Some people pay off their mortgage early, move to a smaller house, rely on their partner or use investments or an inheritance, but one of the best ways to have enough money to retire early is to invest money in a pension.

Here are a few things to think about if you want to retire early:

1. Will the State Pension give me enough to retire early?
   You won’t be able to take any State Pension until the state retirement age set by the government. Read more about the age limits and the amount you might receive in our ‘Pension information’ links on the right.
2. How early can I retire?
   You can currently take income from your own (personal/non state) pension from age 50, but this is going up to 55 by 2010. First, think about what age you’d like to retire at, then think about the monthly income you will need in retirement.  Our Budget calculator can help you with this.
3. How much will I need to save to retire early?
   Our Pension Calculator will help you find out how much you may need to put into your pension in order to have enough income when you retire.
4. Where do I build up the pension pot I need to retire early?
   If your employer offers a company pension scheme, joining it is usually the best way to invest for retirement. If you want to invest more you can either contribute more to your existing employer's pension scheme, (which if it is an occupational scheme will probably offer an Additional Voluntary Contribution facility) or set up an individual personal pension, individual stakeholder pension, or a self invested personal pension. Find our more in the ‘Your pension choices’ link on the right.
5. My employer doesn’t have a pension scheme
   If your employer does not offer a scheme, or if you are self-employed, you can start your own pension. Find out about an individual stakeholder pension, individual personal pension or a self invested personal pension to see which one is right for you.

What next?
If you’d like to find out more about what to do if you want to have enough money to retire early, you can either follow the next link at the bottom of the page, or, if you prefer you can use the links to information and tools on the right.