Pensions - Articles - From Payslip to Pension

This latest report explores what pension incomes and retirement needs different low earner profiles are projected to have under current policy, and examines the trade-offs associated with reforms to automatic enrolment thresholds and contribution structures.

The publication follows the release of the Pensions Commission’s interim report on 19 May 2026, which has renewed focus on pensions adequacy, financial resilience and the long-term future of automatic enrolment. As policymakers consider how the pensions system can better support those at risk of poorer retirement outcomes, low earners remain central to the debate. This report contributes new evidence to that discussion by modelling how different automatic enrolment reforms could affect a range of persistent low earner groups across the life course.

The From Payslip to Pension series has been funded by The Nuffield Foundation and will run until summer 2026, comprising five individual outputs exploring the experiences and retirement outcomes of low earners.

Read the full report here:  From Payslip to Pension: Life Course Impacts on Retirement Saving Among Low Earners series, Modelling of Policy Options for Low Earners