The Aviva Time to Act app is a free download available to everyone and can be used on Apple's iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. It is a simpler version of the Aviva Pensions Tracker*, which offers Aviva customers an even more comprehensive suite of pensions planning tools.

Users of Aviva Time to Act input brief details and contribution levels to work out how much extra money they receive from the taxman and employer. They can also see how much their pension fund might grow and the value of their income when they retire.

Features include:

* An "extra money" calculator that shows in a simple interactive design why tax relief is such an important benefit for pensions. It highlights the importance of employer contributions and how all this "extra money" adds up over a month, year or lifetime.
* A "Beam of Light" gives a new way of illustrating how much income you might have in retirement using projections based on 1,000 calculations. It helps people understand how different investment styles affect retirement income.
* A save and retrieve function enables users to try as many scenarios as they want to and compare what's best for them.

Iain Oliver, head of pensions and investments at Aviva, said: "Aviva Time to Act is designed for people who want to take charge of their retirement and help them plan for it. It's different from other pension calculators because it gives a range of possible outcomes, and highlights how tax relief and employer contributions can massively boost the size of your pension fund.

"Too many people are not saving for retirement and technology makes it simpler for people to understand how much they need to save to enjoy the retirement lifestyle they want. We know this app works well because our customers have helped us develop it, and it's a good example of how technology can bring financial planning to life for consumers.

"New technology can play an important role in retirement planning and Time to Act complements the work Aviva has done for existing customers with Pensions Tracker*. It will also appeal to financial advisers planning retirement presentations for clients."

*The Aviva Pension Tracker is a secure online tool that makes pensions planning simple for advisers and consumers. It includes Lisa, a ground-breaking virtual online guide, who shows visitors around the site and helps them understand the importance of pension planning.