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Annuities: income estimate and providers

What an annuity is, a rough income estimate from published market rates, and the main UK providers. Information only, not advice.

An annuity swaps some or all of your pension pot for a guaranteed income, usually for the rest of your life. Once bought it normally can't be changed or cashed in, so it's worth understanding the options first. Pension Wise (opens in new tab), from MoneyHelper, offers a free, impartial, government-backed appointment explaining your options if you're 50 or over with a defined contribution pension.

Annuity income estimate

Reference rates: Hargreaves Lansdown annuity rate table (opens in new tab), quotes dated 22 Oct 2026, checked 26 Oct 2026. These are the highest standard quotes HL's tool found across the providers it compares for a £100,000 purchase (average postcode, paid monthly in advance; joint life assumes a partner 3 years younger). We use the published figure for the nearest age at or below yours and apply it in proportion to the amount you'd use. We don't adjust for anything the source doesn't publish, so other combinations show "not available". Your actual quote will differ and is likely to be lower for small pots.

The published reference figures

Annual income before tax from a £100,000 annuity purchase. Source: Hargreaves Lansdown annuity rate table (opens in new tab), quotes dated 22 Oct 2026, checked 26 Oct 2026.

Annuity typeAge 55Age 60Age 65Age 70Age 75
Single life, level, no guarantee£7,078£7,476£8,211£9,002£10,212
Single life, level, 5-year guarantee£7,070£7,461£8,146£8,886£9,950
Single life, RPI-linked, 5-year guarantee£4,486£4,922£5,618£6,417£7,648
Single life, rising 3% a year, 5-year guarantee£4,956£5,350£6,094£6,915£8,095
Joint life (50% to partner), level, no guarantee£6,696£7,144£7,658£8,361£9,146
Joint life (50% to partner), rising 3% a year, no guarantee£4,595£5,034£5,609£6,312£7,266

Income by provider and pot size

Indicative yearly income before tax from the amount you use to buy the annuity, by named provider. Providers are listed A to Z, not ranked. Source: Which? annuity rates article (opens in new tab) (figures from the MoneyHelper annuity comparison tool), quotes dated 19 Oct 2026, checked 26 Oct 2026.

How to read this. The £100k column is the published figure for each provider. Columns marked * are our estimate, scaled in proportion from that £100,000 figure. Per-provider figures for other pot sizes aren't published in a comparable form, and real quotes for small pots are often lower and for large pots may differ. Basis: a healthy person, CB23 postcode, paid yearly in arrears, no guarantee period; for joint life the partner is the same age and gets 50%. These aren't quotes: get personal quotes from MoneyHelper's comparison tool (opens in new tab) or the provider. Information only, no affiliation with any provider.

