If you leave your employment as a firefighter and you:
- have at least 2 years' pensionable service or have transferred personal pension rights into FPS 1992, and
- are not eligible for immediate payment of an age retirement pension because you are not old enough and/or do not have the required length of service, and
- are not retiring on grounds of ill-health,
then you would be entitled to a deferred pension. You would also be entitled to a deferred pension if you opt out of FPS 1992 while still in employment as long as you have at least 2 years' pensionable service or have had a personal pension transfer into FPS 1992.
A deferred pension is worked out by first assessing the pension that you would have received if your pensionable service had been continuous to normal pension age (55) or to age 60 for a firefighter in the role of Station Manager B and above. The notional pension is then "pro rated" according to the period actually served.
For example, if you would have completed 30 years at normal pension age and your average pensionable pay at the date you leave is £28,200, the notional pension is first worked out as follows –
(20 x 1/60) + (10 x 2/60) x £28,200 = 40/60 x £28,200 = £18,800.00 a year
If your actual pensionable service at the date of leaving was 5 years, then the deferred pension would be 5/30ths of the notional pension –
5/30 x £18,800 = £3,133.33 a year.
As explained in the part time working and your pension section, any part-time service would be taken into account after a whole-time pension has been worked out.
A deferred pension is put into payment at age 60. It can be paid earlier if you become permanently disabled for performing duties appropriate to your former role. A deferred pension that is put into payment will be increased in line with the Pensions Increase Orders (i.e. "cost of living" increases) that have applied since your date of leaving.
If your deferred pension is paid early as a result of being permanently disabled for firefighting duties but you are capable of regular employment, the increases will not be applied before you reach age 55. “Regular employment” in this context means employment for at least 30 hours a week on average over a period of not less than 12 consecutive months beginning with the date on which the question of your disablement arises for decision.
Part of the annual pension can be converted into a lump sum – see how much lump sum can I take?
Alternatively, you may be able to transfer your deferred pension to a new employment.