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When can you retire?
In this section
You can retire at age 60 – this is known as normal pension age. You also have the option to take your pension before or after this age, but the amount you receive would be different.
Do you have other firefighters' pension scheme benefits?
This section gives you details about when you can take your firefighters’ pension scheme 2015 pension. If you have benefits in another section of the firefighters’ pension scheme, such as the firefighters’ pension scheme 1992 or firefighters’ pension scheme 2006, you should also read about what age you can start to receive your benefits from that section.
Retirement decision tree
You must have been a member for at least three months before you can retire.
If you carry out more than one role and are building up pension in respect of each role individually, you will be able to choose to retire from each role at different, or the same, dates.
Use our retirement decision tree to find out what age you can take your pension:
When can I retire?
Normal retirement
Age 60
Once you reach age 60 you can take your pension without reduction.
Deferred benefits
If you have deferred benefits in the firefighters’ pension scheme 2015 (i.e. you have left employment but kept your pension in the firefighters’ pension scheme 2015, or have opted out of the firefighters’ pension scheme 2015) your deferred pension would be paid on the same date as your state pension (your state pension age).
Early retirement
From age 55
You can take your pension any time after age 55.
If you do this, and you are under age 60, your pension would be reduced to take account of the fact that it will be paid for longer.
Before you retire, your administrator would let you know the amount of reduced pension you could receive based on your selected retirement age.
How your pension could be reduced
If you retire early, your pension would be reduced. Use the tool below to see how much your pension could be reduced by.
Tell us what age you'd like to retire by to filter the early retirement factors in the table below.
Reduction based on number of years and months the pension is taken early.
| Years early | Months early | Reduction |
|---|---|---|
| Fetching results... | ||
Late retirement
After age 60
If choose to retire later than age 60, you would continue to build up benefits each year until you start to take your pension.
As you are retiring later than age 60, you also get an extra boost to your pension - known as an ‘age addition’. Your administrator will let you know more about this if it applies to you.
Partial retirement
Working and drawing pension
If you’re over age 55 and want to take your pension but also continue working, you have the option to take partial retirement.
Here, the pension you have already built up would begin to be paid (this would be reduced in line with early retirement, if you have not reached age 60).
Then, a new pension account would be opened where you can start to build up pension from your continued employment. You can then choose when to retire and start to receive your second pension.
The retirement process
Steps to retirement
- 01.
Inform your fire and rescue authority and administrator that you are planning to retire at least six months* before your planned retirement date. You should speak with your HR department to find out the process you’ll need to follow.
- 02.
There may be some forms to complete, which your fire and rescue authority or administrator will provide.
- 03.
You’ll receive a retirement quotation, 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 exchange any of your pension for a lump sum.
- 05.
You will normally start to receive your pension on the next available payroll. You will be given confirmation of when this will be.
- 06.
If you have chosen a lump sum, this would be paid as close as possible to 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 have enough time to be processed.