How to set up a personal pension

Follow the steps below if you want to set up a personal pension with CIRCA5000.

Before you get started, you will need your:

  1. UK address
  2. National Insurance number
  3. Policy numbers for any pensions you wish to transfer (we can trace pensions without a policy number if you don't have it to hand).

1: Sign up and download the app

First, download the CIRCA5000 app and sign up.

2: Choose your investments

Confirm that you’d like to set up a personal pension (you’ll notice that we also offer investment accounts, including ISAs, GIAs and JISAs). Then, build your portfolio. We have three types to choose from:

  • Planet (e.g. sustainable food, water and energy)
  • People (e.g. medicine and education)
  • Planet and People (a combination of the two).

Finally, customise your risk level:

  • Adventurous
  • Cautious
  • Balanced

3: Enter your personal details

To complete your application, we’ll need some basic information from you, including the following:

  • Your name, date of birth, contact number and address.
  • Your National Insurance number.
  • Your nationality. Non-UK nationals will need to provide a National ID.

You’ll need to accept our Terms and Conditions (in app) to proceed with your application.

Please note: CIRCA5000 will never sell your details to third parties. We only use the information to perform some security checks to confirm your identity.

4: Transfer an existing pension to CIRCA5000

You’ll be given the option to transfer an existing pension — if you would like to make contributions without a previous transfer, ignore this step.

  • If you know your provider details, you can add them at this stage — your pension policy number will speed up the tracing process.
  • Or, just tell us the name of the company you worked for, and we’ll track down your old workplace pension.

5: Your account will be verified

To complete your application, we’ll need to verify your identity. We aim to complete these identity checks electronically using the information you have provided, so it’s important that your details are entered correctly.

We may need to contact you for further documentation. We will get in touch by email and via the in-app chat function to request these and update you on progress.

Get started today

When investing, your capital is at risk. You should carefully consider whether or not to open a CIRCA5000 pension. Tax rules and reliefs depend on your personal circumstances and may change. We do not provide financial or tax advice.

Important information - Investments can go down in value as well as up, so you can get back less than you invest. The information on this page isn't investment advice. If you're not sure if an investment is right for you, please seek advice. Tax rules can change and depend on individual circumstances.