The Equity Pension
A pension built for irregular performer income — plus the one quirk you must get right on your tax return.
Why a pension, and why this one
A pension is simply a pot for retirement that grows through investment. For self-employed performers, irregular income makes saving tricky — which is why the Equity Pension Scheme (run by The People’s Pension, regulated by The Pensions Regulator) is the most popular option in the industry, open to Equity members.
- Built for freelancers — contribute as and when you can.
- Employer top-ups — employers on Equity contracts usually add around 5% of your earnings.
- Tax relief — no tax on money going in; it’s taxed when you take it out.
- Flexible & portable — lump sums or regular payments, and the pot follows you across your career.
How to join
Be an Equity member.
Open an account via The People’s Pension or the Equity website.
Tell your employers you’re in the scheme.
Contribute — by Direct Debit, transfer, or deductions from your job payments.
How it works on your tax return
If you’re self-employed with an Equity pension, the employer’s contribution is processed before your net pay and is treated as your own contribution. That means the employer amount is part of your gross income to declare. The pension fund then adds basic-rate tax relief — grossing up your net contribution by 25%.
Worked example — a £1,000 fee, you pay 10% (£100), your employer pays 5% (£50):
- Total net contribution = £150 → grossed up = £187.50.
- Gross income to declare = fee + employer contribution = £1,050.
On the SA103 (self-employment): turnover is £1,050. Do not also claim the pension as a business expense.
On the SA100 (main return): say yes to registered pension contributions and enter £187.50 under “payments to registered pension schemes where basic-rate relief is claimed by your provider” (relief at source). No difference for basic-rate payers; higher-rate payers get extra relief. Only include self-employed relief-at-source contributions here — not PAYE ones.
The SansDrama App has dedicated boxes for your and your employer’s contributions, works out the subtotals, and shows the grossing-up on your tax-return summary — so you don’t have to hold all this in your head.
Records to hold on to
Keep everything: your contribution records, confirmations from The People’s Pension, and any employer contributions made under Equity contracts. It’s never too early or too late to start — small, irregular contributions still grow through investment returns and tax relief.
Your tax, sorted.
The tax app built just for performers, creatives and side-hustlers — track your income, expenses and live tax bill in one tidy place, ready for your return.
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