Determining what is a good pension amount depends on several factors, including your current income, desired retirement lifestyle, and other retirement savings. There is no one-size-fits-all answer, as each individual’s situation is unique. However, there are some general guidelines to consider when evaluating if your pension is adequate for retirement.
How Much Income Will You Need in Retirement?
A good first step is to estimate your desired annual retirement income. Many financial advisors suggest you plan to replace 70-80% of your current pre-retirement income. However, your specific needs may be higher or lower. Take into account factors such as:
- Will your living expenses change in retirement? For example, costs for commuting, childcare, or work clothing may decrease. But travel and healthcare costs may rise.
- Do you have a mortgage or other debts that will be paid off by retirement?
- What big-ticket expenses like travel or housing renovations do you anticipate?
Once you have an estimated target annual income amount in mind, you can back into the lump sum pension amount needed to generate this income.
Pension Income Replacement Rate
As a general guideline, many financial experts recommend your pension and other retirement income sources replace 60-80% of your pre-retirement earnings. The higher your pre-retirement income, the lower the replacement percentage you may require. Here are some benchmarks:
- Earners with pre-retirement income below $30,000 should target 80-90% income replacement
- Those earning $30,000-$50,000 should aim for 70-85% income replacement
- Earners with income of $50,000-$100,000 should target 60-75% replacement
- Those above $100,000 pre-retirement income can aim for 50-70% replacement
So for example, someone earning $70,000 pre-retirement would aim for a pension and other retirement income sources totaling around $42,000-$49,000 annually. This keeps their lifestyle comfortable while accounting for decreased expenses in retirement.
Pension Replacement Rate
Your overall income replacement rate can be met through a combination of pension income, personal savings like IRAs or 401(k)s, social security income, and other sources. Many retirement finance experts recommend your pension specifically aim to replace around 25-35% of your pre-retirement earnings. However, the appropriate target pension replacement rate for you depends on factors like:
- Your pension plan type – A defined benefit pension has more fixed, predictable income than a defined contribution plan where benefits depend on investment performance.
- Other retirement income sources – If you have significant savings in IRAs or 401(k)s, you may not need as high a pension replacement rate.
- Desired retirement spending – If you want to maintain your current lifestyle, you may need higher pension income replacement.
Target Pension Amount Guidelines
Looking at some examples can help provide benchmarks for an adequate pension amount based on your pre-retirement income and desired replacement rates:
| Final Salary | 70% Income Replacement Target | 25% From Pension Target |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $35,000 | $12,500 |
| $75,000 | $52,500 | $18,750 |
| $100,000 | $70,000 | $25,000 |
These examples assume leaving a career earning $50,000, $75,000 and $100,000 respectively, and targeting 70% total income replacement from all sources, with 25% coming from pension income specifically. Higher earners may aim for 60% total replacement, lowering the pension target.
Factors That Increase Your Needed Pension Amount
In some situations, you may require a higher pension amount replacement rate. Factors that can increase your needed pension income include:
- Low retirement savings – If you have not saved significantly in IRAs or 401(k)s, you’ll need to rely more on pension income.
- Desired retirement spending – If you want an active, luxurious retirement lifestyle, you may aim for closer to 80-90% income replacement from all sources.
- Early retirement – If retiring before age 60, you need your pension to cover more years in retirement.
- High healthcare costs – Out-of-pocket medical expenses in retirement can be $285,000 for an average retired couple. A higher pension helps cover these costs.
- Supporting dependents – If you have children, parents, or others relying on your income, you need higher retirement income.
In these situations, your target pension replacement rate may be 30-40% or more of your pre-retirement income depending on your specific circumstances.
Estimating Your Pension Amount
If you have a defined benefit pension, your annual benefit amount at retirement age should be provided in your pension statement. This will tell you exactly how much retirement income to expect from your pension annually. If you have a defined contribution plan like a 401(k), you’ll need to do some additional calculations to project your potential future account balance and convert that to annual pension income. Factors that go into this estimate include:
- Your current 401(k) or other pension account balance
- Expected annual contributions until retirement
- Expected investment returns – Often estimated at 4-8% annually
- Your retirement age
- Life expectancy
Online pension calculators can help you crunch the numbers and convert your projected pension account balance to annual income. A financial advisor can also help create a more tailored projection based on your details and retirement goals.
Increasing Your Pension Amount
If your current pension looks like it may fall short of your needed retirement income, there are some steps you can take to potentially increase your pension amount:
- Boost contributions to your pension accounts like 401(k) or IRAs.
- Shift your pension investments to more growth-oriented options if retirement is at least 10 years away.
- Work additional years before retiring – This increases your contributions and gives more time for investment growth.
- See if your employer offers any options to purchase additional pension credits.
- Annuitize a portion of your pension to get guaranteed lifetime income.
Getting help from a financial advisor can also point you toward any strategies available to maximize your pension income given your employer’s plan options and rules.
Conclusion
Determining a good target pension amount depends greatly on your desired retirement lifestyle and other sources of income. But as a general rule of thumb, aim for your pension to replace 25-40% of your pre-retirement earnings, paired with adequate savings and social security benefits. Use your actual pension benefit projections, and speak to a financial advisor if concerned your current pension may not reach your retirement income needs. With some advance planning, you can take steps to get your pension aligned with your retirement goals.
