Small actions can have a great impact

Saving a little today can help you live the life you will want to have when you retire. A pension helps you do just that. With a Zurich pension, you can:

Save from just €30 per month

Keep track of your pension 24/7

Get expert advice when you need it

Why do I need a pension?

Your retirement may seem like a lifetime away, but the truth is, the sooner you start planning for it, the brighter your future will be.

Own your future

Today the State Contributory Pension is worth about €260 a week (Citizens Information Board, February 2022). It’s helpful but it’s not going to give you a comfortable life on its own. Starting your own pension can give you greater ownership of your retirement and give you more options for your later years.

Save with tax relief

Tax relief is by far the greatest advantage of saving in a pension and Government tax relief is available on any money you save into your pension. If you’re paying tax on the higher rate, you’re entitled to get a 40% saving on any pension contribution you make.

Small amounts add up

The earlier you start your pension, the better. It’s always best to start your pension at a level you feel comfortable with, and then revisit this periodically to see if you have more disposable income to put into your pension. With a Zurich pension you can save from €30 per month.

How much could I be saving?

It’s up to you but it usually depends on when you would like to retire, what lifestyle you would like in retirement and how much you can afford to save.  A simple way to check how much you should save is to use our Pension Calculator.

The amounts shown may go up or down. Read the important assumptions for this calculator.

Important Assumptions
  • For the purpose of determining the term over which pension contributions are made, we have assumed your birthday was exactly six months ago.
  • If your target retirement age is lower than the age at which the Social Welfare pension commences (age 68 if you are born on/after 01/01/1961, age 67 if born before this date but on/after 01/01/1955 and age 66 if born before 01/01/1955) the calculations allow for funding for this gap, in addition to the cost of the annuity.
  • You are entitled to a full Social Welfare pension of €265.30 per week as at January 2023 which is assumed to increase by 1.5% per year.
  • You are saving for the difference between the Social Welfare pension and your target monthly income in retirement.
  • We have allowed for inflation of your target monthly income of 1.5% per annum between now and your retirement date.
  • Any other private pension provision you may have in place has not been taken into account.
  • Your monthly pension contribution increases by 1.5% each year up until your retirement age and is invested in a pension plan with an annual management charge of 1% and a 5% charge on each contribution, in line with the Standard PRSA fees and charges maximum limit.
  • A Gross Investment Return of 3.4% per annum on your savings. This is not a forecast because the value of your investment may grow at a faster or slower rate than assumed and the value of your investment may be expected to fall from time to time as well as rise.
  • On retirement you purchase an annuity which escalates at 1% each year, has a 5-year guarantee and is payable monthly in advance. The annuity rate assumes a post retirement interest rate of 0.5% per annum and no spouse's pension. The actual annuity rate will depend on the selection of dependant's pension, guaranteed period and the escalation rate, as well as interest rates prevailing when the annuity is purchased.

years

years

Save 274per month to enjoy 1500 per month in retirement.

Your contribution could be as little as 162 if you are eligible for tax relief at 40%.

Your Existing Pension Fund is projected to cover the amount that you would like a month in retirement. Increase the amount that you would like in retirement, to see the impact of additional savings into your Pension Fund.

Important Information

This calculator is designed to give an indication of the monthly pension contribution you may need to make in order to achieve your target monthly income in retirement. It is important to note that the calculator takes into account that your target monthly income includes the Social Welfare pension, which Zurich Life assumes you will be entitled to when you retire. The calculations are in line with Zurich Life's Understanding of Guidelines issued by the Society of Actuaries in Ireland (Actuarial Standard of Practice Pen-12 Version 1.6) and may change in the future. These figures are for illustrative purposes only and are not an offer of contract. These figures are estimates only. They are not a reliable guide to the future performance of your investment. Actual investment growth will depend on the performance of the underlying investments and may be more or less than illustrated.

Get pension savvy

Our short video guides provide helpful advice on starting a pension.

Why choose zurich?

Award winning investment performance*

One of the main funds we invest pensions in is our flagship Balanced Fund.

This fund has delivered an average return of 10.1% since its launch in 1989, and in 2021 alone, it delivered an 18.4% return. 

If your pension was invested in the Balanced Fund since it launched in 1989, you would have seen more growth than the sector average.

Source: Zurich and MoneyMate, July 2022. Cumulative performance figures quoted are from fund inception date of 1/11/1989 until 01/07/2022. Annual management fees apply; the fund growth shown is gross of any annual management charge. Returns are based on offer to offer performance and do not represent the return achieved by individual policies linked to the fund.

Trust in our expertise

Zurich has been meeting the financial needs of people in Ireland for over 40 years. Pensions form a huge part of what we do, with thousands of Irish people trusting us to manage their retirement funds. In fact, our investment team, based in Blackrock, Co. Dublin, is responsible for funds under management of approximately €27.5 billion, of which pension assets amount to €16.9 billion (as at 30th September 2022).

Online access 24/7

With 24/7 access to Zurich’s online client centre, you can see how your pension is performing at any stage. And with a wide range of helpful tools, calculators and videos, you’ll have access to everything you need to help you plan for your future.

Investing responsibly

We’re conscious of the need to ensure that we invest your funds responsibly. We want to do good, naturally, but we also want to do well in investment terms. Zurich Insurance Group is a signatory to the UN Principles of Responsible Investment since 2012 and Zurich Life in Ireland maintain a key focus in this area.

Find out more about our Responsible Investment approach

Begin your pension journey today

Sound advice is invaluable, so it’s a good idea to seek advice from a financial broker/advisor who can guide you through the process and help you select the right pension plan for your circumstances.

So, if you’d like to take the next step:

Contact our Financial Planning team directly

Arrange for us to contact you

Find an advisor in your locality

*Investment Provider Excellence Award, Brokers Ireland, 2022; Pension Provider Excellence Award, Brokers Ireland, 2022; Overall Excellence in Financial Service Providers Award, Brokers Ireland, 2021

41% of working adults don’t have a pension. 84% of working adults, with no pension in place, plan to live off the state pension when they retire.  Source: Zurich Pensions Survey, conducted by iReach, August 2022.

The information contained herein is based on Zurich's understanding of current Revenue practice as at 01 January 2023 and may change in the future.

Warning: Past performance is not a reliable guide to future performance.
Warning: This product may be affected by changes in currency exchange rates.
Warning: The value of your investment may go down as well as up.
Warning: If you invest in these products you may lose some or all of the money you invest.
Warning: The income you get from this investment may go down as well as up.
X
Customers Resources

Insurance resources

Do you have home, car, farm, van or business insurance?

Life resources

Are you a pensions, savings, investments or protection customer?