Small actions can have a great impact

Saving a little today can help you live the life you will want to have when you retire. A pension helps you do just that. With a Zurich pension, you can:

check

Save from just €30 per month

check

Keep track of your pension 24/7

check

Get expert advice when you need it

Why do I need a pension?

Your retirement may seem like a lifetime away, but the truth is, the sooner you start planning for it, the brighter your future will be.

Own your future

  • Today the State Contributory Pension is worth about €277 a week (Citizens Information Board, January 2024).
  • The State pension is helpful but will it be enough to give you a comfortable life in retirement?
  • Starting your own pension can give you greater ownership of your retirement and give you more options for your later years.

Save with tax relief

  • Tax relief is by far the greatest advantage of saving in a pension, and in contrast to a savings account, contributions to a pension plan qualify for tax relief.
  • Government tax relief is available on any money you save into your pension.
  • If you’re paying tax on the higher rate, you’re entitled to get a 40% saving on any pension contribution you make.

Small amounts add up

  • The earlier you start your pension, the better.
  • It’s always best to start your pension at a level you feel comfortable with.
  • You can revisit this periodically to see if you have more disposable income to put into your pension.
  • With a Zurich pension you can save from €30 per month and keep track of how your pension is performing.

How much could I be saving?

It’s up to you but it usually depends on when you would like to retire, what lifestyle you would like in retirement and how much you can afford to save.  A simple way to check how much you should save is to use our Pension Calculator.

The amounts shown may go up or down. Read the important assumptions for this calculator.

Important Assumptions
  • For the purpose of determining the term over which pension contributions are made, we have assumed your birthday was exactly six months ago.
  • If your target retirement age is lower than the age at which the Social Welfare pension commences (age 68 if you are born on/after 01/01/1961, age 67 if born before this date but on/after 01/01/1955 and age 66 if born before 01/01/1955) the calculations allow for funding for this gap, in addition to the cost of the annuity.
  • You are entitled to a full Social Welfare pension of €277.30 per week as at January 2024 which is assumed to increase by 3% per year.
  • You are saving for the difference between the Social Welfare pension and your target monthly income in retirement.
  • We have allowed for inflation of your target monthly income of 3% per annum between now and your retirement date.
  • Any other private pension provision you may have in place has not been taken into account.
  • Your monthly pension contribution increases by 3% each year up until your retirement age and is invested in a pension plan with an annual management charge of 1% and a 5% charge on each contribution, in line with the Standard PRSA fees and charges maximum limit.
  • A Gross Investment Return of 4.6% per annum on your savings. This is not a forecast because the value of your investment may grow at a faster or slower rate than assumed and the value of your investment may be expected to fall from time to time as well as rise.
  • On retirement you purchase an annuity which escalates at 2% each year, has a 5-year guarantee and is payable monthly in advance. The annuity rate assumes a post retirement interest rate of 2% per annum and no spouse's pension. The actual annuity rate will depend on the selection of dependant's pension, guaranteed period and the escalation rate, as well as interest rates prevailing when the annuity is purchased.

years

years

€

€

Save €274per month to enjoy €1500 per month in retirement.

Your contribution could be as little as €162 if you are eligible for tax relief at 40%.

Your Existing Pension Fund is projected to cover the amount that you would like a month in retirement. Increase the amount that you would like in retirement, to see the impact of additional savings into your Pension Fund.

Important Information

This calculator is designed to give an indication of the monthly pension contribution you may need to make in order to achieve your target monthly income in retirement. It is important to note that the calculator takes into account that your target monthly income includes the Social Welfare pension, which Zurich Life assumes you will be entitled to when you retire. The calculations are in line with Zurich Life's Understanding of Guidelines issued by the Society of Actuaries in Ireland (Actuarial Standard of Practice Pen-12 Version 1.8) and may change in the future. These figures are for illustrative purposes only and are not an offer of contract. These figures are estimates only. They are not a reliable guide to the future performance of your investment. Actual investment growth will depend on the performance of the underlying investments and may be more or less than illustrated.

Get pension savvy

Our short video guides provide helpful advice on starting a pension.

Why choose zurich?

Award-winning investment performance*

One of the main funds we invest pensions in is our flagship Balanced Fund.

If your pension was invested in the Balanced Fund since it launched in 1989, you would have seen more growth than the sector average.

Source: Source: Zurich and MoneyMate, July 2023. Performance figures quoted are from fund inception date of 1/11/1989 until 03/07/2023. Annual management fees apply; the fund growth shown above is gross of any annual management charge. Returns are based on offer to offer performance and do not represent the return achieved by individual policies linked to the fund.

Life Assurance and Pensions of the Year, InBUSINESS Awards, 20241

Investment & Pension Provider Excellence Awards, Brokers Ireland, 20232

 

We are part of the Zurich Insurance Group, who are internationally rated AA/stable† Financial Strength by Standard & Poor's, 20243

Award-winning investment team with over 40 years’ experience

Funds under management of approximately €38 billion4

We are part of the Zurich Insurance Group, who are signatory to the UN Principles of Responsible Investment5

Begin your pension journey today

Sound advice is invaluable, so it’s a good idea to seek advice from a financial broker/advisor who can guide you through the process and help you select the right pension plan for your circumstances.

So, if you’d like to take the next step:

Contact our Financial Planning team directly

0818 804 164

Arrange for us to contact you

Contact form

Find an advisor in your locality

Find an advisor

*Investment Provider Excellence Award, Brokers Ireland, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023. No awards held in 2020. Pension Provider Excellence Award, Brokers Ireland, 2023.

1Life Assurance and Pensions of the Year, InBUSINESS Recognition Awards, 2024.

2Investment Provider Excellence Award, Brokers Ireland, 2022; Pension Provider Excellence Award, Brokers Ireland, 2023.

3 Zurich Life is owned by Zurich Insurance Company Limited, which has an internationally recognised financial strength rating of AA/stable † by Standard & Poor's, January 2024.

4Funds under management of approximately €38 billion, of which pension assets amount to €32.8 billion (as at 30th June 2024).

5Zurich Insurance Company Limited is committed to Responsible Investment and is a signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment.

The information contained herein is based on Zurich's understanding of current Revenue practice as at 01 January 2024 and may change in the future.

Warning: Past performance is not a reliable guide to future performance.
Warning: This product may be affected by changes in currency exchange rates.
Warning: The value of your investment may go down as well as up.
Warning: If you invest in these products you may lose some or all of the money you invest.
Warning: The income you get from this investment may go down as well as up.