How much does a married couple need to retire in the UK?

If you’re a married couple looking to retire at 60, you ought to be checking your retirement planning to ascertain whether or not you are in track.

The Retirement Living Standards website advises that a comfortable retirement income for couples in 2024 in the UK is £59,000 per annum. The data also states that the average retirement income for married couples who want to achieve a minimum retirement lifestyle is £22,400. In contrast, a couple needs £43,100 for a moderate lifestyle in retirement.

In this Moneyfarm blog, we answer the questions, how much does a married couple need to retire in the UK? and how can it be achieved?

How much money provides a comfortable retirement income for a couple in 2024 in the UK

According to Which magazine, a comfortable retirement income for a couple back in 2020 was £25,000 per annum. They updated it in November 2022 to £28,000, but the RLS figure mentioned above puts the figure significantly higher at £59,000. To make matters even worse, the figures shown above are quoted net, after tax.

Working towards a comfortable pension for a couple in retirement can be difficult, and having a child makes it even more challenging. According to the ONS, in 2022, 42% of couples had more than one child, while 15% had only one.

The average cost of raising a child in the UK is between £150,000 and £180,000. It’s an enormous amount of money, which increases proportionately if you have more than one.

When asking, “How much does a married couple need to retire”, the figure for enjoying a comfortable retirement income in 2024 in the UK is a constantly moving target. Some say £26,000 a year for a comfortable lifestyle. But given what has happened over the past couple of years with inflation, let’s say for the moment that the retirement income needed for a couple is £30,000 per annum. It means you need to amass a pension pot of £425,000 and allow for an increase in growth of around 4%.

Setting your financial goals as early as possible is essential, especially if you intend to have children and enjoy a comfortable retirement.

How much do married couples need to retire after tax in the UK?

To make the after-tax figures more meaningful when determining the answer to “How much does a married couple need to retire in the UK?” you need to consider the marriage tax allowance, which applies if you are married or in a civil partnership.

To be eligible for marriage tax allowance, the following conditions must apply.

• The gross income of the lowest earner must be below the income tax threshold, which is currently set at £12,750.
• The gross income of the highest earner must be between the basic taxpayer allowance and the higher taxpayer allowance, i.e., between £12,751 and £50,270.

The low earner can transfer £1,260 of their marriage allowance (a little over 10% of their personal tax allowance) to the higher-earning partner.

What is considered a good retirement income for a couple in the UK?

A good retirement income for a couple in the UK gives access to more of a luxury lifestyle. A luxury lifestyle includes the things you need to enjoy a comfortable or moderate lifestyle, plus being able to fine dine when you eat out, take extended long-haul holidays, and upgrade your car every five years. This more comfortable standard of living will likely cost you at least £59,000 per annum after tax. Based on 20 to 25 times this income (an industry-accepted calculation), it means growing a pension pot of between £1.18 million and £1.47 million. To achieve that, you’ll have to do some very serious retirement planning.

The best place to start is by finding out what your workplace pension (if you have one – most people do) will be worth when you retire. You’ll find a practical, user-friendly calculator on the Moneyfarm website.

It may be challenging to work out how much does a married couple need to retire, because people are pensioned as individuals and not as couples. Using the above-mentioned pension calculator will give you an answer to the “how much do I need for retirement” question in terms of a single person. Running the pension calculator twice – once for you and once for your partner, will give you a reasonable pension estimate in terms of a comfortable retirement income for a couple in 2024 in the UK.

Factors influencing retirement savings needs for couples

There are several factors that have to be considered when working out a comfortable retirement income for a couple in the UK in 2024. They include:

• Your planned retirement age. We consider this in more detail below.
• The amount of State Pension you will be due.
• What private pensions you have in place, including workplace pensions, and SIPPs.
• What type of lifestyle you are aiming for in retirement.
• How much you can afford to save regularly.

How much is the State Pension for a couple? Strictly speaking, there is no actual State Pension for married couples. Rather than a full new or basic State Pension for a married couple, you have to add together both partner’s or spouse’s individual State Pensions as each pension is person specific.

