Firefighters’ Pension Scheme Guide

Firefighters’ pensions are among the most complex in the public sector, with three distinct schemes over 30 years and particularly strong benefits in the original FPS 1992. The current FPS 2015 uses a CARE design with a 1/59.7th accrual rate and a Normal Pension Age of 60.

Updated July 2026 · 2026/27 figures

Firefighters across England have belonged to one of three pension schemes depending on their start date and service continuity. Reforms in 2006 and 2015 changed both the Normal Pension Age and the accrual method significantly — and the McCloud remedy subsequently gave eligible members the right to choose the better outcome for the remedy period.

Try the free firefighters’ pension calculator →
Start from your benefit statement and see your 2015 scheme pension at 60, with the lump sum option.

The three schemes at a glance

FPS 2015: the current scheme

The Firefighters’ Pension Scheme 2015 (FPS 2015) is a Career Average Revalued Earnings scheme. Each year of service earns you a pension of 1/59.7th of your pensionable pay in England (Wales and Scotland use slightly different rates). While you serve, each year’s slice is revalued in line with earnings; once you leave, by CPI.

Accrual example

A Watch Manager on £44,000: £44,000 ÷ 59.7 = £737.02 of annual pension earned that year. Over a 30-year career averaging £42,000, that builds to roughly £21,100/year before revaluation.

Member contributions (FPS 2015, 2026/27)

Employer contribution: approximately 26–28% of pensionable pay, funded by the relevant fire authority.

Normal Pension Age

FPS 2015’s Normal Pension Age is 60, up from 55 under FPS 1992. You can take the pension from 55 with an actuarial reduction for each year it is early, and after 60 it is increased. A deferred pension, for a firefighter who leaves the service before retiring, is paid from State Pension Age (currently 66, rising to 67 between 2026 and 2028). Ill-health retirement is available at any age. The move from 55 to 60, and from a two-thirds final salary pension to career average, is the main reason the McCloud remedy matters so much to firefighters.

FPS 1992: the original scheme

FPS 1992 is a final salary scheme that provided exceptionally generous benefits for a 30-year firefighting career. It is closed to new members but legacy benefits are preserved.

Key features of FPS 1992

• Pension formula: 1/60th of final pensionable pay for each of the first 20 years, then 2/60ths for each year after. After 30 years the pension reaches the maximum of two-thirds of final pensionable pay
• Normal Pension Age: 55, or 50 with 25 years’ service — firefighters in FPS 1992 retire with an unreduced pension; a deferred pension is paid from 60
• Compulsory retirement: Firefighters were required to retire at 55 under the old scheme rules
• Lump sum: Up to a quarter of the pension can be swapped for a lump sum at age-related commutation factors, which are generous at the usual retirement ages and quoted by your fire authority
• Ill-health pension: Enhanced provision for firefighters injured in the line of duty, including two tiers of ill-health benefit

Example: FPS 1992

A Station Manager retiring at 55 after 30 years with a final pensionable pay of £50,000 would receive: (2/3) × £50,000 = £33,333/year, payable from age 55 for the rest of their life. That is 12+ years of pension before State Pension Age.

NFPS 2006: the transitional scheme

The New Firefighters’ Pension Scheme 2006 kept the final salary design, at a lower rate, and raised the NPA from 55 to 60. It also opened pensions to retained (on-call) firefighters. Key features:

• Accrual: 1/60th of final pensionable pay per year, up to 40 years
• Normal Pension Age: 60; a deferred pension is paid from 65
• Lump sum: Optional: up to a quarter of the pension can be swapped at £12 for every £1 a year of pension given up
• Survivor’s pension: Usually half of the member’s pension
• Ill-health: Two tiers as with FPS 1992

The McCloud remedy

The McCloud remedy matters a great deal for firefighters, because the 1992 scheme pays from 55 (or 50 after 25 years’ service) against 60 for FPS 2015. The remedy period runs from 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2022.

Eligible firefighters — those in FPS 1992 or NFPS 2006 on 31 March 2015 who were moved to FPS 2015 — have the right to choose, at retirement, whether their service during the remedy period is treated under their legacy scheme or FPS 2015. With the 1992 scheme paying five years or more sooner, many FPS 1992 members will prefer legacy scheme treatment for the remedy period.

Weighing the two in Isaac. Which is better isn’t always obvious: one option may start sooner, the other pay more each year once it starts. In the Isaac app, open the pension and use “Comparing two options from your statement?”. Enter the other option from your statement (in two parts if it comes that way, each with its own lump sum) and Isaac shows the age the larger pension catches up, what each pays out by 80, 85 and 90, and your chance of reaching the catch-up age. It can then put the other option in your plan, or save a copy of your plan with it to compare the two side by side.

Ill-health retirement provisions

All three firefighter schemes have two-tier ill-health retirement:

• Tier 1: Permanently disabled from firefighting duties but capable of other work. Pension = accrued benefits with an enhancement
• Tier 2: Permanently disabled from all regular employment. Pension = enhanced benefits, often significantly above accrued entitlement, reflecting the physically demanding nature of the role

Injury awards are also available for injuries sustained on duty — these are separate from the pension and paid by the employer.

Death benefits

• Death in service: Lump sum of 3× pensionable pay (FPS 2015)
• Survivor pension: usually half of the member’s pension for a spouse, civil partner or nominated partner
• Ill-health death: If death results from a duty injury, enhanced death benefits apply
• Children’s pensions: Available for eligible dependent children

Practical planning tips

• Understand your NPA staircase: If you have FPS 1992 (NPA 55), NFPS 2006 (NPA 60) and FPS 2015 (NPA 60, with a deferred pension from State Pension Age) benefits, each part starts on its own date — model income from all three carefully
• Check your McCloud entitlement: The remedy period benefit could be very significant for FPS 1992 members — ask your fire authority pensions team for an illustration
• Plan the gap for FPS 2015: Retiring at 55 under FPS 2015 means a reduced pension, or five years to bridge for an unreduced one at 60, and longer still to the State Pension — savings or a second career fill it
• Review injury award eligibility: If you have a duty injury, you may be entitled to an injury award on top of your pension — these are assessed separately by the fire authority

Official resources

• Firefighters’ Pension Scheme — GOV.UK
• Fire Brigades Union — Pensions
• McCloud remedy guidance — GOV.UK
• LGPS library (regulatory and scheme documents)