your pension

• pensions calculator
• pensions basics
• occupational pensions
• state pensions and benefits
• money purchase and personal pensions

Pensions are complicated, but this should be no excuse for not making plans for when you retire. Fewer people at work are now covered by good schemes provided by employers, and neither major political party wants the state pension to keep up with living standards. The responsibility for providing income in retirement is increasingly falling on the individual.

But too many people put off thinking about their pension until it's too late to make proper provision. This part of workSMART provides an introduction to some of the most common questions asked about pensions. And to show just how important it can be to think about pensions early in your working life, our interactive Pension Calculator can give you an estimate of the amount of pension income you could get when you retire.

workSMART answers some common questions about pensions. But the government and other official organisations also provide much helpful material, which is generally clear and easy to read. We include relevant links, but a good starting point for those thinking for the first time about their pension are these pages on the pensions service web site.

There are three basic types of pension. You can jump to the relevant workSMART section by following these links:

• Occupational pensions are those provided by your employer as part of your job's benefits package Good ones include a contribution from your employer, as well as your own contributions. This section includes details on the Government's new stakeholder pensions schemes (which confusingly can be an occupational or a personal scheme)
• Personal pensions are private savings schemes, which you can take out to boost your income after retirement.

• State benefits, include the basic state retirement pension which gives a basic flat rate income for those who have a full national insurance contribution over their working life. This section also includes details of other state benefits you can claim when you retire, which are means tested.