Made an extra pension contribution? Claim what you're owed.
For one-off or additional personal contributions outside payroll — claim your full tax relief and get back what HMRC owes you.
1Your Details
2Relief Calculation
3Allowance Check
4Next Steps
Your details
Tell us about your income and how much you'd like to contribute. We'll calculate exactly what the government adds on top.
£
Your total employment income before tax. Used to determine your tax band and how much relief you can claim.
£
The amount you'll actually transfer from your bank account. Your pension provider will automatically add 20% basic rate relief on top.
£
Include employer contributions too. Used to check your annual allowance headroom. Leave blank if unsure.
Employer scheme (AVC)
Personal SIPP
Not sure yet
Both work the same way for tax relief. This just affects the guidance we give you.
Opening a SIPP
Popular providers include Vanguard, Fidelity, and Hargreaves Lansdown. You can open one in around 15 minutes online. All operate on a relief-at-source basis — you pay net, they claim the 20% automatically.
Your tax relief breakdown
Here's exactly what happens to your contribution and how much you can claim back.
How relief at source works
You transfer your net contribution from your bank account to the pension
Your pension provider claims 20% basic rate relief from HMRC and adds it automatically — usually within 6–10 weeks
If you're a higher or additional rate taxpayer, you claim the extra relief via Self Assessment
The full gross amount is then invested in your chosen fund
Higher rate taxpayer — don't leave money on the table
Annual allowance check
Make sure your total contributions stay within HMRC's limits — breaching them triggers a tax charge that wipes out the relief.
What counts towards the annual allowance?
Both your own contributions and your employer's contributions count. For defined contribution schemes, it's simply the total paid in. The limit is £60,000 or 100% of your earnings, whichever is lower.
Carry forward
If you've been a pension scheme member for the past three years and haven't used your full allowance, you can carry forward unused allowance — potentially allowing contributions well above £60,000 this year. Speak to a financial adviser to use this correctly.
Your next steps
Here's exactly what to do to make your AVC and claim your full tax relief.
Registering for Self Assessment
You're employed, but you can still register to claim higher rate pension relief. Here's how.
1
Go to gov.uk and search "register for Self Assessment" Select "I need to complete a tax return for another reason."
2
Create or sign into your Government Gateway account You'll need your National Insurance number and a passport or UK driving licence.
3
Wait for your UTR (Unique Taxpayer Reference) Posted by HMRC — allow up to 10 working days. You cannot file without it.
4
File your return and declare your pension contribution Enter the gross contribution amount (net + 20% relief added by provider). HMRC calculates what's owed.
5
Receive your refund Paid directly to your bank or applied as a tax code adjustment.
Key deadlines
Register by 5 October 2025 for the 2024/25 tax year. File online by 31 January 2026.
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