Monzo, Inclusive Money Target Self-Employed Pension Gap

Britain’s self-employed workers generally fall outside workplace pension auto-enrolment and often manage volatile incomes, leaving retirement saving far behind that of employees. Just 17% of the UK’s 4.4 million self-employed people contribute to a pension, versus almost 90% of eligible employees. Monzo and the Centre for Inclusive Money at Nest are combining the digital bank’s reach among sole traders with seven years of research, testing whether simpler, more automatic tools can close a gap the UK Pensions Commission has called urgent.

The organisations announced the project on July 22, 2026, with a customer initiative planned within Monzo Business and findings to be shared with the Pensions Commission for its 2027 retirement-outcomes review. Monzo cited evidence that automation can change behaviour: customers put aside more than £350 million through its Savings Challenge in 2025, while business users reserved £450 million for future tax bills through automated Tax Pots. The partnership will test whether similar default-style design can help sole traders build retirement savings while preserving flexibility.