Joanne has 20 years experience working in a bank and is a qualified mortgage adviser as well as financial adviser. She helps with pension, mortgage, tax and general banking/savings queries.
I just opened a self-invested personal pension (Sipp), which required an initial investment of £500.
I was surprised when tax relief was added by the pension provider, as I’m a non-taxpayer.
Will I have to pay this back to HMRC?
Kevin from Liverpool
Joanne Padilla, Which? money expert, says…
Savers can get tax relief on pension contributions worth up to the annual allowance of £60,000 a year or 100% of your earnings – whichever is lower.
Non-taxpayers can also benefit from tax relief at the basic rate (20%) on pension contributions, although the limits are lower: either 80% of your earnings in a year or £2,880 if you have no earnings.
Non-taxpayers can also benefit from tax relief at the basic rate (20%)
This means you don’t have to pay back the tax relief you’ve already received.
In fact, you were able to benefit from tax relief on further contributions of up to £2,380 before the end of the tax year on 5 April 2026.
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