Age 65: Single life, level
Estimated yearly income before tax, age 65, Single life, level, by provider and amount used
Provider (A to Z)£50k*£100k£200k*£500k*
Aviva£4,009£8,018£16,036£40,090
Canada Life£4,118£8,237£16,474£41,185
Just£3,352£6,703£13,406£33,515
Legal & General£3,918£7,835£15,670£39,175
Scottish Widows£4,103£8,206£16,412£41,030
Standard Life£4,048£8,095£16,190£40,475
Age 65: Joint life (50%), level
Estimated yearly income before tax, age 65, Joint life (50%), level, by provider and amount used
Provider (A to Z)£50k*£100k£200k*£500k*
Aviva£3,692£7,384£14,768£36,920
Canada Life£3,931£7,862£15,724£39,310
Just£3,265£6,530£13,060£32,650
Legal & General£3,732£7,463£14,926£37,315
Scottish Widows£3,878£7,755£15,510£38,775
Standard Life£3,837£7,674£15,348£38,370
Age 65: Joint life (50%), rising 3% a year
Estimated yearly income before tax, age 65, Joint life (50%), rising 3% a year, by provider and amount used
Provider (A to Z)£50k*£100k£200k*£500k*
Aviva£2,628£5,255£10,510£26,275
Canada Life£2,872£5,745£11,490£28,725
Just£2,374£4,749£9,498£23,745
Legal & General£2,748£5,497£10,994£27,485
Scottish Widows£2,861£5,722£11,444£28,610
Standard Life£2,782£5,564£11,128£27,820
Age 70: Single life, level
Estimated yearly income before tax, age 70, Single life, level, by provider and amount used
Provider (A to Z)£50k*£100k£200k*£500k*
Aviva£4,422£8,843£17,686£44,215
Canada Life£4,474£8,947£17,894£44,735
Just£3,758£7,516£15,032£37,580
Legal & General£4,302£8,603£17,206£43,015
Scottish Widows£4,547£9,094£18,188£45,470
Standard Life£4,418£8,835£17,670£44,175
Age 70: Joint life (50%), level
Estimated yearly income before tax, age 70, Joint life (50%), level, by provider and amount used
Provider (A to Z)£50k*£100k£200k*£500k*
Aviva£4,035£8,070£16,140£40,350
Canada Life£4,286£8,571£17,142£42,855
Just£3,540£7,080£14,160£35,400
Legal & General£4,084£8,169£16,338£40,845
Scottish Widows£4,298£8,596£17,192£42,980
Standard Life£4,142£8,283£16,566£41,415
Age 70: Joint life (50%), rising 3% a year
Estimated yearly income before tax, age 70, Joint life (50%), rising 3% a year, by provider and amount used
Provider (A to Z)£50k*£100k£200k*£500k*
Aviva£3,006£6,013£12,026£30,065
Canada Life£3,271£6,542£13,084£32,710
Just£2,692£5,383£10,766£26,915
Legal & General£3,135£6,270£12,540£31,350
Scottish Widows£3,280£6,560£13,120£32,800
Standard Life£3,122£6,243£12,486£31,215

Figures can be very different for you: health, postcode, payment timing and options all change quotes. The basis also differs from the calculator above (which uses HL's table, paid monthly in advance), so the two won't match exactly.

What the 25% tax-free cash does

From age 55 (57 from 6 April 2028) you can usually take up to 25% of your pension as a tax-free lump sum, up to a lifetime limit of £268,275 (the Lump Sum Allowance). If you take it before buying an annuity, only the remaining 75% buys income, so your annuity is smaller. Annuity income itself is taxable like a salary. You can't add the cash back later to boost the annuity, so think about what you'd use it for.

Enhanced annuities: health and lifestyle

If you have a health condition (such as diabetes, high blood pressure or heart problems) or lifestyle factors (such as smoking or being overweight), providers may expect to pay you for a shorter time and offer a higher income. This is called an enhanced annuity. Even common conditions can count, so it's worth answering the health questions fully when you get quotes.

Published example: for a 65-year-old buying a single life, level annuity with no guarantee, HL's table shows £8,211 a year from £100,000 at standard rates and £8,755 for someone who has smoked 10 cigarettes a day for the last 20 years and drinks 15 units of alcohol a week (quotes dated 22 Oct 2026). Our calculator shows standard rates only.

Drawdown versus annuity

AnnuityDrawdown
IncomeGuaranteed, set when you buyYou choose how much to take; it isn't guaranteed
Investment riskNone for youPot stays invested and can fall as well as rise
Running outCan't run out; pays for lifeCan run out if you take too much or investments fall
FlexibilityCan't usually change once boughtChange or stop withdrawals at any time
When you dieStops unless you chose a joint life, guarantee or value protectionWhat's left can usually pass to your beneficiaries

You don't have to choose one: some people use part of their pot for an annuity to cover essential bills and keep the rest in drawdown, or buy an annuity later, when rates for their age are higher.

Comparing quotes

You don't have to buy from your current pension provider. MoneyHelper's annuity comparison tool (opens in new tab) compares quotes across the market and is impartial and backed by government. A regulated financial adviser can recommend a product, usually for a fee.

UK annuity providers (A to Z)

Listed alphabetically, not ranked. Information only, no affiliation: MoneyBySharma isn't linked to any of these providers and doesn't receive payment from them. None of these official pages published an annuity rate table when we checked on 20 Oct 2026.

Pension scam warning

Information only, not financial advice. Rates change often, and quotes are only guaranteed for a short time. Sources checked 26 Oct 2026. Also see our Pensions guide and Scams & fraud.