If you no longer contribute to your employer’s workplace pension, please scroll down to the If you no longer contribute to your employer’s workplace pension section.

It's easy to add money to your Smart Pension account. Just click this link and follow the on-screen instructions.

The minimum you can contribute is:

There is no maximum amount unless you are using our online application, which has a maximum of £25,000 for one-off contributions (via GoCardless). If you wish to pay in more, you will need to add multiple contributions. You'll also need to check whether your bank has a daily limit.

You must also be mindful of the annual allowance, which is the maximum amount you can pay into a pension scheme in a given tax year. For the 2026/27 tax year, you can pay up to £60,000 or 100% of your earnings and receive tax relief. Once your income exceeds £260,000 in a given year, your allowance reduces by £1 for every £2 of income over that level, down to a minimum of £10,000. This rule is referred to as tapered annual allowance. If you wish to pay more than the annual allowance, please refer to the Carry Forward details below.

For online contributions we will apply for tax relief at the basic rate of 20% directly through HMRC and credit your account. For tax relief over the basic rate you will need to claim this directly, via your self assessment.

How you claim tax relief depends on if the one-off or regular contribution is being paid on your behalf by your employer.

If you make a one-off contribution online, we will claim the basic rate tax on your behalf under a relief at source (RAS) arrangement. We will be able to claim the tax relief at a basic rate of tax. For example, if you wanted to contribute £125, you would pay in £100 and we would add the £25 tax relief later.

However, if you are a high rate tax payer, you will need to claim the additional amount back from HMRC, via a self-assessment. Please note that tax relief is not available if you are 75 years or older under any arrangement.

Please ensure that you’re aware of the tax relief process before you pay a one-off contribution directly into your Smart Pension account. You should seek financial advice if you’re unsure about the process or of the impact on your finances.

You may be able to make use of any annual allowance that you might not have used during the previous three tax years. This is called carry forward.

To use carry forward, there are certain conditions that need to be met. We may also ask you to provide us with your calculation. We'll contact you if we need this.

If you're subject to the Money Purchase Annual Allowance (MPAA), carry forward won't be available to you.

Contributions that are not eligible for tax relief need to be paid by a UK resident or someone that has been a member of a UK pension scheme within the last 5 years (if currently residing overseas). In either case, contributions are limited to £2,880.

Your employer will pay the contribution into your Smart Pension account as a gross contribution. You won’t be able to claim any tax relief on this.

Employer pension contributions are classed as a business expense. This means contributions have to be made wholly and exclusively for the purposes of the business trade. Contributions made by your employer should also reflect the duties you perform within the company.

Please ensure that you’re aware of the tax relief process before your employer pays a single contribution directly into your Smart Pension account. You should seek financial advice if you’re unsure about the process or of the impact on your finances.

You can find a record of your one-off or regular contributions in your Smart Pension account.

We can also provide you with a letter confirming your single contribution payment. You can then use this to reclaim your tax.

Send your request to [email protected].

Please see our ‘Where can I see contributions to my pension?’ help article for more information.

No, we are unable to backdate to previous tax years. Contributions must be applied for the tax year in which we receive payment. So for a contribution to count against your annual allowance for the 2026/27 tax year, we need to receive payment by 23:59 on 1 April 2027.

This is because we claim tax relief on your behalf, this is credited to your account after your contribution has been received, however for the purpose of the annual allowance tax relief is deemed to have been received at the same time as the contribution it relates to.

It's easy to add money to your Smart Pension account. Just click this link and follow the on-screen instructions.

Yes, you can make regular personal contributions. You can set up each contribution through your Smart Pension account.

You won’t need to resubmit ID documents again within a 12-month period, as long as your originals are still valid and circumstances haven’t changed.

Need help signing in? Read our article about setting up your account for the first time. Or read our article about signing into your account.
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The minimum you can contribute is:

There is no maximum amount unless you are using our online application, which has a maximum of £25,000 for one-off contributions (via GoCardless). If you wish to pay in more, you will need to add multiple contributions. You'll also need to check whether your bank has a daily limit.

You must also be mindful of the annual allowance, which is the maximum amount you can pay into a pension scheme in a given tax year. For the 2026/27 tax year, you can pay up to £60,000 or 100% of your earnings and receive tax relief. Once your income is exceeds £260,000 in a given year, your allowance reduces by £1 for every £2 of income over that level, down to a minimum of £10,000. This rule referred to as tapered annual allowance. If you wish to pay more than the annual allowance, please refer to the Carry Forward details below.

For online contributions we will apply for tax relief at the basic rate of 20% directly through HMRC and credit your account. For tax relief over the basic rate you will need to claim this directly, via your self assessment.

You may be able to make use of any annual allowance that you might not have used during the previous three tax years. This is called carry forward.

To use carry forward, there are certain conditions that need to be met. We may also ask you to provide us with your calculation. We'll contact you if we need this.

If you're subject to the Money Purchase Annual Allowance (MPAA), carry forward won't be available to you.

If you make a personal online one-off and regular contributions paid online, we will claim the basic rate tax on your behalf under a relief at source (RAS) arrangement. We will be able to claim the tax relief at a basic rate of tax. For example, if you wanted to contribute £125, you would pay in £100 and we would add the £25 tax relief later. However, if you are a high rate tax payer, you will need to claim the additional amount back from HMRC, via a self-assessment.

Please note that tax relief is not available if you are 75 years or older under any arrangement.

You can still contribute if you are no longer working but reside in the UK, however tax relief is only available for total net contributions of £2,880.

Please ensure that you’re aware of the tax relief process before you pay a one-off contribution directly into your Smart Pension account. You should seek financial advice if you’re unsure about the process or of the impact on your finances.

The aim of this article is to give information about one-off contributions. This article doesn’t give personal or professional advice. If you need advice, then you should speak to an independent financial adviser. You can also contact the MoneyHelper service for more information and impartial guidance about making one-off contributions. If you are still unsure, and you don’t already have an adviser, you can find a retirement adviser on the MoneyHelper service website.

If you have any questions, you can get in touch through our contact form at smrt.pe/member-contact or by calling us on 0333 666 2626.