In the 2024/25 tax year, the basic State Pension is £169.50 per week, per person, and the full new State Pension is £221.20 per week, per person.

Planning for healthcare and long-term care costs

Another thing to consider when asking, “How much does a couple need in retirement?” is your health. Unfortunately, it is likely that it will deteriorate with age. When planning for retirement, you should therefore make a contingency for healthcare and long-term care costs. Hopefully, your health will remain such that it won’t become a necessary expense. However, when planning for retirement, it would be wise to cover the eventuality.

The need for an additional private pension

In all likelihood, if you ask yourself, how much does a couple need to retire in the UK – to enjoy a comfortable retirement? – you’ll probably find that your combined state and workplace pension income total will leave you with a shortfall. You’ll likely need an additional pension, which can be a private pension or an investment account.

Personal (or private) pensions and SIPPs (Self-Invested Personal Pensions) are the two most common pension schemes open to you.

If you are not eligible for a workplace pension because you’re self-employed, you will need a self-employed pension.

Do you need to set up a pension-sharing order?

If you are in the process of dissolving a marriage or civil partnership, setting up a pension-sharing order to establish a fair division of the assets is a good idea. The solicitors handling the divorce or dissolution will determine the financial split, and the court overseeing the proceedings will issue the necessary paperwork to the pension fund providers.

Setting a retirement age

Picking a retirement age other than the State Pension age is your prerogative if your financial circumstances will allow it. For example, suppose you didn’t initially set up your investment strategy with the aim of how to retire at 55 or some other specific age such as retiring at 60. In that case, you will need to check the progress of your pension and lifetime savings situation.

As mentioned earlier, the current full new State Pension is £221.20 per week. For your workplace and private pensions, talk to your employer or pension provider and ask for an updated statement. You may decide to increase your pension contributions to achieve your financial goals and provide a good retirement income as a couple when you both retire.

Periodically checking the performance of your pensions and investments

How much does a married couple need to retire in the UK? It’s a question you need to ask from time to time. Interest rates vary, as does inflation, and the world economy has its ups and downs, all of which can affect the performance of your pensions and investments. It’s a good idea to check your investments now and again to allow yourself the opportunity to change things around.

If you have several workplace pensions and they are performing differently than you would have hoped, carrying out a pension transfer review might be worthwhile.

The other thing is that a couple’s financial goals often change as they journey through life together. Helping your children with university fees, recalculating your outgoings once your kids leave home for good, and other things, will impact your financial situation. This situation could give you a good opportunity to review your 50s retirement savings status.

Suppose you worry about how much a married couple needs to retire in the UK and, equally importantly, what you need to do about it? In that case, consider seeking the help of a professional, independent financial adviser.

Taking no action could cost you dearly. If you’re asking, how much does a married couple need to retire 20 years down the line?” – you’ll find that you’ll need to start saving as soon as possible. But don’t forget that even the average retirement income for a couple is likely to be liable for income tax, so look at some tax-free investment options, too—tax wrappers like stocks and shares ISAs might be worth considering.

FAQ

What pension tips are there for couples?

Some retirement tips that can benefit married couples include contributing towards a partner’s pension (especially if one is approaching their lifetime allowance), and limiting large lump sum withdrawals from pension pots. Other tips include taking advantage of inheritance tax benefits on pensions, and making sure each spouse has all the information regarding their pensions.

Do married couples get separate state pensions?

Yes, State Pensions belong to individuals, not couples. Simply add each partner’s or spouse’s pension together to arrive at the amount a couple’s State Pension would be if it existed. In the current tax year (2024/2025) the basic State Pension is £169.50 per week, per person, and the full new State Pension is £221.20 per week, per person.

How much does a married couple need to retire in the UK?

It depends on the lifestyle a married couple desires in retirement. Research shows that couples need at least £22,400 per year to have a minimum standard of living that covers all their needs, with some leftover for fun. For a moderate lifestyle with more financial security and flexibility, married couples will need £43,100 per year. In contrast, a comfortable pension for a couple, providing more financial freedom and some luxuries, will require £59,000 a year.