Firefighter Ill-Health Pension & Injury Award Calculator
If illness or injury may end your career, the money side can feel impossible to picture. This calculator shows what the published scheme rules could mean for your pension and any injury award, so you can ask your administrator informed questions. It cannot decide your case: only your scheme administrator and the medical opinion of an IQMP can do that.
Income after tax: now and after an award
2026/27Illustrative estimate from published scheme rules. Only your scheme administrator and an Independent Qualified Medical Practitioner decide entitlement, tier and band. Not financial, legal or medical advice. Inputs stay in this browser unless you use the AI assistant or save a report.
What this calculator does, and what it cannot do
Ill-health retirement is an emotional and financial moment. You may be dealing with a diagnosis, an operational injury, a career that suddenly looks different, and a pension letter full of unfamiliar terms. This calculator turns the published scheme formulas into numbers you can read, but it is a planning aid. It does not know your medical evidence, it does not know how your authority applies the tests, and it cannot know your true average pensionable pay or revalued CARE balance. The scheme administrator and the IQMP decide entitlement, and the administrator's written figures always override anything you see here.
Every result is labelled illustrative. Where a rule could not be verified to a primary source, the tool gives you a box to type the administrator's figure instead of guessing. That is deliberate: a wrong number in a sensitive situation is worse than an honest range.
What the calculator shows you
The Your pension tab sets the lower and higher tier side by side, each with a short plain-English "what this means for me" and a chart comparing your income after tax with your current take-home. The Injury award tab shows how the guarantee is reduced by 75% of your ill-health pension and any DWP benefits, and compares all four bands. The Evidence checklist is yours to tick off, and it is saved in your browser so you can come back to it.
The paid report adds a year-by-year income chart from the day you leave to State Pension age (including what a review could change), a tax and take-home comparison, the lump-sum trade-off and a printable briefing with questions for your administrator.
How a firefighter ill-health pension works
There are two tiers of award, and the tests are set out in the scheme regulations. Under the FPS 2015, a lower tier pension needs an IQMP's opinion that you are incapable, because of incapacity of mind or body, of performing any of the duties of your role until normal pension age (60), that you have been dismissed or retired because of it, that you have at least three months' qualifying service, and a determination by your authority that you are entitled. A higher tier pension needs all of that plus at least five years' qualifying service and an IQMP opinion that the incapacity extends to regular employment until age 60. Regular employment means paid work of at least 30 hours a week on average over at least 12 consecutive months.
The lower tier pension is the pension you have built up, paid immediately with no reduction for early payment. In the FPS 2015 that is your CARE pension: for each scheme year, pensionable earnings divided by 59.7, revalued each year until the pension starts. The higher tier adds an enhancement equal to the lower tier pension (before any lump-sum exchange, excluding added pension) multiplied by the years between your last day of membership and age 60, multiplied by 2%. In other words, ten years short of 60 adds 20% to your lower tier pension, and twenty years short adds 40%.
The FPS 2006 has a normal pension age of 60 and builds pension at 1/60th of final pensionable pay per year of service. According to the LPPA employer guide, its lower tier pays the accrued pension without enhancement, and its higher tier adds a 2% enhancement per year of prospective service to 60. The FPS 1992 has a normal pension age of 55, accrues 1/60th for each of the first 20 years and 2/60ths for each of the next ten (a maximum of 40/60ths), and enhances the higher tier using a service table, capped at the pension you could have reached at 55. Because the 1992 table is intricate, the tool treats 1992 figures as indicative and encourages you to enter the administrator's number.
Lump sums, reviews and what can change
In the FPS 2015 and 2006 you can usually exchange up to 25% of your pension for a tax-free lump sum at £12 per £1 of annual pension given up. Only the lower tier pension can be exchanged, because a higher tier element can be withdrawn on review. Ill-health pensions can be reviewed if they have been in payment for less than 10 years and you have not reached State Pension age. Your authority must take the written opinion of an IQMP. A review can only work downwards: a higher tier can end if you become capable of regular employment, and a lower tier can end if you become capable of your role and are offered it, in which case you become entitled to a deferred pension.
