What this chart shows
The income bridge chart shows the composition of annual income throughout the projection period. Each coloured layer represents a different income source:
- Employment income — salary or self-employment income from Employment assets
- DB pension income — guaranteed income from defined benefit pensions
- State Pension — the annual State Pension amount, escalated over time
- SIPP withdrawals — income drawn from DC pension assets
- ISA withdrawals — income drawn from ISA assets
- GIA withdrawals — income drawn from GIA assets
- Rental income — net rental income from buy-to-let properties
- Miscellaneous income — other income events on the timeline
The total height of the stack at any point is total income in that year from all sources combined.
How to read it
The pre-retirement period
During working years, the dominant layer is typically employment income. Other sources (rental income, miscellaneous income) may appear as smaller layers alongside it.
The retirement transition
When the employment income event ends (the RETIREMENT life event fires), the employment income layer disappears. This is the income gap — the period between employment ending and guaranteed income sources (State Pension, DB pension) starting. During this gap, asset withdrawals (SIPP, ISA, GIA) fill the difference between spending and available income.
The chart makes this transition visible: employment income drops away, and the sources replacing it become clear.
The State Pension layer
At State Pension age, the State Pension layer appears in the stack. This is often clearly visible as a new coloured band that begins at a specific year and continues to the end of the projection. As the State Pension escalates each year (under the triple lock or the configured escalation rate), the layer grows slightly in width over time.
The arrival of State Pension typically reduces the amount needed from asset withdrawals each year — the SIPP or ISA withdrawal layers may shrink at that point.
The post-State-Pension phase
In the later years of the projection, the income mix typically consists of State Pension (growing slowly with escalation), DB pension income if applicable, and asset withdrawals declining as assets deplete.
When assets are exhausted, only guaranteed income sources remain. If these do not cover spending, a funding gap appears — visible on the cashflow table as a negative balance or shortfall row.
What it does not tell you
The income bridge chart shows income, not spending. It does not indicate whether income in any given year covers expenditure. To see both side by side, use the cashflow table.
The chart shows the gross composition of income. Tax is not deducted from the layers shown — the net income after tax is visible in the cashflow table's Tax column.
Asset withdrawals shown in the chart represent amounts drawn to cover spending gaps. The chart does not show the account-level effect of those withdrawals. To see how individual account balances change over time, use the Withdrawal Sequence chart.