The four pieces of on-call pay
On-call (retained duty system) pay has four parts under the Grey Book and NJC/2/26. First is the annual retainer, paid for providing availability. Second is payment for work activity, at the basic hourly rate, which covers scheduled training and maintenance duties at the station as well as incident attendance. Third is the disturbance payment of £5.31 for each call-out where you report promptly to the station. Fourth are enhancements: overtime rates apply only where you work more than 42 hours in a seven-day period, and public holiday work is paid at double the disturbance and activity payments.
The retainer is set as a percentage of the wholetime basic pay for your role and stage. A full retainer for cover of at least 120 hours a week is 15%. Where you provide less than 120 hours the Grey Book says bands may be applied: up to 30 hours a week is 5%, 31 to 60 hours 7.5%, 61 to 90 hours 10% and 91 to 119 hours 12.5%. A day-crewing employee who undertakes retained duties receives a 5% retainer, and existing local agreements outside the Grey Book are unaffected.
The retainer may be reduced proportionately if you fail to attend for training, development and maintenance duties, which the Grey Book expects to average two hours a week (or three at the service's discretion). Availability is agreed between you and your service, so the band you can be paid on depends on the hours you can commit to.
| Band | Development FF (£31,539) | Competent FF (£40,358) | Competent Crew Manager (£44,742) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5% (up to 30 hours) | £1,577 | £2,018 | £2,237 |
| 7.5% (31 to 60) | £2,365 | £3,027 | £3,356 |
| 10% (61 to 90) | £3,154 | £4,036 | £4,474 |
| 12.5% (91 to 119) | £3,942 | £5,045 | £5,593 |
| 15% (full cover, 120+) | £4,731 | £6,054 | £6,711 |
The 15% and 5% figures match NJC/2/26 Appendix B. The 7.5%, 10% and 12.5% values are the Grey Book percentages applied to the annual basic pay.
How call-out pay is calculated
A crew member called to an emergency incident receives a minimum of one hour's pay. If they remain on duty for more than one hour and fifteen minutes, they receive two hours' pay, and after two hours they are paid for complete periods of fifteen minutes. Someone called out who does not form part of the crew receives a minimum of half an hour, with the same two-hour rule after one hour fifteen. All of this is at the basic hourly rate, with the £5.31 disturbance payment added per call-out.
So, for a competent firefighter at £18.43 an hour, a 40-minute call pays £18.43 + £5.31 = £23.74. A call of one hour twenty pays two hours, £36.86 + £5.31 = £42.17. A three-hour incident pays £55.29 + £5.31 = £60.60. A firefighter who attends a 2 hour 20 minute incident is paid for two hours plus complete 15-minute periods, so 2 hours 15 minutes (£41.47) plus £5.31, £46.78.
The examples below use whole hours for simplicity. Real payslips will reflect exact durations. Drill night and other pre-arranged duties are paid at the same hourly rate. Our examples assume two hours a week for 52 weeks, 104 hours a year, which is the Grey Book's stated average; your service may use three hours, or pay for different periods.
| Time on incident | Hours paid | Activity pay | Disturbance | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 minutes | 1 | £18.43 | £5.31 | £23.74 |
| 1 hour 20 minutes | 2 | £36.86 | £5.31 | £42.17 |
| 2 hours 20 minutes | 2.25 | £41.47 | £5.31 | £46.78 |
| 3 hours | 3 | £55.29 | £5.31 | £60.60 |
| 5 hours | 5 | £92.15 | £5.31 | £97.46 |
Based on the Grey Book Part B paragraphs 11 to 13. 2.25 hours × £18.43 = £41.4675, shown as £41.47.
Example 1: full-cover competent firefighter at a busy station
Take a competent on-call firefighter providing full cover of 120 hours a week, attending 80 incidents a year averaging between one hour fifteen and two hours (so paid two hours each), and attending 104 hours of drill and maintenance. The retainer is £6,054. Incident activity is 80 × 2 hours × £18.43 = £2,948.80. Drill night is 104 × £18.43 = £1,916.72. Disturbance is 80 × £5.31 = £424.80.
