Can firefighters have a second job? Rules, tax and rest limits

Are firefighters allowed a second job?

There is no national ban, but services set policy. Published secondary employment policies from fire and rescue services say employees must obtain authorisation for secondary or other employment, whether or not it attracts payment, in writing before undertaking it, and some services require every wholetime operational and corporate employee to complete a declaration whether or not they do any. Unpaid work such as volunteering is included in some policies, so declare it if the policy asks.

Approval is normally refused only for a reason connected with your primary role: a conflict of interest, a risk to safety through fatigue, a clash with duty or availability, misuse of uniform, information or equipment, or reputational harm. Check your own service’s policy, apply in good time and keep the decision on file. If your circumstances change, such as a new employer or more hours, update the declaration.

Working time and rest: the legal limits

The Working Time Regulations limit most workers to an average of 48 hours a week, normally calculated over 17 weeks, unless they agree in writing to opt out. GOV.UK sets out the limit and the opt-out. Working time counts across all your jobs, so a firefighter working 42 hours a week on the national reference pattern who takes a 10-hour second job is at 52 hours and needs to think about the average and any opt-out.

Workers also have a right to 11 hours’ rest in each 24-hour period, a day off each week and a break in a longer working day, and fire services’ policies say the rest requirement includes time in secondary employment and voluntary work. One service policy also cites a limit on hours in any seven-day period for shift workers; check your own service’s working-time policy for its rules. Do not sign an opt-out casually, because it takes away a protection for your health, though you can cancel it with notice.

Tax on a second job: tax codes explained

GOV.UK explains that you get a tax code for each employment, and that the code tells your employer how much Income Tax to deduct. In the usual set-up your main job uses your tax-free personal allowance (£12,570 in 2026/27, code 1257L) and the second job is given a BR code, which GOV.UK describes as all your income from that job being taxed at the basic rate, commonly used if you have more than one job. A 0T code can also appear when the personal allowance has been used up or the employer lacks details.

So a second job is not automatically taxed at a special rate, but if your total income falls within the basic-rate band the effect is that the second job is taxed at 20%. If your combined income rises into the higher-rate band, the position changes and a refund or a further payment may be needed through your tax code or Self Assessment. Check your personal tax account if deductions look wrong, and see our guide on firefighter tax codes.

Worked examples: what a second job is worth

Take a competent firefighter on £40,358 in England with the 12.59% pension contribution, a £12,570 personal allowance and a main-job take-home of about £28,513. A second job paying £6,000 a year taxed on a BR code loses £1,200 to income tax. National Insurance is normally worked out separately on each job, and £6,000 is below the £12,570 threshold, so there is none on the second job, leaving about £4,800.

A £12,000 second income loses £2,400 to tax and, being below the threshold, no National Insurance, leaving about £9,600. Combined income after pension of about £47,277 (£40,358 less £5,081 plus £12,000, before the personal allowance) stays in the basic-rate band in both cases. These are illustrations, not tax advice: your circumstances, allowances and other income can change the result. Use the take-home pay calculator for the main job and compare with our overtime after tax guide.

On-call firefighting as a second job

Many on-call firefighters have a main job elsewhere. The NFCC says on-call firefighters provide cover at home or work, in full days or part of the day or night to fit around their primary commitments, attend the station weekly for training and are paid for the hours they cover and the activity they do. From 1 July 2026 a competent on-call firefighter’s full-cover retainer is £6,054, with £18.43 an hour for activity and £5.31 per call-out (NJC/2/26).

On-call pay is taxable employment income, normally using a BR code if the main job uses your allowance, so a £6,054 retainer would lose about £1,211 in income tax. Working-time and rest rules still apply across both jobs, and the service will want to know your primary employment and how release for incidents works. See our on-call pay guide, the on-call pay calculator and the guide to on-call availability.

Self-employment, side businesses and gig work

A side business counts as secondary employment for most policies, even though it is not a second employer. Self-employed income is not taxed through PAYE, so you may need to register for Self Assessment if your trading income is above the trading allowance, which is £1,000 at the time of writing; check GOV.UK for the current rule. Keep records of income and expenses, and note that National Insurance for the self-employed follows different rules.

Some activities carry extra risk for a firefighter, such as private security, heavy manual work, night-time driving or roles involving alcohol licensing. Services may impose conditions or refuse approval where fatigue or conflict is likely. Be transparent with your manager, describe the activity accurately and re-declare if it changes. Our overtime-to-deposit tool shows how extra income can add up towards a goal, but it should not override rest and safety.

Sickness, injury and conduct risks

Working elsewhere while off sick from the fire service is a serious conduct risk if the policy requires approval or if your medical condition is inconsistent with the activity. Check your sick pay and attendance policy before you do any paid or unpaid work during absence, and ask for written permission where required. Our guide on firefighter sick pay explains the entitlement side.

Insurance and liability also deserve attention. If you are injured in a second job, your firefighter role can be affected, and service equipment or uniform must not be used for private work. Keep a clear line between the two roles, and if you use any qualification gained through the fire service, ask whether permission is needed.

How to apply for approval: a step-by-step plan

Approach the request as a safety and conflict-of-interest question rather than a formality. A clear, specific application is easier to approve and protects you if something goes wrong later.

1. Find the service’s secondary employment policy and any form.
2. Describe the employer or business, the type of work and the hours in a normal week.
3. Map the second job against your duty pattern, including on-call and overtime.
4. Check your average weekly hours against the 48-hour limit and consider whether an opt-out is needed.
5. Confirm 11 hours’ rest is available between duty periods.
6. Submit the request in writing and keep the decision.
7. Check your tax codes on both payslips once the second job starts.
8. Review the arrangement regularly and update the declaration if it changes.

Second jobs for different duty systems

The best second job depends on your duty system. Wholetime shift patterns often give blocks of rest days that can suit part-time or freelance work, but night duties and long shifts affect recovery. Day-duty and flexible-duty roles may have less predictable availability because of duty-officer cover, so extra work has to fit around rota commitments. On-call firefighters usually have a primary employer already, which means the fire service work is the second job.

Whatever the system, plan for the worst weeks, not the average: the busiest rota block, an unexpected incident on your rest day or a period of heavy overtime. Our shift patterns guide explains common systems, and the annual leave guide helps you plan time off around a second job.

A pre-approval checklist you can paste into your request

A short, factual request is easier to approve. Include the employer or business name and type of work, your role, the days and hours you expect to work in a normal week and peak week, where the work takes place, whether it involves driving or heavy manual work, and how you will avoid conflicts with your fire service duties. Add the date you plan to start and a promise to update if anything changes.

Attach evidence of your average weekly hours across both jobs and confirm how you will meet the 11-hour rest requirement. If the second job is on-call firefighting with another service, say so and include the cover pattern. Keep a copy of the request and the approval, and diarise a review after six months.

Key takeaways

Ask before you start, put the request in writing and keep the decision. Count hours across all jobs against the 48-hour average and the 11-hour rest rule. Expect a second job to carry a BR code and to be taxed at 20% while your main job uses the personal allowance, and check both payslips. Above all, be honest about fatigue: a second income is not worth a safety risk to you or your crew.