The Retirement Guy

23/07/2026

You could be about to get an unexpected tax bill. 😳

The State Pension just rose to £11,973. The personal allowance? Frozen at £12,570. A gap of just £597.

Add any other income on top, a private pension, part-time job, rental, anything, and you could be a taxpayer for the first time in your life. 👀

12 million+ people get the State Pension and loads are now sitting at or over the threshold.

The catch: it’s paid gross. No tax taken off automatically. HMRC usually collects via your tax code, but if you’ve no other PAYE income, you’ll need to file a Self Assessment.

Don’t ignore it. Unpaid tax builds up with interest and penalties.

Share this with anyone you know who gets the State Pension 📲

16/07/2026

When am I actually retirement ready? 🤔

It’s not just about the pot size. Here are the 5 steps that actually matter 👇

1️⃣ Know what you’re retiring TO, not from. If you love your job, keep going. If you’re missing the stuff that matters, make a plan.

2️⃣ Know your number. What does your retirement life cost? Work it out, then figure out the pot size that funds it. That’s the number to chase.

3️⃣ Work out how to get there. Already got £750k? At 10% growth over 3 years, that’s £1m. Sometimes the answer is to stop adding more and let it grow. 🌱

4️⃣ Plan what replaces work. Purpose, social life, structure. If work gives you those, what’s your plan B?

5️⃣ Define what success looks like. Nobody on their deathbed wishes their fund performed better. Map out the life. Then go live it. 🙌

Retirement isn’t a number. It’s a life.

Save this one 📌

25/06/2026

Higher rate taxpayer with a workplace pension? You might be owed thousands. 👀

Here’s the thing most people miss 👇

When you pay into a Relief at Source pension, HMRC automatically adds 20% basic rate relief on top of what you put in. Nice.

But if you pay 40% tax? You’re owed ANOTHER 20% on top of that. And HMRC doesn’t just hand it to you. You have to claim it yourself.

Quick example:
💼 Salary £60k, 5% pension contribution
💰 You pay in £2,400
✅ HMRC adds £600 (the basic 20%)
💸 Total in pension: £3,000

Looks fine right? But as a higher rate taxpayer you should also be getting £600 MORE back through Self Assessment or by contacting HMRC directly.

Most people never claim it. That’s free money sitting there. 💸

Check your pension transactions. If you see two amounts going in (like £80 then £20) that’s Relief at Source, and you can claim back up to 4 tax years.

Save this one 📌

21/02/2026

Can you continue working when receiving your state pension?

05/01/2026

What are some common retirement planning mistakes?

25/11/2025

What is a drawdown pension?

15/10/2025

Can you retire early?

19/01/2024

17/01/2024

How can I track down a lost pension in the UK?

03/01/2024

Is the UK State Pension really the worst out of all of Europe?