Pensions & Retirement
Your personal pension: what it costs, what it gets back, what it could grow to.
A personal pension — such as a PRSA — is a pension you hold in your own name. Enter a few details to see your tax-relief limit, what a monthly contribution really costs after relief, and an illustration of what it could build.
Other pensions: AVCs · Company & director pensions · Personal Retirement Bond · ARF
Your personal pension picture
An illustration from what you enter, at current 2026 rules. It updates as you type — it is not advice or a recommendation.
Leave blank if you're starting from scratch.
Illustrative only — returns aren't guaranteed and won't be steady.
At 35 your relief band is 30–39: up to 20% of earnings (on the first €115,000) can attract relief — €12,000 a year.
Your contribution of €6,000 a year is within your relief limit.
Tax relief at 40%: €2,400 a year (€200 a month). Your real cost: €300 a month.
At an assumed 4% a year, 30 years of contributions could build a fund of about €347,025. You would have paid in €180,000.
Retirement lump sum: €86,756 (25% of the fund) — €86,756 tax-free and €0 tax on the lump sum, so you receive €86,756 after tax.
Warning: These figures are estimates only. They are not a reliable guide to the future performance of your investment.
Illustration only — current 2026 rates — not advice or a quote
The value of investments can fall as well as rise, and past performance is not a reliable guide to the future.
Rates as at June 2026.
Rates: LIA June 2026 factsheet. Assumes the lifetime lump-sum limits have not already been used.
What is a personal pension (PRSA)?
A personal pension is a retirement savings account in your own name, such as a PRSA — a Personal Retirement Savings Account. It is not tied to an employer, so it can stay with you as you change jobs.
Yours
The account is in your name. You choose how much to pay in and can change or pause contributions, subject to the provider's terms.
Tax-relieved
Contributions attract income-tax relief at your marginal rate, up to your age-related limit.
Portable
It is not linked to an employer, so a change of job does not affect it.
How much can attract tax relief?
Revenue sets the maximum share of gross earnings that can attract relief on pension contributions, by age. Your band is highlighted:
| Under 30 | 15% of earnings |
| 30–39 | 20% of earnings |
| 40–49 | 25% of earnings |
| 50–54 | 30% of earnings |
| 55–59 | 35% of earnings |
| 60 and over | 40% of earnings |
Earnings cap: relief applies on the first €115,000 of gross earnings per year (current Revenue limit).
Accessing your personal pension at retirement
You have flexibility in how you take your fund — the options depend on your contract:
Tax-free lump sum
You can normally take 25% of your retirement fund as a tax-free lump sum, subject to a lifetime maximum of €200,000 tax-free (across all your pensions). Under current Revenue rules the next €300,000 is taxed at the standard rate, and any balance at your marginal rate.
Approved Retirement Fund (ARF)
Transfer some or all of your fund into an ARF — a personal investment account that stays invested after retirement. You draw income as needed and pay tax only on what you withdraw.
Annuity
Buy a guaranteed income for life (or a fixed term) from an insurer — certainty of income regardless of how long you live or how markets perform.
The options available depend on the type of pension you hold. A financial adviser can help you assess what's best for your circumstances.
Can I change or stop my contributions?
Yes — subject to your provider's terms, you can increase, decrease or pause contributions.
Do I need to claim the tax relief myself?
If relief isn't applied automatically, you can claim it through your annual tax return or by contacting Revenue directly. An adviser can guide you through it.
Is a personal pension the same as an AVC?
No. An AVC is an extra contribution into your employer's scheme; a personal pension is a separate account in your own name.
Investment Warnings
Warning: The value of your investment may go down as well as up.
Warning: If you invest in this product you may lose some or all of the money you invest.
Warning: If you invest in this product, you may not have access to your money until you retire in accordance with the requirements of the Scheme Rules.
Warning: This product may be affected by changes in currency exchange rates.
Warning: Past performance is not a reliable guide to future performance.
Talk it through — no obligation
Your figures above are a starting point. An adviser will build the real plan around your circumstances and your goals.
There's no separate fee for life, pensions, investment or protection advice.