The total is £11,344.32 gross a year. Of that, the retainer is 53% and activity, drill and disturbance the remaining 47%. The retainer provides a stable base, while the rest varies with call volume and hours. If call volume doubled to 160 incidents, the incident and disturbance elements would double to £5,897.60 and £849.60, taking the total to £14,717.92.
This kind of example is the reason the on-call pay guide says total earnings depend on demand. See on-call firefighter pay for the structure and the on-call pay calculator to enter your own call numbers.
Examples 2 to 4: lower availability and development pay
Example 2: 10% band, competent. Sixty-one to ninety hours of weekly cover earns a 10% retainer of £4,036. With 40 one-hour incidents (40 × £18.43 = £737.20), 104 drill hours (£1,916.72) and 40 disturbance payments (£212.40) the total is £6,902.32. This suits someone with a main job who provides evening and weekend cover.
Example 3: development firefighter, full cover. A development firefighter on full cover has a £4,731 retainer. With 60 one-hour incidents at £14.40 (£864), 104 drill hours (£1,497.60) and 60 disturbance payments (£318.60), the total is £7,411.20. Moving to competent would raise the same pattern to £6,054 + £1,105.80 + £1,916.72 + £318.60 = £9,395.12, an increase of £1,983.92.
Example 4: 5% band, competent. Up to 30 hours of weekly cover earns £2,018. With 25 one-hour incidents (£460.75), 104 drill hours (£1,916.72) and 25 disturbance payments (£132.75) the total is £4,528.22. Lower bands mean lower fixed pay, so total earnings are driven by drill and call activity.
| Example | Retainer | Incident pay | Drill (104 h) | Disturbance | Annual total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Competent, full cover, 80 calls x 2 h paid | £6,054.00 | £2,948.80 | £1,916.72 | £424.80 | £11,344.32 |
| 2. Competent, 10% band, 40 calls x 1 h | £4,036.00 | £737.20 | £1,916.72 | £212.40 | £6,902.32 |
| 3. Development, full cover, 60 calls x 1 h | £4,731.00 | £864.00 | £1,497.60 | £318.60 | £7,411.20 |
| 4. Competent, 5% band, 25 calls x 1 h | £2,018.00 | £460.75 | £1,916.72 | £132.75 | £4,528.22 |
| 5. Competent, 12.5% band, 100 calls x 2 h paid | £5,045.00 | £3,686.00 | £1,916.72 | £531.00 | £11,178.72 |
| 6. Competent, full cover, 200 calls x 2 h paid | £6,054.00 | £7,372.00 | £1,916.72 | £1,062.00 | £16,404.72 |
Retainers rounded to the nearest pound. Assumes 104 hours a year of drill and maintenance at the basic hourly rate. Examples are illustrations, not typical figures.
Examples 5 and 6: high availability and very busy stations
Example 5: 12.5% band, competent, 100 incidents. Ninety-one to 119 hours of weekly cover earns £5,045. A hundred incidents each paid two hours is 200 hours at £18.43, £3,686. Add drill (£1,916.72) and disturbance (£531) for a total of £11,178.72. Here, activity pay overtakes the retainer.
Example 6: full cover, competent, 200 incidents. A retainer of £6,054, incident pay of 200 × 2 × £18.43 = £7,372, drill £1,916.72 and disturbance 200 × £5.31 = £1,062 makes £16,404.72. Very few stations see this volume for every crew member, and a firefighter attending that many calls would need to be available during the day and night. This is the top of the range of our examples, not a benchmark.
The two examples show why comparing on-call pay between stations is difficult. The retainer rewards availability and is broadly predictable; incident pay depends on your station's call profile, the times you are available and the number of crew members turning out. Ask your service for the average number of calls per crew member at your station.
Tax, pension and other deductions on on-call earnings
On-call earnings are taxable. If on-call is a second job, HMRC may apply a different tax code to it from your main employment, because your personal allowance is normally used against your main job; this can mean more tax is taken at source than you expect. Check your tax code on the payslip, and see firefighter tax code explained. National Insurance is assessed per employment, so on-call pay from a separate employer carries its own National Insurance calculation.
Pension is separate. Whether and how on-call pay counts towards a firefighters' pension depends on the scheme you join and how your contract is set up, so read the scheme documents before assuming a benefit. The planned guide to on-call firefighter pension covers this, and the pension calculator can model a scenario.
