Self-invested personal pension (SIPP)
Invest with a pension that puts you in control of your future
- Start with a one-off amount or pay in monthly – and benefit from tax relief
- Invest based on how confident and experienced you are
- Flexible ways to take your money in retirement
What is a SIPP?
It’s a self-invested personal pension, or SIPP for short. This type of tax-efficient personal pension usually offers a wider range of investment choices than other types of pensions, putting you in control of how you invest your pension pot.
It might be something to think about if you don’t already have a workplace pension, or you’re looking for another way to invest alongside a workplace pension.
If you already have several pensions, you could open a SIPP as a first step towards bringing them all together, which could mean less admin and fewer passwords to remember. Read more about combining pensions.
The value of a SIPP can fall as well as rise, so you could get back less than the amount that's been put in.
How our pension makes it easy for you
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Open it in minutes
To apply, you just need your National Insurance number, and your bank or debit card details to set up payments
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Pay in how it suits you
Put in as little as £25 a month (you can start or stop payments at any time), make a one-off payment of at least £5,000, or do a bit of both - a minimum one-off payment of £1,000 plus monthly payments of £25 or more
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Invest your way
Choose from one or more of five investment options, from novice to pro
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Track your progress, wherever you are
Manage, monitor and make changes to your pension with our award-winning online service
Boost your SIPP with tax relief
Every pension payment you make automatically gets basic rate tax relief of 20% from the government (even if you're not a tax payer). So, if you put in £800 you'll get an extra £200 into the pension.
Any personal contributions you pay into an Aviva SIPP must qualify for tax relief. So they must be within your earnings or £3,600 if you earn less than that.
There are limits on how much you can build up in pension benefits without paying a tax charge. Read more about tax relief and your annual allowance.
Tax benefits depend on your personal circumstances and can change in the future.
What to think about before you apply for a SIPP with us
Benefits
Things to think about
- Investment risk
SIPP investors need to be happy to make their own decisions and appreciate that investments can fall as well as rise in value. If you're not sure what’s best for you, you may want to get financial advice.
- If you’re paying into a workplace pension
Your employer adds to your workplace pension, helping to build up your pot. A SIPP isn’t meant as a replacement for this, but can be used alongside it. Before you take out a SIPP, it’s worth checking whether you might be better off paying more into your workplace pension – for example, because your employer might put in more too. - Age limits on paying in and taking money out
You can’t touch the money in your pension until you’re 55, and this will increase to 57 on 6 April 2028. You and your employer can only pay into a SIPP until you turn 75, but you can transfer a pension at any age.
Important documents
Before you apply for a pension, make sure you read and understand all the details. If there’s anything you’re not sure about, it may be worth taking financial advice before you make any decision. If you don't have an adviser, you can find one at www.unbiased.co.uk. You'll have to pay for this advice.
Aviva Pension Key Features (PDF 253 KB)
Our investments and SIPP charges
How to choose investments
There are five ways to invest in our SIPP.
What are the investment charges?
We won’t charge you for opening a SIPP and there’s no charge to transfer your investments to us. However, your existing provider may charge you for leaving them, so you’ll need to make sure it all adds up before making the move. Once you have a SIPP with us, these are the charges you can expect to pay:
Funds
You'll pay an Aviva Charge of up to 0.40% for the value of your funds or cash, depending on how much you invest.
For example, if you have £5,000 of funds or cash with us, your Aviva Charge will be £20 a year.
There's also a Fund Manager Charge that will depend on the funds that you've chosen. This charge is included in the price of the fund.
We won't charge you for buying or selling funds.
Shares and other exchange traded investments
We have an Aviva Share Charge for managing those investments. It's 0.40% of their value, up to a maximum of £120 a year.
For example, if you have £5,000 of shares or exchange traded funds with us, your Aviva Share Charge will be £20 a year.
There'll be a Fund Manager Charge for exchange traded funds and investment trusts that will be included in the price of the investment.
When you buy shares and other exchange traded investments, there'll be a Trading Charge for every trade you make.
There may be other charges you’ll need to be aware of – you can read more about these on our charges page.
Ready to apply?
You can open a SIPP with us through MyAviva, your secure online account. If you don’t yet have an account, you’ll need to set one up. It only takes a few minutes – just make sure you have these to hand:
Why choose us?
We believe we're the best choice for your SIPP - but don't take our word for it.
Aviva aims for high ethical standards
- The Aviva Life business is checked every year by The Good Shopping Guide (GSG) against eight key ethical points. These checks make sure Aviva is meeting high ethical standards in its company policy and practices.
- We've been given this accreditation for each of the past three years, most recently in March 2023.
- This accreditation is for the Aviva Life business, not specific products or ethical funds we provide.
- For more information on GSG's rating system, please visit The Good Shopping Guide.
SIPP FAQs
How many SIPPs can I have?
What do I need to set up our SIPP?
What's the annual allowance?
Are there any other limits and restrictions around pensions?
I earn over £50,000 – what does this mean for tax relief?
What’s the difference between a SIPP and a personal pension?
Can I access my SIPP once I turn 55?
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More help with your pensions
Transfer or combine your pensions
If you have a pension, or several pensions, you can bring everything together in one place. Even if the amounts are small, it all adds up.
Your workplace pension
If you have a workplace pension with us, learn more about how it works and how you can manage it online.
Manage your pension
Log in to your MyAviva account to check how much you have, change how much you put in or update your personal details.
Contact us
Still need some help? Give us a call
Monday to Friday: 8:00am – 5:30pm
Saturday and Sunday: Closed
For our joint protection, telephone calls may be recorded and/or monitored and will be saved for a minimum of 5 years. Calls to 0800 numbers from UK landlines and mobiles are free. Our opening hours may be different depending on which team you need to speak to.
Platform provider: Aviva Wrap UK Limited. Registered in England No. 4470008. Aviva, Wellington Row, York, YO90 1WR. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Firm reference number 231530.
Pension product provided by: Aviva Pension Trustees UK Limited. Registered in England No. 2407799. Aviva, Wellington Row, York, YO90 1WR. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Firm reference number 465132.