Increasing pension contributions to reduce tax on savings interest

Hi all I am looking to take early retirement midway through the tax year - I’m a basic rate taxpayer. When I do retire it is likely that my future income from work for that tax year would exceed the current £12,570 personal tax allowance. I was originally hoping to retire prior to hitting this earning level so that I could also take advantage of the full Starting Savings Rate. If I increase my pension contributions (which are taken at source from my salary and receive 20% tax relief) to keep my taxable income below my £12,570 personal tax allowance, can I still take advantage of the £5,000 Starting Savings Rate, or are my earnings for this calculated on my overall income before any pension contributions are deducted?

Hi,

Your other income must not exceed £17570 in order to benefit from the starter rate for interest.

Tax on savings interest

Thank you.