Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2018 to Question 133807, on Universal Credit, by what means his Department determines how much of a claimant's income has been or will be invested in a personal or occupational pension.

For claimants accruing an entitlement to an occupational pension, the claimant’s pension contributions are included in Real Time Information data supplied by HMRC, and earnings are reported net of pension saving.

With a personal pension, the claimant can self-declare those contributions, which then reduces the level of earnings taken into account.