Yes, you may be able to use unused annual allowance from the previous 3 tax years.
This is called carry forward.
You can only use carry forward if all 3 of these apply to you:
- you have used all of your annual allowance for the current tax year
- you have unused annual allowance from one or more of the previous 3 tax years
- you were a member of a registered pension scheme in those years
Your current tax year’s annual allowance is used first.
If you use carry forward, unused allowance from the previous 3 tax years is then used, starting with the oldest year first.
Carry forward can be complicated. You should get financial advice if you are not sure how it applies to you.
You cannot use carry forward if the Money Purchase Annual Allowance applies to you - see What is the Money Purchase Annual Allowance?.
Carry forward does not increase the amount of tax relief you can get.
You can still only get tax relief up to the amount you earn in the UK in the current tax year.
For example, if you earn £50,000, you can usually only get tax relief on up to £50,000 added to your pensions, even if you have more unused annual allowance available - see Is there a limit on the amount of tax relief that I can receive?.