Nicola Hunt
Editor, Retirement Planning
Nicola Hunt is editor of RetirementExpert. She is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA) and works as an accountant in the Greater Colchester area of Essex, where she advises individuals and small businesses on income, tax and retirement planning.
She graduated from the University of Essex and has spent her career translating HMRC and pension rules into language clients can actually use - the same approach she takes with our State Pension, qualifying years and pension drawdown guides.
Nicola believes the biggest mistakes people make near retirement are made quietly, in private, without asking for help. Our guides are written so readers can ask better questions, whether of their adviser, their pension provider, or HMRC.
Credentials
- FCCA - Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
- BA, University of Essex
Contact: nicola@retirementexpert.co.uk
Recent articles by Nicola Hunt
- State Pension age timetable: full table by date of birth
The full UK State Pension age timetable: every birth-date band from 66 to 67 (2026-28) and 67 to 68 (2044-46), with the exact claim date for your birth month.
- State Pension amount 2026/27: £241.30 a week - full rates
The full new State Pension is £241.30 a week in 2026/27: £965.20 every four weeks, £1,045.63 a month, £12,547.60 a year. Basic rate £184.90, plus rates by year.
- State Pension deferral explained
How deferring the State Pension works under the new rules, how much extra you get, and when deferral is - and is not - worth it.
- Pension Credit eligibility 2026/27
Pension Credit tops up low retirement incomes. See the 2026/27 rates, savings rules, and how to apply through GOV.UK.
- Can I get Pension Credit if I have savings?
How savings affect Pension Credit, the £10,000 threshold, deemed income, and worked examples for couples and single pensioners.
- What benefits can pensioners claim in the UK?
A plain-English checklist of UK benefits older people may be entitled to - from Pension Credit and Attendance Allowance to Council Tax Reduction and the Winter Fuel Payment.
- Pension drawdown explained
What flexi-access drawdown is, how it differs from an annuity, the tax rules, and the risks of running your pension pot down too fast.
- £100k pension pot: drawdown & annuity income in 2026
What a £100k pension pot buys in 2026: ~£7,891/yr from a level annuity at 65 or ~£4k/yr drawdown, with annuity rate tables and a calculator.
- £150,000 pension pot: how much income in 2026?
A £150k pension pot gives ~£6,000/yr drawdown or ~£11,790/yr level annuity at 65, plus the £12,547 State Pension. July 2026 rates, tax and 30-year tables.
- £200,000 pension pot: how much income in 2026?
A £200k pot buys ~£8,000/yr drawdown income or ~£15,720/yr level annuity at 65, plus £12,547 State Pension. July 2026 annuity rates, tax and 30-year tables.
- £250,000 pension pot: how much income?
How long a £250,000 pension pot might last in drawdown, plus example annuity rates and how the 25% tax-free lump sum changes the maths.
- £300,000 pension pot: how much income in 2026?
A £300k pension pot buys ~£23,580/yr from a level annuity at 65 or ~£12,000/yr at 4% drawdown. With the £12,547 State Pension the annuity route tops £36,000.
- £500,000 pension pot: how much income?
Worked examples for a £500k pension pot: drawdown income, annuity rates, and the tax you might pay each year.
- UK annuity rates July 2026: what £100k buys by age
UK annuity rates July 2026: £100,000 buys a healthy 65-year-old ~£7,860-£7,936 a year for life at best-buy rates. Full tables by age, pot size and health.
- Annuity vs drawdown 2026: which is better for you?
Annuity vs drawdown side by side: ~7.9% guaranteed for life at 65 versus ~3.9% sustainable drawdown, break-even maths, tax, death benefits and the hybrid option.
- What is a safe withdrawal rate in the UK?
The 4% rule, why UK retirees may need a lower figure, and how sequence-of-returns risk affects how much you can draw each year.
- Taking your 25% tax-free pension lump sum
How the pension tax-free cash works, the lump sum allowance, and worked examples of taking it all at once vs in slices.
- Free TV licence for over-75s: who qualifies in 2026?
Who can get a free TV licence in 2026 - the over-75 and Pension Credit rules, the £180 saving, how to apply, and the 50% blind concession.
- Attendance Allowance 2026/27: rates, eligibility & how to claim
Attendance Allowance 2026/27: £76.70 and £114.60 weekly rates, who qualifies, the claim form, and how it can boost your Pension Credit. Not means-tested.
- Carer’s Allowance 2026/27: rates, eligibility & the pension overlap
Carer’s Allowance 2026/27: £86.45 a week, the £204 earnings limit, why pensioners often can’t be paid it, and how underlying entitlement still boosts Pension Credit.
- Bereavement benefits 2026: what replaced the widow's pension
The widow's pension no longer exists - Bereavement Support Payment replaced it. The 2026 rates, the 3-month claim deadline, and the rules over State Pension age.
- Council Tax Reduction for pensioners 2026: up to 100% off
Council Tax Reduction for pensioners: up to 100% off with Guarantee Credit, the £16,000 savings rule, dementia and single person discounts, and how to claim.
- Winter Fuel Payment 2026/27: £100 to £300, who gets it
Winter Fuel Payment winter 2026/27: £100 to £300 if you were born on or before 27 June 1960. Qualifying week 21-27 September 2026, £35,000 clawback and opt-out deadline.
- Cold Weather Payment 2026/27: £25 per cold spell
Cold Weather Payment pays £25 for each seven-day freezing spell between 1 November 2026 and 31 March 2027. Who qualifies, the postcode checker and how it is paid.
- DWP Christmas Bonus 2026: £10, who gets it and when
The DWP Christmas Bonus is a tax-free £10 paid automatically in December to people on the State Pension and 23 other benefits. Qualifying week, full list and why it is still £10.
- State Pension payment dates 2026/27 and bank holidays
Your State Pension payday is set by the last two digits of your National Insurance number. The full table, the four-weekly cycle and every 2026/27 bank holiday that moves it.
- State Pension triple lock: the April 2027 increase
How the triple lock works, what it has paid since 2021, and what the April 2027 State Pension increase could be. Plus why 2027 is the year the State Pension passes £12,570.
- Check your State Pension forecast: how to read it
How to check your State Pension forecast on GOV.UK, what the two figures mean, why yours may be below £241.30 a week, and what COPE and contracting out actually did to it.