Taxation of pensions
Overview
Personal pensions and occupational pensions are taxable sources of income. They are liable to Income Tax and Universal Social Charge (USC). They may also be liable to Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) in the same way as employment income. Your pension provider will deduct the tax from each payment it makes to you.
Income from a pension is taxable as emoluments under the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) system. This is subject to the same rates and bands as Income Tax. If you require further information about the current rates of tax, please click on Tax rates, bands and reliefs. Certain pension payments such as retirement lump sums are subject to different rules. These rules are outlined in Part 6 of this hub.
Pension contributions are aggregated between all pension products. You may contribute to an occupational pension scheme and a personal pension. However, tax relief is subject to the combined total of all pension contributions. Tax relief is granted according to your age-related factor and subject to the earnings threshold of €115,000.
You may need to take steps to Avoid Emergency Tax on personal pensions.
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