'Can I pay more into my pension without breaking the rules?'

I would like to make a large pension contribution, and I understand that I can use allowances from previous years. 

Could you explain the rules?

A Which? Money member

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'You may be limited by your income'

Mike Croxford, Which? money expert, says…

The maximum tax-free amount that can be paid into a pension in any one tax year (your annual allowance) is £60,000, or your salary – whichever is lower. 

You are referring to the carry forward rules which say an individual can pay in more than £60,000 if they haven’t used their full allowances from the three previous tax years.

 But this only applies if the earnings from self-employment or employment are more than £60,000.

For example, if you have earnings of £80,000, you can use the full allowance from this year and use a further £20,000 from the previous three years. 

When calculating how much you could pay in, factor in any payments already made into your pension by both you and your employer in that same tax year.

• Find out more: the pensions annual allowance

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