The value of your investment can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you paid in. Laws and tax rules may change in the future. Your own circumstances and where you live in the UK also have an impact on tax treatment.

Preparing for retirement

Retirement is  a big decision. Even if this initially means cutting back rather than cutting out work altogether. We want you to get the most income from your retirement savings as possible. So we've created these guides to help you understand your options so you can make the right choices for you. 

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    Get Retirement Advice

    For peace of mind and confidence in the choices you make, get advice from one of our expert retirement advisers.

    Find out more about Retirement Advice

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    What is retirement?

    A guide to retirement basics. When you can retire, what your income options might be, when you can claim the State Pension.

    Understand the retirement basics

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    Saving for retirement

    See why saving for retirement makes sense. How tax relief can help you, how much you might need when you retire and how you could increase the value of your pension.

    Read more about saving for retirement

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    Getting ready for retirement

    Are you ready to retire? Do you understand your income options, tax and your State Pension? Get up to speed with our guide.

    Get ready for retirement with our guide

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    Ways to take your money

    Look at the ways you can take money from your pension. Think about which option is right for you.

    Explore the ways to take money from your pension

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    Managing your money in retirement

    Once you start taking money from your pension plan you still need to keep an eye on your money to make sure it lasts and you're not paying too much tax.

    Learn about managing your money in retirement

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    What is Equity Release?

    Find out how you might be able to release tax-free cash from your home, to help pay for your retirement.

    Explore the ways to take money from your pension

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    Reclaiming tax

    If you take money from your pension you might be able to claim some tax back. Find out how you can do this.

    Find out how to reclaim tax

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    Tax in retirement

    After years of building up your life savings, you don't want to pay more tax than you have to. Be tax smart and use our guide to understand tax on pensions.

    Read our guide on tax today

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    The pension lifetime allowance

    Find out how much the Lifetime Allowance is and what to do if the value of your pension plan is close to or beyond it.

    Find out about the allowance

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    Passing on wealth tax efficiently

    Pensions can be a good way of passing your wealth to the people you care about most, after you die.

    Understand how you can transfer wealth through your pension

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Get advice for your retirement

An expert adviser from Standard Life will help you feel more confident in your choices. We'll build a plan to help minimise the tax you pay and make your money last.
Speak to a retirement adviser
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More help with retirement

Explore all the ways we can help you with your retirement money. Explore your income options and research your choices.

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    Our retirement options

    See what kind of options, support and services we can offer you.

    Learn about our retirement options and services

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    Retirement tools & calculators

    Use our tools to find out what you might need and what you might get from your pension.

    Try our retirement tools and calculators

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    MoneyPlus

    Take advantage of our expert tips and insights from our very own blog.

    See insights