Navigating Pension Contributions and Tax Relief

Welcome to another MM Q&A, taking in budgeting rules of thumb, pension tax relief and offshore worker pension contributions, and lots more besides!

Shownotes: https://meaningfulmoney.tv/QA14 

01:57  Question 1

Hi Pete,

I’ve been a long-time follower of your podcast and hope to be retiring or entering my ‘renaissance’ in the next five years or so.

I’d like to know if you think the 50, 30, 20 rule is still a good rule of thumb, or is there a better one?

About a year ago, I decided to give a presentation on pensions to the new starters at my workplace. As I prepared, I realised that while I could explain the mechanics and importance of pensions, the bigger challenge would be addressing the feeling many have that they "can’t afford" to contribute due to financial pressures—especially for younger people.

Reflecting on my own experiences during university and early work life, I noticed a pattern: no matter how much I earned, I always seemed to end up with zero by the end of the term or month. Earning more didn’t make me happier, and I was going out less compared to when I had very little. A detailed review of my spending revealed I was wasting money on unnecessary things—like buying three CDs instead of two, upgrading to a large coffee when a medium would do, or adding extras to my car that weren’t needed. It was only when I learnt to pay myself first that everything changed overnight.

Recently, I’ve been listening to podcasts about retirement that emphasise health, purpose, and happiness. One by Dr. Chatterjee introduced the concept of core happiness versus junk happiness. Core happiness comes from meaningful, lasting fulfilment, while junk happiness provides short-term pleasure through things like sugar, smoking, alcohol, social media, or shopping. Looking back, much of my unnecessary spending was driven by junk happiness. While paying myself first helped control this, understanding the why behind it made a big difference.

This led me to realise that my presentation shouldn’t just focus on the mechanics of finance—it also needed to explore the psychology behind spending. Understanding why we buy the things we do is important to becoming more financially secure while staying happy.

It was something in one of Nischa’s videos that seemed to tie everything together at a high level: the 50-30-20 rule —50% for fundamentals, 30% for fun, and 20% for the future. So my question is ( I know I’ve gone around the houses so sorry about that) given today’s financial turbulence, do you think this is still a good rule to follow?

Kind regards,

Steve

09:16  Question 2

Hi Pete and Roger,

Thanks for all the content you've put our over years, it really has been so helpful.

I am 54 and have a work place pension with Fidelity where my employer matches my contributions to a certain level and I make additional through my monthly pay to the tune of £2.400 p.m.

This summer I am due to inherit around £130,000 and will look to add around 20k of it  into my pension fund.  My question relates specifically to tax relief.

I understand that when I make the contribution in the summer I will get 20pc tax relief automatically, but how will this show itself, will my contribution of 20k actually show on my pension balance a 24k?    Also as a 40pc high rate tax payer I understand I will need to to complete a tax return to claim the additional 20%.  This being the case, would I still be able to do this if I had left my employment later in the same tax year as I may be looking to retire in Autumn 2025.  Would it be the case that as I was no longer a higher rate tax payer as at 4 April 2026 I would not be able to claim the extra 20pc  on the 20k contribution the previous summer

kind regards

Gary

16:09  Question 3

Hi Pete & Roger,

Firstly, I am absolutely addicted to your podcast. What you’re doing is nothing short of heroic and am waiting to see your names on the New Year Honours List. Sir Pete and Sir Roger has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?

I am 34 and work in a career that gives me the opportunity to go on expat assignments (typically 3-year stints). This results in me becoming a non-tax resident in the UK meaning I can no longer contribute to the UK DC workplace pension and no longer able to contribute to my S&S ISA. My company do have an Offshore version of the DC pension but contributions to this are made after hypothetical tax so effectively there is no tax relief and to be honest I have really struggled to understand how I would access this pension come retirement and the UK tax implications so will likely avoid contributing to it this time around.

