Teachers’ AVC quick calculator

Plan your Teachers’ Pension with confidence

Use our calculators to explore Lump Sum options, Phased Retirement, and Early Retirement. For more tools – including how part-time work, or going deferred affect your CARE pension – visit the Pensions Hub.

Teachers’ Pensions
Lump Sum
Phased Retirement
Early Retirement

Pay a little extra each month and see what it could grow to by the time you retire. This is a very simple estimate to help you plan.

An Additional Voluntary Contribution (AVC) is an extra payment you can make into your pension on top of your normal Teachers’ Pension Scheme contributions. It builds a separate investment pot that belongs to you and can be used to boost your retirement income or increase your tax-free lump sum.

Most teachers can open an AVC through the scheme’s official provider Prudential, or through another approved pension provider. You usually set it up by contacting your school’s payroll or HR team so the payments can be taken directly from your salary before tax - meaning you receive tax relief straight away.

You can start, stop or change your AVC payments whenever you like, and you decide how much to put in each month. The value of the pot will depend on how much you pay, how long you invest for, and how the investments perform over time.

This calculator gives an approximate illustration only. It’s not financial advice and doesn’t include provider fees or investment charges.

Use the slider or type the amount.
A guess at average yearly growth of your AVC investments.
Tax relief lowers your real cost.

Frequently Asked Questions

An Additional Voluntary Contribution (AVC) is an extra payment you make on top of your normal Teachers’ Pension Scheme contributions. It builds a separate investment pot to boost your retirement income or tax-free lump sum.

Most teachers arrange an in-scheme AVC with Prudential. Contact your payroll or HR team so payments can come from salary and receive tax relief automatically. You can also use other pension providers if you prefer.

You can normally access your AVC from age 55 (rising to 57 in 2028). You don’t have to take it at the same time as your main Teachers’ Pension—you can take it earlier, later, or in stages, subject to provider rules.

Yes. You choose the amount and can start, stop or change contributions. If you leave teaching, your AVC pot stays invested and can usually be transferred to another pension.

No. Your main TPS is a defined-benefit pension. An AVC is investment-based, so its value can go down as well as up, and charges apply. Keep HMRC limits in mind (e.g. the Annual Allowance).