Pre-Retirement Money Checklist

Who this is for

The money jobs before you retire, in the order they tend to fall. Five stages run from finding every pension and forecast to the first months after you stop work, each job with a tick, a date and notes, and a blank row in each stage for jobs of your own.

People approaching retirement, whether planning well ahead or with a date already set, couples retiring at different times, and anyone helping a parent sort out pensions before they stop work.

What this helps you track

• Forecasts asked for and every pension found and listed
• A retirement budget tested against the income you expect
• The options for each pension understood before choosing
• Employer, providers and the tax authority told in good time
• The first months after retiring checked against the plan

How to use it

1. Write your name, the date you plan to retire and the state pension date from your own forecast.
2. Work through the stages in order; cross out jobs that do not apply and add your own on the blank rows.
3. Put a date against each job as you plan it, counting back from your retirement date and any notice your employer or providers need.
4. Tick each job when it is done, and use the notes for references, names and figures.
5. Fill it in on paper, or in the browser version, which saves in your own browser and lets you add rows.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

How far ahead should I start?

It depends on your pensions, your health and how settled your plans are, so the sheet sets no timetable. The stages give the order; the dates are yours, worked back from your retirement date and any notice periods you have been given.

What is a pension forecast?

An estimate of the pension you could get, from the body that pays the state pension or from each scheme. It tells you when payments can start and roughly how much they could be, which the retirement budget needs.

Do I need advice before choosing what to do with a pension?

Some choices and some pension types carry rules about guidance or advice, and these differ by country. Check what applies with each provider; some countries offer free, impartial guidance.

How does this relate to the retirement budget planner?

The planner is where the numbers go: spending now and in retirement against each income source. This checklist makes sure the figures it needs are gathered, and that the budget is tested once you have retired.