OwnIt.
Save or invest?
See what the same money could become.
Current account
Earns nothing, and loses value to inflation over time.
€0
Savings account
€0
Invested in an index fund
€0
What you put inGrowth
Cash is for short-term needs. Investing can help with longer-term goals. They do different jobs, and both can have a place in your plan. Investments can fall as well as rise.
What if it went into a pension?
In a pension, after tax
€0
Invested outside a pension, after tax
€0
This example takes a cautious view of retirement tax, which overstates the tax most people pay in retirement. Lower tax rates and tax credits available in retirement could reduce your tax bill—leaving you with more than shown here.
Tax relief is limited to 15% to 40% of your earnings, depending on your age. See the limits on revenue.ie.
What do fees or lower returns cost?
Fees and lower returns affect everything you invest. Here we've used your pension, after tax, as the example.
Use 0% or above.
At 7% growth
€0
At 6% growth
€0
ActionCheck your pension’s return and fees.
Where your pension is invested can make a big difference to your future—and you can choose how it’s invested.
Change the assumptions
Use 0% or above.
Top Irish rates are around 3% today. Many drop after the first year.
Use 0% or above.
A long-term assumption after fees, not a promise. Markets fall as well as rise.
Use 0% or above.
Your pension's long-term yearly growth, after fees. Check your own in your provider's app or annual statement.
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View the next session For employers: Bring OwnIt to your workplace →How this was calculated
- Savings interest is shown after DIRT at 33%, taken each year.
- Invested money is shown after exit tax at 38% on the growth, as if you cashed out at the end. Deemed disposal is included: every 8 years, tax is paid on the growth so far, even if nothing is sold.
- Investment growth is steady in this example. Real markets go up and down, and actual returns will vary.
- The pension with tax relief adds relief at your chosen rate, plus your employer's match if ticked, and grows at the pension growth rate, with no tax along the way. One option at retirement is to take 25% of your pension as a lump sum. The first €200,000 of that lump sum is tax-free, the next €300,000 is taxed at 20%, and any part of the lump sum above €500,000 is taxed at 40%. This assumes no previous retirement lump sums. The other 75% of your pension is taxed at your chosen rate (20% or 40%).
- The yearly difference is taken off the growth, whether it comes from fees or lower returns. Your pension settings above are used for this example.
- Based on 2026 Irish tax rates, which can change.
Educational coaching, not regulated financial advice. This tool is for education only. It shows how saving and investing work if you choose to invest. It does not tell anyone to invest, and it does not recommend any share, fund, index, platform or product. Everyone's situation is different, so for advice on your own position, speak to a regulated financial adviser or tax adviser.