Your Retirement Timeline

If you're close to your retirement date or you are considering retiring soon, here are some pointers on what happens when.

12 - 6
months
5
months
4
months
3
months
2
months
1
month

12 - 6 months to go

Check your pension statements to see how much your pension fund or funds are worth.
Use our retirement income calculator to get an idea of how much you could get, and see if this fits with the lifestyle you want during your retirement.
Look into the State pension and any benefits you might be entitled to.
Check whether you have any pensions you've forgotten about. If you have more than one pension, you may be able to combine them.
Ask your pension providers for an up-to-date statement of how much your pension fund or funds are worth.
If you have an Aviva pension fund, log on to My Account to see how much it's worth.

5 months to go

Read the information pack your pension provider(s) sends you. It will give you a lot of information on what you need to do next.
If you have an Aviva pension plan, fill in the personal information form and return it to make sure you get a quote tailored to you and your circumstances.
If you don't want to retire yet, fill in the personal information form telling us that and return it. We'll contact you again six to four months before your new retirement date.

4 months to go

Talk to a financial adviser, if you don't have an adviser, you can visit www.unbiased.co.uk or call us on 0800 068 4076. We can only offer advice on products sold and marketed by Aviva.

3 months to go

If you've reached State pension age, contact the Pension Service for a claim form.

State pension age varies depending on your gender and when you were born. Visit http://pensions.direct.gov.uk/en/state-pension-age-calculator/home.asp to find out if and when you will be eligible for the state pension.

2 months to go

You'll get a quote and an information pack from your pension provider.
Talk to a financial adviser.
Find out whether you can take tax-free cash and think about how much you might want to take.
Find out about your tax situation.
Once you've decided on the right product for you, shop around for the best rates available.
Check how much we could give you using our retirement income calculator.
Decide what you want to do and apply.

1 month to go

Look forward to your retirement.

Retirement income calculator

See how much income you could get from your pension fund.

Calculate retirement income

Related FAQs

How do I get hold of my pension fund statements?

If you are an Aviva customer, you may be able to log in and see the current value of your pension fund at My Account. If you can't, please give us a call on 0800 533 5195 to ask for your current pension fund value. If you have a pension fund with another provider, please call them and ask for an up-to-date statement.

How do I know what state pension benefits I'm entitled to?

The Pension Service will contact you about three months before you reach the state pension age. They will ask you to fill in a form telling them whether you want to start taking your state pension and how often you want it to be paid.

You may also be entitled to other benefits. Visit the government website at www.direct.gov.uk or get in touch with your local benefits office to find out more.

What do you mean by shop around for the best rates?

Many people are tempted to simply buy an annuity from their pension provider. This might actually turn out to be the best deal for you, but, as with most other things, you might be able to get a better deal from another provider. Annuity providers may offer different rates for different types of annuity, so it's worth your while asking for quotes from a number of different companies. You don't lose anything by doing this and you may actually end up with a better income. You can ask a financial adviser to help you ask for quotes from a number of companies. This is known as the open market option.

Read all FAQs