If you are also receiving means-tested benefits, on-call income can count as earnings. The rules are for the benefit provider to explain, not this guide, and you should check before relying on an estimate. Our examples are gross, and are not a substitute for a payslip.
What these examples leave out
The examples exclude several things that can matter. They exclude overtime, which under the Grey Book applies to retained staff only when they work more than 42 hours in a seven-day period; public holiday work, which is paid at double the disturbance and activity payments and earns a day's leave in lieu; and acting-up, which for on-call staff is paid for the duration of an attendance where you are required to do a higher role.
They also exclude CPD, which part-time and on-call employees can receive pro rata with a minimum of 25% of the full-time equivalent; compensation for lost earnings from a main job where a call-out costs a disproportionate loss; and payments for attending training centres, where the basic weekly rate of a wholetime employee in the same role is paid per week of course. Local agreements may add or change these.
Finally, the retainer figures assume the contract follows the NJC's Grey Book bands. The 2024 pay agreement changed the retainer structure from 1 January 2025, when the full retainer became 15% and lower bands were introduced; before that the full retainer was 10% of basic pay. Some services still operate different local arrangements, so your contract governs. See also the firefighter allowances guide.
Turning examples into your own estimate
To estimate your own year, write down your role and stage, your retainer band and the number of hours per week you can commit, the drill hours in your contract, and your station's typical number of incidents and the average duration. Then apply the four formulas: retainer, activity hours at the hourly rate, disturbance payments and any overtime.
A useful check is to compare your total with a wholetime equivalent. A full retainer is 15% of wholetime pay, so a competent full-cover firefighter needs incident, drill and disturbance pay of around £34,000 more to match £40,358, which no one gets from call-outs alone; on-call is designed to sit alongside another job. See how to become an on-call firefighter for the practicalities and on-call firefighter availability for how availability is agreed.
For a paid, personalised plan, the on-call earnings planner is free to try and the on-call planner report turns your numbers into a written plan. The Personal Pay Report covers your overall pay position.
Free toolOn-call earnings plannerModel your availability, drill hours and expected call-outs to see yearly earnings.Open the free on-call earnings planner →Frequently asked questions
How much do on-call firefighters earn a year?
It depends on retainer band and calls. On the July 2026 rates, our worked examples for a competent firefighter range from £4,528 (5% band, 25 calls) to £16,405 (full cover, 200 two-hour calls). A full retainer alone is £6,054. These are gross and illustrative.
What is the on-call retainer for a firefighter?
Full cover of at least 120 hours a week earns 15% of wholetime basic pay: £6,054 competent, £4,731 development. Lower availability bands are 5%, 7.5%, 10% and 12.5%. Day-crewing staff on retained duties get a 5% retainer, £2,018 for a competent firefighter.
How much is an on-call firefighter paid per call-out?
Work is paid at the basic hourly rate, £18.43 competent, with a minimum of one hour for crew and two hours if you stay beyond an hour and fifteen minutes, plus a £5.31 disturbance payment. A 40-minute call is therefore £23.74 for a competent firefighter.
Is drill night paid for on-call firefighters?
Yes. Work activity includes the attendance at the station for training, development and maintenance duties, which the Grey Book says average two hours a week (or three at the service's discretion), paid at the basic hourly rate. That is £1,916.72 a year at two hours a week for a competent firefighter.
Do on-call firefighters get overtime?
Overtime rates apply to retained staff only if they work more than 42 hours in a seven-day period. Public holiday work is paid at double the disturbance and activity payments and earns a day's leave in lieu, if you are Station Manager or below and not on the flexible duty system.
Is on-call pay taxed?
Yes, on-call pay is taxable and subject to National Insurance. If it is a second job, it may be taxed under a different code from your main job, so check your payslip. Pension treatment depends on the scheme and your contract, so check with your pension administrator.
Primary sources
- NJC — Scheme of Conditions of Service (Grey Book), 7th edition, April 2025
- NJC Circular NJC/2/26: pay award 2026 (rates from 1 July 2026)
- NJC Circular NJC/3/24: pay award 2024 (RDS retainer structure from 1 January 2025)
- NJC Circular NJC/3/25: pay award 2025 (trainee rate deleted)
- FBU — pay settlement 2026