Injury awards under the Firefighters' Compensation Scheme
If your disablement results from an injury received in the execution of duty, a separate compensation scheme may pay an injury gratuity (a one-off lump sum) and an injury pension. An IQMP assesses the degree of disablement in one of four bands. The gratuity is a percentage of average pensionable pay: 12.5% for slight, 25% for minor, 37.5% for major and 50% for severe disablement. The injury pension starts from a minimum income guarantee, again a percentage of average pensionable pay, which depends on the band and your years of relevant service.
| Disablement band | Under 5 yrs | 5 to under 15 | 15 to under 25 | 25+ yrs | Gratuity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 1: 25% or less | 15% | 30% | 45% | 60% | 12.5% |
| Band 2: over 25% to 50% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 25% |
| Band 3: over 50% to 75% | 65% | 70% | 75% | 80% | 37.5% |
| Band 4: over 75% | 85% | 85% | 85% | 85% | 50% |
The injury pension is the top-up to that guarantee. Guidance describes deducting 75% of your gross firefighters' ill-health pension (before any lump sum) and then any DWP benefits, including Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit and Employment and Support Allowance, even if you have not claimed them. If the deductions equal or exceed the guarantee, no injury pension is paid. The tool applies exactly this arithmetic and lets you type the DWP amount your administrator assumes.
Worked example
A member of the FPS 2015 on £40,358 pensionable pay (the competent firefighter rate from 1 July 2026) has 15 years' service and would leave at age 45. Lower tier pension is roughly £40,358 x 15 / 59.7 = £10,140 a year. Fifteen years to age 60 gives an enhancement of £10,140 x 15 x 2% = £3,042, so the higher tier pension is about £13,182 a year. Suppose the IQMP places the injury in Band 2 (minor) with 15 to under 25 years' service. The guarantee is 60% of £40,358 = £24,215. Deduct 75% of £13,182 (£9,887) and, in this example, no DWP benefits: the injury pension top-up is about £14,328 a year, and the gratuity is 25% of £40,358 = £10,090. Ill-health pension plus top-up is about £27,510 a year gross, of which the top-up is described as non-taxable. Real CARE revaluation would make the true lower tier pension different, which is why you should replace the estimate with your administrator's figure.
Common mistakes
- Assuming a diagnosis equals an award. The tests concern permanence to normal pension age and your role or regular employment, not the label on a condition.
- Using current pay when average pensionable pay differs. Injury awards use average pensionable pay; ask how it is defined for you.
- Forgetting the deduction. A high ill-health pension can reduce or remove the injury pension top-up.
- Ignoring DWP benefits. They can be deducted even if unclaimed, so understand your position before deciding what to claim.
- Missing deadlines. Scheme guidance describes 14 days (1992 scheme) or 28 days (2006 and 2015) to say whether you are satisfied with an IQMP injury assessment. Check your own notice.
- Treating one estimate as a plan. Compare both tiers and, if injured, several bands.
Who decides, and what you can do if you disagree
Two people matter. The IQMP gives an independent medical opinion on the regulatory tests. Your fire and rescue authority, acting as scheme manager, then makes the formal determination. If you disagree, ask in writing which regulations and medical opinion the decision relied on, what tier or band applies and how service and pay were calculated, and ask about the internal dispute route and its time limits. Unresolved complaints about a pension scheme can go to the Pensions Ombudsman. A union representative, such as the Fire Brigades Union, or a specialist adviser can help you prepare. Take advice early rather than late.
Related guides and tools
- Firefighter ill-health retirement: process and pension questions
- Firefighter injured on duty: entitlements
- Firefighter sick pay
- Firefighter pension 2015 explained
- FPS 2015 CARE pension calculator
- Firefighter Pension Command for retirement-age scenarios
- Ill-Health & Injury Benefit Report (paid): scenarios, timeline, tax view and printable report
Frequently asked questions
Does this calculator tell me whether I will be granted ill-health retirement?
No. Entitlement is decided by your fire and rescue authority (the scheme manager) on the opinion of an Independent Qualified Medical Practitioner (IQMP). This tool only shows what the published scheme formulas could produce if an award were made, so you can plan and ask better questions.
