When can you retire?
In this section
You can take your pension from the firefighters’ pension scheme 1992 at age 55.
Are you building up benefits elsewhere?
This section gives you details about when you can take your FPS 1992 pension. If you have benefits in the FPS 2015 you should also read about what age you can start to receive your benefits from that section.
Retiring from FPS 1992
When can you take your benefits
You can take your pension from the firefighters’ pension scheme 1992 at age 55 – this is known as normal retirement age.
You may also have the option to take your pension from age 50 with at least 25 years’ service, but the amount you receive would be different.
Use our retirement decision tree to find out what age you can take your pension:
When can I retire?
Normal retirement
Age 55
Once you reach age 55, you can take your pension without reduction.
Chief Fire Officers appointed before 1 July 2013 will also need permission from their fire and rescue authority to retire before this age.
Deferred benefits
If you have deferred benefits in the firefighters’ pension scheme 1992 (i.e. you have opted out of the firefighters’ pension scheme 1992 or have left employment and did not transfer your pension to a different pension scheme) your deferred pension would be paid at age 60.
Protected pension age
Age 50
What is protected pension age?
The minimum pension age in the UK was increased to age 55 on 6 April 2010. However, some schemes, including the fire, police and armed forces schemes, were able to still allow members to retire from age 50. This is called a protected pension age.
You may be able to take your pension from age 50 if you have at least 25 years’ service.
Late retirement
After age 60
All members moved to the firefighters’ pension scheme 2015 from 1 April 2022. This means that no further benefits are building up in the firefighters’ pension scheme 1992, but you may have benefits held in the firefighters’ pension scheme 1992 until you retire.
If you are building up benefits in firefighters’ pension scheme 2015, you can find out what happens to them if you choose to retire after age 60 on the late retirement page of the firefighters’ pension scheme 2015 section.
Retirement process
The steps to retirement
- 01.
Inform the administrator that looks after your pension that you are planning to retire at least six months* before your planned retirement date so they have time to prepare your documentation.
- 02.
There may be some forms to complete, which your administrator will provide. You’ll need your national insurance number, so check you have this handy.
- 03.
You’ll get a statement, letting you know how much you could receive.
- 04.
Let your administrator know you’d like to go ahead with your retirement plans and if you would like to give up any of your pension for a lump sum.
- 05.
Your pension will be paid:
- Monthly in advance of the date chosen by your fire and rescue authority – if you are receiving pension from only firefighters’ pension scheme 1992.
- In arrears – if you are receiving pension from both the firefighters’ pension scheme 1992 and the firefighters’ pension scheme 2015.
- 06.
If you have chosen a lump sum, this would be paid as soon as possible after your first day of retirement.
*Your administrator may be able to provide information sooner than this, however providing as much notice as possible will ensure complicated cases, such as members affected by remedy, have enough time to be processed.