Pension reflections: Retirement's biggest moments of 2025

What can we expect to see for pensions next year?

Jenna Brown
clock • 15 min read

Jenna Brown talks to pension experts who share their insight on the biggest developments of 2025, what to expect in 2026 and what they want from the next 12 months...

AJ Bell head of public policy Rachel Vahey  What were the biggest pensions moments in 2025? 2025 has proved to be another roller coaster year for pensions. One of the biggest changes was kicked off in last year's Autumn Budget, which announced that unused pensions are to be included in calculations for inheritance tax (IHT). This wasn't a big surprise – the tax treatment of pension benefits on death has been extremely generous for the last ten years. However, as HM Revenue & Customs' (HMRC) preferred process started to emerge over the year, it quickly became apparent that this...

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