If your employer doesn’t have a pension scheme you will need to think about your own pension investment.

Here are a few things to think about if your employer doesn’t have a pension scheme:

1. Is my employer planning to start a pension scheme?
   Use our information on occupational pension schemes to find out what to do.
2. How do I start a pension investment for myself?
   You can start your own individual stakeholder pension or personal pension; use our ‘Your pension choices’ information on the right to find out more about these pensions and pensions in general.
3. What’s the difference between an individual stakeholder pension and a personal pension?
   They both enable you to invest money for your retirement; however there are some differences in charges, minimum payments, flexibility and investment choices. Use the pension information to find out more about the differences of each as well as the pros and cons.
4. Are there any other options?
   For more experienced investors who are interested in managing their own investments by dealing and switching funds, a self invested personal pension (SIPP) is worth considering. Use our information on these to find out more.
5. Can I spend the fund if I don’t have any work for a while?
   You cannot treat your pension fund like a savings account. Once you put the money in a pension you won’t be able to get the benefits until you reach the minimum retirement age for your pension.
6. So, how do I start?
   Try our calculators to see how much you may need to save. Our budget calculator can help you identify how much you may be able to afford to save, whilst our pension calculator can show how much income you might receive in retirement.

What next
If you’d like to find out more about what to do if your employer doesn’t have a pension scheme 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.