Just 27 per cent of people are not reliant on a partner’s pension, with women significantly more likely to rely on their partner's pension than men, research from Hargreaves Lansdown has revealed

The survey of 1,300 people, conducted by Opinium in May 2025, found that 19 per cent reported having a pension of a similar size to their partner's, while 14 per cent said their partner had the larger pension and would bear most retirement costs.

A further 11 per cent said they had a bigger pension than their partner but were still partially reliant on them, and five per cent admitted to having no pension provision at all.

The findings also highlighted a significant gender disparity amongst pension savers, as 31 per cent of men said they were not reliant on a partner’s pension, compared with just 22 per cent of women.

This aligns with broader industry concerns about the gender pension gap in retirement savings and financial independence.

Hargreaves Lansdown head of retirement analysis, Helen Morrissey, warned that it was “vital” that couples planned together for their retirement.

“Talking things through can mean you are both aligned with your goals and how to get there," she continued.

“However, it’s also important that one partner is not overly reliant on the other’s pension, because if the worst were to happen and you part ways, this could mean you are very close to retirement with little in the way of pension - unromantic but true.”

Indeed, Morrissey stressed that whilst automatic enrolment has helped improve coverage, both partners should aim to build sufficient individual provision.

Having access to your own pension, she argued, not only provides flexibility and independence during retirement but also offers vital protection if a couple separates.

Meanwhile, Morrissey highlighted the importance of governance issues such as expression-of-wish (EOW) forms, pointing out that cohabiting partners remain particularly vulnerable in the event of death, as they do not have the same protections as spouses or civil partners.

"Failure to keep beneficiary details updated," she added, "can lead to disputes, distress and even payments being made to former partners rather than current ones."

Previous research from Hargreaves Lansdown found that two-fifths (40 per cent) of people over 60 haven’t nominated who they want to inherit their pension when they’re gone, despite a 26 per cent increase in the number of people updating their EOW between 2022 and 2024.

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