Four live tools · data current 2026-07-28
Start with the pension question, not the product.
Project a combined pension, compare wrappers, test a voluntary-NI top-up or inspect the source record. Each route shows the rule behind the result.
Choose by task
One clear route for each question
Use the projection for a combined view. Use the other tools when you need to isolate one rule or comparison.
Project pension income
Put State Pension, workplace DC and SIPP contributions on one timeline. The calculator runs on your device and shows each rule it applies.
- Best for
- A first combined view of retirement income
- Backed by
- State Pension · workplace DC · SIPP · tax relief
Compare pension types
Compare the five pension wrappers in the database by access age, allowance, tax-free share, employer contribution and protection.
- Best for
- Understanding how wrappers differ
- Backed by
- 5 sourced wrapper records
Check an NI top-up
See the cost of one voluntary NI year beside the 1/35th State Pension uplift it can unlock, with Class 2 and Class 3 shown separately.
- Best for
- Testing the arithmetic before seeking advice
- Backed by
- 2026/27 DWP and HMRC rates
Browse the wrapper record
Work through every covered UK pension wrapper with its key fields, plain-language fit notes, source link and review date.
- Best for
- Checking a specific rule or source
- Backed by
- DWP · HMRC · MoneyHelper · FCA
The verified data underneath
A small rulebook, exposed clearly
These are live database row counts, not a marketing inventory. Each layer feeds at least one tool above.
Tool data coverage
Worked result preview · 2026/27
What a transparent answer looks like
One Class 3 qualifying year, shown as cost, annual State Pension uplift and simple break-even. Eligibility is not assumed.
- Pay £962.00 52 weeks of Class 3 contributions
- Receive £358.50/yr 1/35th of the full annual State Pension
- Simple break-even 2.7 years before tax, eligibility and life expectancy
Derived at request time from the 2026/27 HMRC Class 3 rate and DWP full New State Pension rate. Open the full Class 2 and Class 3 comparison.
Editorial boundary
What these tools will not do
They will not steer you to an affiliated provider, sell calculator inputs, turn a risk quiz into a lead form or present a rules-based output as personal advice. Where a choice needs a recommendation, use MoneyHelper's free Pension Wise service or an FCA-regulated adviser.
Missing a calculation?
Suggest a useful tool
Email hello@plainpension.co.uk with the inputs and output you need. We automate published rules that can be shown line by line; interpretive questions stay as guides.
Where to start
Use the broadest tool first, then isolate the rule that needs checking.
- Build the combined State Pension, workplace DC and SIPP timeline. Pension calculator
- Compare wrapper rules before deciding what deserves a closer look. Wrapper comparison
- Check voluntary NI arithmetic against the current statutory rates. NI break-even
PlainPension provides general information and arithmetic, not a recommendation about contributions, transfers or products.
PlainPension's calculators and guides reflect current UK pension rules, no figure is typed in without checking the source. Database counts are queried at request time; the worked NI result uses the same canonical calculation as the full research tool. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these figures, our data changelog of past corrections, or report an error. Rules current as of 2026-07-28.