What is the difference between lower tier and higher tier ill-health retirement?
Under the FPS 2015 a lower tier award needs at least 3 months' qualifying service and an IQMP opinion that you cannot do any of the duties of your role until normal pension age (60). A higher tier award additionally needs at least 5 years' qualifying service and an IQMP opinion that you cannot do regular employment (paid work of at least 30 hours a week for 12 months) until 60. Higher tier adds an enhancement to the lower tier pension.
How is the higher tier enhancement worked out?
Under FPS 2015 the enhancement is the lower tier pension (before any lump-sum exchange and excluding added pension) multiplied by the years from your last day of membership to age 60 and by 2%. For FPS 2006 the LPPA employer guide describes the same 2% per year of prospective service to 60. FPS 1992 uses a service table and a cap at the pension achievable at 55, so the 1992 figure here is indicative.
What are the injury award bands?
The Firefighters' Compensation Scheme uses four degrees of disablement: slight (25% or less), minor (more than 25% up to 50%), major (more than 50% up to 75%) and severe (more than 75%). Each band carries a gratuity of 12.5%, 25%, 37.5% or 50% of average pensionable pay, and a minimum income guarantee that also depends on years of service.
Are injury awards taxable?
Scheme guidance describes the injury pension and injury gratuity as non-taxable. Your ill-health pension is taxable income like other pensions, and a lump sum from exchanging pension is normally tax-free within HMRC limits. Ask your administrator to confirm how your own awards will be paid.
Do I get an injury pension on top of my ill-health pension?
Only as a top-up. The injury pension is the amount by which the band guarantee exceeds 75% of your gross ill-health pension and any DWP benefits such as Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit or Employment and Support Allowance. If the deductions equal or exceed the guarantee, no injury pension is payable, although the gratuity may still be.
Can my ill-health pension be stopped or reduced later?
It can be reviewed if it has been in payment for less than 10 years and you have not reached State Pension age. A review can only move you down: from higher tier to lower tier, or end a lower tier pension if you become capable of your role and are offered it. It cannot be increased at review.
What if my administrator's figure is different from this calculator?
Trust the administrator. Use the 'accrued pension' box to type their figure and the tool will apply the enhancement and injury rules to it. Differences usually come from CARE revaluation, protections, added pension, part-time or retained service and how average pensionable pay is defined.
Sources & assumptions
- LPPA (Local Pensions Partnership Administration), Fire Pension Scheme employer guide: Retirements, covering FPS 1992, 2006 and 2015 ill-health tiers, the 2% higher tier enhancement, review rules and commutation - lppapensions.co.uk.
- The Firefighters' Pension Scheme Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015, ill-health chapter, mirroring the GB tier structure (NI normal pension age differs) - legislation.gov.uk.
- The Firefighters' Compensation Scheme (England) Order 2006, Schedule 1: gratuity and pension percentages - legislation.gov.uk.
- Scottish Public Pensions Agency, injury pensions guide (deductions, IQMP, satisfaction periods, non-taxable treatment) - pensions.gov.scot.
- FPS 2015 accrual (1/59.7), revaluation and 12:1 exchange rate - Hampshire Fire Pension Scheme.
- Pay figures: firefighter pay scales (NJC rates from 1 July 2026).
Assumptions. The FPS 2015 lower tier estimate is service x one pay figure / the accrual rate for your nation (1/59.7 England, 1/61.4 Wales, 1/61.6 Scotland, 1/64.8 Northern Ireland), with no CARE revaluation. A real CARE balance is built from your pay in each year and then revalued, so it can be higher or lower than this estimate. The FPS 2006 estimate uses 1/60 per year. FPS 1992 higher tier figures are an indicative reading of a service table and are capped at the pension achievable at 55. The 2% enhancement for FPS 2006 follows the LPPA employer guide. Legacy protections, added pension and part-time or retained service are not modelled. For Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland the tool applies your nation's FPS 2015 accrual rate and pension age but otherwise follows the England tier rules, so confirm the detail with your administrator. Injury awards use whole-time service percentages. This page is general information, not financial, legal or medical advice.