The best jobs that allow you to retire early and how you could boost your pension pot to £345k

The Sun

10-06-2025

EVERYONE dreams of escaping the daily grind early and retiring - but what jobs will help you do that as quickly as possible?
Here, we reveal the top roles to get the best paid pension and the employers offering more to make you richer in retirement.
It might be tempting to choose a job based on salary alone, but it's important not to overlook how it will affect you when you retire.
While private sector jobs tend to offer more flexibility and a higher salary, public sector jobs typically offer more generous "defined benefit" or "final salary" pension schemes.
These schemes guarantee an income that rises with inflation, making them a "gold-plated" option rarely found in the private sector.
In the private sector, you'll likely have a "defined contribution" scheme, where your retirement income depends on contributions and investment performance.
Auto-enrolment requires at least 8% of your salary (5% from you, 3% from your employer) to go into a pension fund, and the government adds to this through tax relief. For basic-rate taxpayers, every £80 contributed becomes £100.
Although defined contribution schemes may seem less appealing, starting early and maximising contributions can build a substantial retirement fund.
According to the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association, a single person needs £13,400 per year for a basic retirement, while a couple requires £21,600.
Craig Rickman, pensions expert at interactive investor (ii), said: "Don't overlook pensions when job hunting.
"Even though it might not seem like extra cash in your pocket right now, an attractive workplace pension means you don't have to save as much personally every month to retire comfortably.
"That's why it's vital to engage with your workplace pension at the earliest opportunity."
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Below we reveal the best jobs in the public and private sector to help you build your pension pot and boost your chances of retiring early.
Top jobs for solid pension pots
Town planners have some of the most generous pension pots.
For example, someone earning £30,000 a year from the age of 30 could retire with an annual pension of £41,400 through the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), according to ii.
The LGPS works by adding a small portion of your salary - 1/49th - into your pension pot each year.
This amount grows over time in line with inflation, helping it keep its value.
Boost your pot by £354,000
RETIREMENT expert Helen Morrissey, head of retirement analysis at Hargreaves Lansdown, shares how to maximise your pension savings.
She said: "Small changes can make big differences to your pension."
"And increasing your contributions beyond auto-enrolment minimums can make a huge impact over time.
"The amount you contribute now will directly impact how much money you have when you decide to retire, typically around age 68.
"For example, if someone starts saving at age 21 and continues until age 68, with a starting salary of £25,000 per year and an investment growth of 5% per year after fees, they could save around £236,000 by retirement.
"This assumes they contribute 5% of their salary, and their employer adds an additional 3%."
"If you increase your contribution to 10%, with your boss still adding 3%, you could boost your savings to roughly £384,000.
"But what if your boss is feeling generous?
"A more substantial contribution from your employer can significantly boost your retirement savings.
"For example, If you save 5% of your salary and your boss matches that with another 5%, your pension could reach approximately £295,000 by the time you retire.
"Even better, if both you and your boss contribute a hefty 10% of your salary each, you could be looking at a substantial pension pot of around £590,000.
"It really pays to find out what your employer's policy is on pension contributions – it could make a massive difference to your future."
Meanwhile, armed forces personnel don't have to pay into their pensions at all, as the Ministry of Defence contributes on their behalf, adding 1/47th of their salary each year and adjusting it for inflation.
The standard pension age is 60, but those who serve for at least 20 years and leave after age 40 can benefit from the Early Departure Payment (EDP) scheme, which provides a tax-free lump sum and monthly income.
For example, a sergeant retiring as a major could receive a pension of around £32,000 a year.
Plus, teachers can build a pension of roughly £25,700 a year after 40 years of service on a £60,000 salary, plus a £170,000 if they tax a one-off tax-free lump sum, according to ii.
Tax inspectors in the Civil Service Alpha scheme could receive £23,600 a year on a £36,100 salary.
The Civil Service Alpha pension scheme is a 'career average' defined benefit scheme where you build up an annual pension based on 2.32% of your pensionable earnings each year, adjusted for inflation
Police officers can retire after 30 years with about £22,000 annually.
Firefighters retiring at 60 might get £20,000 to £29,000 a year, depending on service length.
NHS workers build pensions based on 1/54th of their salary each year, offering strong retirement income.
Museum curators in public roles could get £15,000 a year after 30 years, earning £30,000 annually.
I tracked down lost pension and boosted my pot by £5,000
KATHERINE Brant was one of millions who lost track of an old pension pot – a common problem in the UK, where 4.8 million pots are "missing,
Each time you start a new job you start a new pension, which can leave you with several pots of cash that are easily forgotten about.
On average, employees lose sight of pots worth £10,000.
As an assistant manager at a charity shop in Lincoln, Katherine, 32, realised she had no idea where her old pensions were, fearing that the savings from her previous jobs might be lost forever.
Determined to take action, she decided to get on top of her pension planning during the pandemic.
"I only had a very basic understanding of how pensions worked, but I knew I must have old pots knocking around somewhere that I'd completely lost," she said.
Her search led her to Moneybox, an app designed to help people locate and consolidate their pension pots.
Unsure of what to expect, Katherine signed up and provided her details.
What followed was life-changing. The app helped her uncover a forgotten £2,000 pension pot, which has since grown to £5,000, significantly boosting her retirement savings.
With decades left before retirement, Katherine now has plenty of time to grow her savings even further.
"Finding this extra money feels life-changing—I had no idea it was even there," she said.
If you're looking to track down a lost pension pot, you can also use the government's Pension Tracing Service by visiting gov.uk/find-pension-contact-details.
Top jobs in the private sector
Some private sector companies offer generous contribution rates to employees.
The financial services industry tends to be a good place to start, with average employer contributions around 9.5%.
For example, Unilever provides a benefits package equal to 25% of your salary.
If you earn £40,000, this means £10,000.
You can decide how to use it - put it all into your pension, take some as extra pay, or split it, such as £8,000 for your pension and £2,000 as cash.
Shell follows with a total pension contribution of 20% (5% from employees and 15% from the employer), which can rise to 27.5%.
Legal & General combines a basic contribution with a matching scheme, allowing employees to potentially reach a total of 20%.
Kingfisher, owner of B&Q and Screwfix, offers a sliding scale where employees contributing 8% or more receive 14% from the employer.
Phoenix Group boosts salary sacrifice contributions, enabling employees to receive 14.2% while contributing only 2%.
A salary sacrifice scheme is where you agree to reduce your gross salary in exchange for a non-cash benefit, like increased pension contributions.
This reduces your taxable income and National Insurance contributions, potentially saving you money while boosting your benefits.
Royal Mail contributes 13.3% to its Collective Defined Contribution scheme, with employees adding 6%.
Tesco matches pension contributions up to 7.5%.
INDUSTRY trade body The Pension and Lifetime Savings Association calculates how much a single person and a couple need to afford different levels of comfort in retirement.
They factor in all household bills, groceries, travel and car costs, going away on holiday, clothes, beauty treatments and more, into the amount of money you need per year.
There are three lifestyle levels - minimum, moderate and comfortable.
Here's how much you need per year to afford them all.
Basic retirement: A single person needs £13,400 annually for a basic retirement lifestyle, while a couple needs £21,600. This covers essential needs plus a few extras like a small holiday and monthly cheap meal out.
Moderate retirement: A single person needs £31,700, while a couple needs £43,900. This covers one holiday abroad a year, eating out once a week, and budget for two or three weekly activities like going to the cinema or swimming.
Comfortable retirement: A single person needs £43,900, while a two-person household needs £60,600. This includes a foreign holiday and several mini breaks a year, as well as beauty treatments and hair appointments every six weeks.