Money Purchase Annual Allowance (MPAA): A 2026/27 Guide

Take taxable income from a defined contribution pension and your annual allowance drops from £60,000 to £10,000, permanently. There is no way to reverse it. What triggers the MPAA, what doesn't, and why taking only your 25% tax-free cash leaves the allowance intact.

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The year you get the biggest pay rise of your career can also be the most costly

Making partner lifts your income and, in the same year, can cut your pension annual allowance to £10k. What's easy to miss is that the previous three years' allowances are still within reach, for now. Every April another £60k drops out of range. Here's what waiting actually costs, to the pound.

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The £100k Tax Trap: How the 60% Marginal Rate Works in 2026/27

Earn between £100,000 and £125,140 and you lose about 60p of every extra pound, a higher rate than someone on £200,000 pays. It happens because your personal allowance is withdrawn as income rises. How the mechanic works, who it catches, and what can be done about it.

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Tapered Annual Allowance: A 2026/27 Guide for High Earners

If you earn over £200,000, your £60,000 pension annual allowance may be much smaller. The taper applies only when two separate income tests are both crossed, which is the part most people get wrong. How threshold and adjusted income work, how to calculate your limit, and what to do about it.

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Carry Forward Pension Allowance: A 2026/27 Guide for High Earners

Unused annual allowance from the previous three tax years can be added to this year's, which for high earners can mean paying in well above £60,000. But the rules on eligibility catch people out, and if you were tapered in those years, the amount you carry forward is smaller than you think.

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