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Increasing your pension
In this section
You can make additional pension contributions to the firefighters’ pension scheme 2015 to increase the value of your pension. This is known as ‘added pension’.
How it works
Buying more pension
You can increase the amount of pension you receive each year in retirement by up to £8,715.83 (for 2025/26).
To do this you need to increase the amount you contribute to the FPS 2015. This is the total overall increase that you can make, the value is reviewed each year.
There are two ways you can buy added pension:
- Regular (‘periodic’) payments – if you have been employed for more than 12 months.
- One-off payment(s) – if you have been employed for 12 months or less.
The amount of added pension you buy would be payable every year for life, on top of your normal firefighters’ pension scheme 2015 benefits.
You must be at least two years from your normal pension age (age 60) to purchase added pension.
Regular payments
Find out what you could buy
You should let your administrator know if you would like to start to make regular payments to increase your pension. These payments are in addition to your normal pension contributions.
- 01.
Ask your administrator for a quotation to see what value of pension you could buy.
- 02.
Choose the amount you would like to pay and when you want payments to stop.
- 03.
Your administrator will let you know what this could get you in retirement.
- 04.
You’ll start to make the new payments in the first pay period after the date on which the administrator receives your request.
- 05.
When your payments finish (either on the date you choose or the end of the scheme year (31 March) a credit will be made to your ‘added pension account’, which is separate to your main pension account.
- 06.
The value of your added pension account is revalued in the same way as your normal pension in the firefighters’ pension scheme 2015.
- 07.
At retirement, the added pension you have bought would be payable every year for life, on top of your normal benefits.
One-off payments
A single payment
You should let your administrator know if you would like to make a one-off payment to increase your pension.
- 01.
State the amount you wish to pay (your administrator may set a minimum amount needed to contribute).
- 02.
You’ll receive a quotation letting you know how much additional pension this could buy you.
- 03.
You must pay the amount within three months.
- 04.
Once you have made the payment, a credit will be made to your ‘added pension account’ in the firefighters’ pension scheme 2015.
- 05.
The value of your added pension account is revalued in the same way as your normal pension in the firefighters’ pension scheme 2015.
- 06.
At retirement, the added pension you’ve bought would be payable every year for life, on top of your normal benefits.
If you do not make the payment within the three months, the payment is cancelled.
Change in pay or leaving
Payments will stop
If you leave the firefighters’ pension scheme 2015 your payments will stop.
You have the option to stop payments for added pension if your pensionable pay is reduced or stops and/or you are treated as receiving assumed pensionable pay.
Ending payments
Choosing when payments stop
Your payments to buy added pension will not continue automatically. They will end:
- On the date you specified; or
- The end of the scheme year (31 March); or
- If you leave the firefighters’ pension scheme 2015; or
- Your fire and rescue authority thinks you will exceed the maximum added pension.
If you want to carry on making additional payments in the following year, you will need to get in touch with your administrator and follow the same process as above.
If you want to stop making periodical payments, you should let your administrator know in writing. The payments would stop from the following pay period.
Examples
Select someone like you
Please note these figures are not based on the current factors in force. They have just been provided for example basis.
Select an age to see how added pension works.
All examples are based on a firefighter earning £38,881 a year.