Firefighter pension contribution rates 2026/27: what each role pays
Your April 2026 payslip showed a different pension deduction, or you are joining the fire service and want to know what comes off. In the Firefighters’ Pension Scheme 2015 you now pay between 11.09% and 17.09% of your pensionable pay, set on what you actually earn. A competent firefighter on £40,358 pays 12.59%, which is £423 a month before tax relief, or about £339 a month off take-home once the tax saving is counted.
The 2026/27 rates
| Your actual pensionable pay | Contribution rate |
|---|---|
| £36,130 or less | 11.09% |
| £36,131 to £45,407 | 12.59% |
| £45,408 to £66,908 | 14.09% |
| £66,909 to £190,691 | 15.59% |
| £190,692 or more | 17.09% |
The rate is a single percentage on all your pensionable pay, not a slice-by-slice rate like Income Tax. Your service works out your band each April from your pensionable pay, and moves you if your pay changes for good during the year. From April 2027 the thresholds rise each year with CPI.
What changed in April 2026
Until 31 March 2026 the 2015 scheme had four rates, 11%, 12.9%, 13.5% and 14.5%, with lines at £27,818, £51,515 and £142,500, and your rate was set on the whole-time equivalent pay for your role. Two things changed:
- Five bands with new lines and rates, which lowered the rate slightly for some firefighters and raised it for watch managers and above.
- Actual pay instead of whole-time pay, which matters most for on-call and part-time firefighters.
What each role pays now
| Role | Pay from July 2026 | Rate to March 2026 | Rate from April 2026 | A month before tax relief | Real cost a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firefighter, development | £31,539 | 12.9% | 11.09% | £291 | £233 |
| Firefighter, competent | £40,358 | 12.9% | 12.59% | £423 | £339 |
| Crew Manager, competent | £44,742 | 12.9% | 12.59% | £469 | £376 |
| Watch Manager, development | £45,711 | 12.9% | 14.09% | £537 | £429 |
| Watch Manager, competent B | £50,034 | 12.9% | 14.09% | £587 | £470 |
| Station Manager, competent B | £57,402 | 13.5% | 14.09% | £674 | £420 |
| Group Manager, competent B | £66,445 | 13.5% | 14.09% | £780 | £468 |
Wholetime, national rates. The old rate is the 2015 structure applied to the same pay. “Real cost” is how much less you take home because of the contribution, after the Income Tax it saves. CPD payments are pensionable and add to your pensionable pay; overtime is not.
A development firefighter now pays 11.09% instead of 12.9%, and a competent firefighter 12.59% instead of 12.9%: small cuts. The rise comes higher up. A watch manager at competent B moves from 12.9% to 14.09%, and a group manager from 13.5% to 14.09%.
On-call and part-time firefighters
This is where the change matters most. Under the old rules an on-call firefighter’s rate was set on the whole-time rate for their role, so a competent on-call firefighter paid 12.9% however little they earned. From April 2026 it is set on what they actually earn. An on-call firefighter with £9,000 of pensionable pay in a year now pays 11.09%, saving about £163 a year. See on-call firefighter pay for the retainer and hourly rates.
Is it worth paying?
Firefighters pay some of the highest pension contributions in the public sector. In return the 2015 scheme builds 1/59.7 of your pensionable pay as pension each year, revalued while you serve, with a normal pension age of 60, plus ill-health and death-in-service cover. Your fire authority pays in far more than you do on top. Opting out saves the contribution but loses all of that. The firefighter pension calculator shows what your years add up to.
Scotland and Northern Ireland
The rates above are for the England scheme. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their own versions of the 2015 scheme. In Northern Ireland, a similar five-band structure based on actual pay started on 1 May 2026. Check your scheme administrator’s fact card for your rates. For pay, see firefighter salary and the 2026 firefighter pay rise.
Sources
Common questions
What are the firefighter pension contribution rates for 2026/27?
In the Firefighters’ Pension Scheme 2015 in England: 11.09% up to £36,130 of actual pensionable pay, 12.59% to £45,407, 14.09% to £66,908, 15.59% to £190,691 and 17.09% above, from 1 April 2026.
Why did my firefighter pension contribution change in April 2026?
The tiers were redrawn from 1 April 2026, with five bands instead of four, and your rate is now set on your actual pensionable pay instead of the whole-time equivalent. Some firefighters pay a little less, managers pay more, and most on-call firefighters pay less.
What pension rate does an on-call firefighter pay?
From April 2026 the rate is set on what you actually earn, so most on-call firefighters, whose pensionable pay is well under £36,130, pay 11.09%. Before that it was set on the whole-time rate for the role.
Do firefighters get tax relief on pension contributions?
Yes. Contributions come out before Income Tax, so you get relief at your top rate automatically. They do not reduce National Insurance.
Will the firefighter pension thresholds change?
Yes. From April 2027 the pay thresholds will rise each year in line with CPI.