auto-enrolment minimum (you + employer)
Already saved
£18,200
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 33
    Not yet
    Paid in
    £18k
    Pot value
    £18k
  • Age 38
    Not yet
    Paid in
    £31k
    Pot value
    £38k
  • Age 43
    Not yet
    Paid in
    £45k
    Pot value
    £63k
  • Age 48
    Not yet
    Paid in
    £58k
    Pot value
    £95k
  • Age 53
    Not yet
    Paid in
    £71k
    Pot value
    £136k
  • Age 58
    Not yet
    Paid in
    £84k
    Pot value
    £188k
  • Age 62
    Not yet
    Paid in
    £95k
    Pot value
    £239k
  • Age 63
    Past £250k
    Paid in
    £97k
    Pot value
    £254k
  • Age 67
    Past £250k
    Paid in
    £108k
    Pot value
    £320k

On these average figures you’d pass £250k around age 62 — and it keeps compounding after that.

What a bit more each month does

+£50/mo
£371k
by 67 (£270/mo total)
Reaches £250k
+£100/mo
£422k
by 67 (£320/mo total)
Reaches £250k
+£200/mo
£524k
by 67 (£420/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 ~62

You'd reach £250k around age 62 and have about £320k by 67. Around 66% of that is investment growth.

Pot at 67
£320k
Hits target
Age 62
You put in
£108k
Growth adds
£212k

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 33

What pension could I have at 33? →

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 33?

Yes. Starting from the £18k an average saver your age already has, and paying in the auto-enrolment minimum of about £220 a month on the median £39k full-time salary for your age, you're on track for roughly £320k by 67 — you'd pass £250k around age 62. About 66% 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 30–39 (£39k), the auto-enrolment minimum of about £220 a month (you + employer, 8% of qualifying earnings), the ONS median pot for someone your age who already saves (£18k), 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 £39k full-time salary for ages 30–39 (ONS), paying only the legal minimum, you'd build around £320k by 67, past £250k. The reason is compounding: about 66% 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 £220 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.