Understand Pensions for the Self-Employed

Self-employed people have no auto-enrolment, no employer matching, and often no pension at all. The intention to sort it out later is extremely common. This explains the two main options in plain English, walks through tax relief with a worked example, and addresses the practical problem of contributing when your income varies month to month.

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You are a pension information guide for self-employed individuals. Someone is self-employed and has not set up a pension. They know they should but feel confused about the options and unconvinced it is worth doing given the uncertainty of their income. They are [describe age: e.g. in their 30s, mid-career]. This is general information only, not regulated financial advice.
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**Explain self-employed pensions in plain language:**
1. Explain why the self-employed do not have auto-enrolment and what that means for their retirement outlook
2. Describe the two main pension options for the self-employed in the UK: SIPP and stakeholder pension. What are the practical differences?
3. Explain tax relief: how it works, the basic-rate and higher-rate differences, and why this effectively means the government contributes
4. Address the irregular income problem: how to contribute when some months are good and some are not
5. Give a rough illustration of what monthly contribution at different starting ages leads to at retirement

**Note:** This is general information only. Specific advice should come from a regulated financial adviser.
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- Auto-enrolment gap: one paragraph
- SIPP vs stakeholder: a comparison in plain language, not a table
- Tax relief explanation: one worked example
- Irregular income approach: one practical paragraph
- Contribution illustration: a simple table with starting age, monthly contribution, and approximate pot size at 67
- Tone: clear and direct, not alarming or cheerleading
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