Skip to main content

Your options for taking your money

Choosing to take your money from your pension pot is one of life’s big decisions. You’ve worked hard and paid in money over the years. You’ll want to be sure you’re making the right choice so that your future is secure.

You can access your pension savings at your selected retirement age, or any time from the Normal Minimum Pension Age (NMPA), whether or not you’ve stopped working. The NMPA is currently age 55 but this is increasing to age 57 from 2028. You may be able to access them earlier than this if your original scheme had a protected retirement age, or if you’re in ill health. If you get close to your chosen retirement age and decide you don’t want to take your money yet. You can also delay taking money from your pension pot.

Getting help to decide

It’s important you shop around to find the best option for your personal circumstances and income goals. It’s a big decision so it’s worth comparing what each provider can offer as you don’t have to stay with Legal & General and might get better options elsewhere.

Pension Wise is a government service from MoneyHelper that offers free, impartial guidance about your defined contribution pension options. An appointment with Pension Wise is free and will help you understand what your overall financial situation will be when you retire. You can book an appointment once you are aged 50 or over.

Pension-Wise_Money-Helper-logo

Personalised advice

You can also choose to receive personalised advice from a financial adviser. You can find one in your local area at unbiased.co.uk.

Advisers usually charge for their services. You may be able to pay for financial advice directly from your pension pot. Ask your financial adviser for details.

Find a financial adviser in your local area at unbiased.co.uk.


Your options under your current plan

Options available to you within your current plan

Things to consider

Take it all in one go

You can take your pension pot in cash as a single lump sum. 

Read our example case study.

  • 25% of it will usually be tax-free but the rest may be taxed as income.
  • You don't need to stop working to take this option, but you would need to think about where your income will come from when you do stop working.

Buy a guaranteed income (an annuity)

You can usually take up to 25% of your pension pot as a cash lump sum and use the rest to buy a guaranteed regular income for a fixed period or for the rest of your life. This is known as an annuity.

Annuities have a number of features, for instance you can arrange for payments to continue to your dependants after your death.

Read our example case study.

  • You can usually take up to 25% of your pension pot as tax-free cash. Each annuity payment will be taxed as income.
  • Smokers and those in poor health usually get better rates because of their shorter life expectancy.

Leave it

You can leave your pension pot where it is. We’ll continue to manage your money in the same way we have been, unless instructed otherwise

  • Your money has the chance to grow but it could go down in value too.
  • We’ll automatically extend your retirement age by five years. You can still access your pot in this period
  • You should review your retirement plans regularly to make sure you’re investing your pot in the most suitable way

Other options available to you

The following options are not available in your current plan. However you can still access them by transferring your savings. If you are considering taking a flexible income you can access the Legal & General WorkSave Mastertrust Pension Access Scheme or you can switch to another provider. You can find out more about the Pension Access Scheme at https://www.legalandgeneral.com/workplace/epiforms/mtpas/pension-guidance-form-pas-a/. Other providers may offer different terms so you should shop around to make sure you’ve got the best deal for you.

Options available under the WorkSave Mastertrust Pension Access Scheme

Things to consider

Take a flexible income

You can usually take up to 25% of your pension pot as a cash lump sum and leave the rest invested to provide a regular income, and occasional lump sums if required. This is often referred to as flexi-access drawdown.

  • You can usually take up to 25% of your pension pot as tax-free cash but the rest will be taxed as income.
  • You can vary, stop or suspend the amount you’re taking at any time.
  • Your money has the chance to grow but it could go down in value too. If you take out too much or your investment funds don’t perform as well as you’d expected, you could run out of money before you die.

Investment pathways

You can choose more than one option and provider

You don’t just have to choose one option or provider. You can mix your options for each pension pot you have. You can transfer all or some of your pension pot to another provider and have your benefits paid by them. However, you may lose your entitlement to any benefits that were protected, such as the ability to combine your defined benefit and defined contributions pots, the ability to access your pot before the Normal Minimum Pension Age (NMPA) or a tax-free cash sum greater than 25% of your pot. Please check this before transferring. The NMPA is currently age 55 but this is increasing to age 57 from 2028.

The law, tax rates and any allowances may change in the future. These changes could affect the value of your savings, how much you can pay in, or the age at which you’re able to access your money.

How tax works for you will depend on your individual circumstances.


Ready to make a choice

Once you’re ready to take your money and you’ve decided which option (or options) you want to take, you can get in touch for all the information you need and any relevant forms.

We’re here to help if you have any final questions or you need any more information before you make your decision, just let us know.

Taking money from my pension

A guide to taking cash sums and a flexible income from your Legal & General pension pot.

Pension Wise

A government service from MoneyHelper that offers free, impartial guidance about your defined contribution pension options.

Investing as you approach retirement

It's important to ensure your pension pot is invested in a way that matches how you plan to take your money.