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Introducing the Pensions Primer
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The Pensions Primer
a guide to the UK pensions system
Explore the Pensions Primer 2025, your essential guide to understanding the UK pensions system.
Whether you're new to pensions policy or seeking the latest updates, the Pensions Primer offers clear, accessible insights into both State and private pension provisions.
Updated annually, it's designed for anyone looking to understand or stay informed about the UK pensions landscape, including policymakers, researchers, educators, journalists, and those with a general interest in how pensions work.
Made possible by the commitment of our Supporters, the Primer remains a trusted, independent resource for those shaping or studying the future of retirement in the UK.
Fully updated as of June 2025, it reflects the current policy framework and all recent legislative changes.
Disclaimer: This guide is intended for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used to make individual pensions decisions or as a substitute for professional financial advice.
The Historical Annex is intended to provide information on areas of the pensions system where it is no longer possible to accrue benefits, but where accrued benefits are still payable to current and future pensioners. The areas covered in this document are described in brief in The Pensions Primer: a guide to the UK Pensions system, but readers can use the Historical Annex as a reference for more detailed discussion of these areas and of the policy changes that were made to the discontinued parts of the pension system.
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