Pension plan & income-tax deduction calculator
Simulate your pension plan factoring in the income-tax refund it triggers — and reinvest that refund so the snowball never stops. Something almost no calculator does.
Regime
Legal deductible limit: €1,500/year (€125/month). Anything above that gets no tax relief.
Total contributed
€45,000
Tax refunded to you
€16,650
Real net outlay
€28,350
Pension value
€125,703
Your marginal rate
37%
Yearly tax refund
€555
Pension growth
Frequently asked questions
How much can I contribute to a pension plan in Spain?+
As an employee/individual, up to €1,500/year (€125/month). As a self-employed worker you can add up to €4,250/year more through a simplified employment plan, for a combined €5,750/year. The deduction is also capped at 30% of your net earnings.
How does the tax deduction work?+
Contributions reduce your general taxable base, so you pay less income tax. With your figures the refund is about €555/year (your marginal rate is 37%). It arrives when you file your tax return the following year.
What is the "snowball" of the deduction?+
The refund the tax office gives you is real money. If instead of spending it you reinvest it (into the plan or a fund), that refund also compounds for years — an extra pot that most calculators ignore entirely.
Is a pension plan always worth it?+
Not always. The money is locked until retirement (or specific cases), and on withdrawal it's taxed as employment income, not savings income — so the tax benefit is partly a deferral, not a pure gift. It works best if your marginal rate is high now and expected to be lower at retirement.
Should I withdraw my pension as a lump sum or spread over years?+
Almost always spread it out. Withdrawing everything at once stacks the whole amount on top of your other income in a single tax year, pushing you into higher brackets. Spreading it over several years (as an annuity) keeps each year's extra income smaller, usually at a lower marginal rate — the Rescate tab shows you the actual euro difference for your numbers.
Is a pension plan really better than a plain index fund?+
It depends on your tax rate now vs. at retirement. The plan gets you a yearly refund but taxes the whole pot as employment income on exit; a plain fund gets no refund but only taxes the gain, at the lower savings-tax rate, when you actually sell. The Plan vs Fund tab compares both using the exact same real monthly outlay from your pocket.
Educational, illustrative simulation. The income-tax brackets are the aggregate general scale and vary by region; the deduction cannot exceed 30% of your net earnings. Withdrawing a pension plan is taxed as employment income (not savings income) and is only possible at retirement or in specific cases. The Withdrawal and Plan vs Fund tabs assume a lump-sum or constant, non-inflation-adjusted annuity withdrawal, and don't model the transitional 40% reduction for contributions made before 2007. Not tax advice: consult a professional.