When I go on an expat assignment, although I do get significant uplifts to my income, it interrupts my flow of regular pension and ISA contributions. The income I earn on assignment just mounts up and gets eaten up by inflation until I return to the UK and continue investing again. My question is what advice would you give to people like me? Should I speak to a financial planner before I go on assignment, or can I DIY this? Should I try to max out pension contribution limits before I go on assignment and max them out on return or should I be investing in GIAs while I am on assignment? What other considerations would you recommend?

Thanks, Ryan

23:23  Question 4

Dear Pete and Rog,

Thanks so much for your podcast - not just for the technical tips and tricks but for educating us towards and encouraging healthy relationships with finances.

Q1 can I buy you a drink when I'm next in Cornwall?

Q2 I don't know if this will resonate with other listeners, but here goes....

Pete, you have sometimes made reference to your upbringing in a Christian home, particularly in relation to talking (or not!) about money.  I appreciate that it may not be something you have chosen to follow in later life, but I guess if anyone understood the moral, ethical and belief issues surrounding money and Christianity, you might.

As a Christian who tries to follow Biblical principles & the teachings of Christ, on one hand I strongly believe that what ever we have, be that time, skills, talents or money, they are a gift from God and we should use them or "steward them" well.  I am an NHS consultant so am fortunate to be in both 1995 and 2015 DB NHS pension schemes, expect to get a full state pension, am building an emergency fund, don't have bad debts, have adequate insurance / income protection and am seeking to invest a little of my spare money via an ISA into a low cost, passive, globally diversified index tracker (not financial advice!)  This seems wise to me.  I would encourage my fairly grown up children in this way too.

On the other hand, there is much Biblical teaching along the lines of - "don't worry about tomorrow, what you will wear etc", "build up treasures in heaven rather than on earth" and "seek first the Kingdom of God"....

Have you any thoughts or insights on how I might square some of this.  Or can you point me in the direction of planners / advisors who can?

Many thanks once again.

Robbie

31:14  Question 5

Hi Roger and Pete

Love the show, which I have recommended to so many people. I consider myself a more mature investor with long-term savings, ISA's and Pensions who has also completed the build wealth course on Meaningful Academy and coaching with Alistair.

I was listening to the Making Money podcast with Damien, and he was interviewing the COO of Nest who talked about how they are offering access to Private Equity investment via Schroders Capital. So my question is, what do you think of this as an option for further diversification, and are there any good options/ funds for private investors like me to access?

Thanks in advance

Jamie

35:23  Question 6

Hi guys,

Been listening for a couple years now. Really enjoy the show and the rapport you both have. You’ve made me passionate about saving regularly into my stocks and shares ISA, maximising pension contributions and building up an emergency fund.

My dad is 71 and has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. He is still in good shape, but we are starting to think and plan more for the future. My sister and I have recently been set up to have power of attorney so we can help with various health and financial things when the time comes.

My dad is selling a property (not his main residence) and once completed will have about £250,000 in cash sitting in his bank. He receives a DB pension of just under £60k a year which he can comfortably live on.

£60k of the £250k is currently in a cash ISA with a decent enough rate. Although I think this may be best sat within a stocks and shares ISA tracking a global equity index fund, as he will almost certainly not need this money any time soon. Could he transfer the £60k cash ISA to a stocks and shares one?

I have suggested for him to put £50k into premium bonds and I think he would like £50k readily available in an instant access account should it ever be needed. This would leave him with about £90k that we’re not sure what to do with.

Do you have any tips for the remaining cash whether that be with a short term, or medium to long term view? (GIA? Fixed term income account? Gift the money? Anything else we’re missing?)

His pension makes him a higher rate tax payer but his estate would fall under the inheritance tax threshold.

(If my question is already too long, please don’t feel obliged to read this last part out!)

Finally my sister and I are also concerned about potential fraud or him doing something daft. Not only because he has Alzheimer’s, but it seems anyone can so easily be caught out these days. Do you have any tips for us to help combat this or what his bank might suggest. We haven’t currently told his bank about his condition or that my sister and I have power of attorney.

Thanks for all your great work,

Steven