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Pension Pot Projection Calculator (Ireland)

Free Ireland pension projection. Grow an occupational or PRSA pot to retirement from contributions, employer match, and growth, net of charges.

Published

Project the pot to retirement, net of charges.

Projected pot at retirement

Total contributed

Growth earned

Your breakdown

Updates live as you type
ItemValue

Worked example

Take a 40 year old with an 80,000 euro pot, contributing 500 euro a month with 300 euro a month from the employer, 25 years from retirement. Growth is assumed at 5% a year with 1% of charges, so the pot compounds at about 4% net. Each month the balance grows by that net rate and the combined 800 euro contribution is added. After 25 years the projected pot is about 628,000 euro. Of that, the starting pot plus contributions add up to 320,000 euro, and compound growth supplies the remaining 308,000 euro or so. Note that only the employee 500 euro qualifies for income tax relief, and at age 40 the relief limit is 25% of earnings capped at 115,000 euro, so 6,000 euro a year of personal contributions sits comfortably inside it.

How it is calculated

The projection compounds the pot month by month. Each month the balance is multiplied by one plus the monthly net rate, then the combined employee and employer contribution is added. The net rate is your assumed growth rate less the annual charges, since fees come straight off returns and drag heavily over decades. Total contributions are the monthly amount times the number of months, and growth is whatever the final pot exceeds the starting pot plus those contributions. Separately, the tool checks the employee portion against the age-related relief limit, which rises from 15% of earnings under 30 to 40% at 60 and over, all capped at 115,000 euro of earnings. Only your own contributions count toward that limit; employer contributions to an occupational scheme are generally on top. The result is a projection, sensitive to the growth and charge assumptions, and not a promise of any particular outcome.

Frequently asked questions

How is an Irish pension pot projected?
The pot grows each month by the annual growth rate, less annual charges, and you add the combined employee and employer contribution. Over many years compounding does most of the work. Only the employee portion qualifies for income tax relief, and only up to an age-related percentage of earnings capped at 115,000 euro. Employer contributions to an occupational scheme are usually on top of your own limit. Growth shown is a projection, not a guarantee.
What are the age-related pension contribution limits in Ireland?
Revenue sets the maximum percentage of net relevant earnings you can claim tax relief on for pension contributions. Under age 30 the limit is 15%. Ages 30 to 39 get 20%. Ages 40 to 49 get 25%. Ages 50 to 54 get 30%. Ages 55 to 59 get 35%. Age 60 and over the limit rises to 40%. All of these are capped at 115,000 euro of earnings per year, so the absolute maximum relief claim for someone aged 60 or over is 46,000 euro a year. Only your own contributions count toward this ceiling. Employer contributions to an occupational scheme sit outside it.
How is the pension fund taxed at retirement in Ireland?
At retirement you can take a tax-free lump sum. For occupational pension schemes the lump sum is the greater of one and a half times final salary (subject to a lifetime limit of 200,000 euro tax-free) or 25% of the pension fund up to a maximum of 200,000 euro tax-free. For a PRSA or personal pension the tax-free lump sum is 25% of the fund up to 200,000 euro, with the next 300,000 euro taxed at 20%. The remainder of the fund must be used to buy an annuity, transfer into an Approved Retirement Fund (ARF), or take as a taxable lump sum. ARF withdrawals are subject to income tax and USC in the normal way. There is no PRSI on pension income for those aged 66 and over.
What is the Standard Fund Threshold for Irish pensions?
The Standard Fund Threshold (SFT) is the maximum capital value of pension benefits you can build up across all pension arrangements without triggering a chargeable excess tax. For 2025 and 2026 the SFT is set at 2,000,000 euro. Any pension benefits above this level attract a chargeable excess tax of 40% when benefits are drawn. The threshold applies to the capitalised value of all defined benefit and defined contribution benefits combined. Revenue uses a factor of 20 to convert annual defined benefit pension entitlements into a capital value for SFT purposes. The threshold was frozen for many years but legislation passed in 2024 began indexing it, so it may rise in future years.

Related calculators

Sources

  1. Revenue — Income Tax, USC and Tax Credits, Revenue (Office of the Revenue Commissioners), Ireland
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