Confused about tax.. pensions.. etc

Hi all, I'm seeking advice on the tax implications of increasing my pension contributions. My current situation is as follows: My salary falls within the 40% tax bracket but is less than £100,000. Until recently, I was making minimum pension contributions with employer matching. I've now increased my personal pension contributions. My questions and concerns: Tax Code Changes: I expected my tax code to change, potentially increasing my personal allowance due to higher pension contributions. Instead, my tax code changed to reduce my allowance,due to medical insurance benefits. Is this correct, or should I expect further adjustments to bring it down? Impact on Childcare Benefits: I'm worried about losing eligibility for the 15 hours free childcare if my salary exceeds the 100k threshold. How do pension contributions affect the income calculation for this benefit? Tax Relief on Increased Pension Contributions: I've read about claiming additional tax relief on increased pension contributions. How does this process work for higher-rate taxpayers? Any insights or guidance on these matters would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your help!

Hi,

The tax relief threshold is currently £60000 for incomes between £60000 and £240000. This means that the gross that you and your employer can pay into your pension pot is £48000 and the pension provider claim the basic rate tax from HMRC to bring it up to £60000.  

If you have not used up to your threshold over any of the last 3 years, you can carry forward the surplus and apply it to your pension payments, to pay in excess of threshold and not have to pay tax. You can see the guidance here:

Check if you have unused annual allowances on your pension savings

Thank you