About the Firefighters' Pension Scheme 2015
On this page:
- Pension benefits explained
The benefits of your Firefighters Pension
There are lots of reasons to save for your future with us, including generous contributions from your employer, and valuable benefits that have you covered during your service like tax relief, partial retirement and much more.
Ill Health Retirement
If you're suffering Ill Health, you have options
As an active member of the Scottish Firefighters' pension scheme you may qualify for a pension if you're suffering from serious ill health. If you've been a member of your pension scheme for more than two years and you’re permanently unable to work to your normal pension age due to ill health or injury you could qualify for ill health retirement.
The level of pension awarded to you in these circumstances will depend on the severity of your condition and your potential for employment in the future.
If you feel that you potentially meet these circumstances you should, take a look at our Ill Health retirement section before approaching your employer to discuss whether they would support your claim for ill-health retirement.
Death Benefits
What happens to your Firefighters pension when you die?
The pension accumulated from your service with the Fire Service in Scotland offers a number of valuable benefits to your surviving family members when you die.
If you hold benefits in more than one Scottish Firefighters' scheme, death in service benefits are only based on the regulations that apply to the most recent scheme you’ve been active in. Any survivor benefits that are based upon service within a previous scheme will be calculated separately.
Injury Benefits
The Injury on Duty Award
As a Firefighter in Scotland (even if you aren’t a member of your Firefighters' pension scheme) you’re automatically covered for an injury on duty award from the day your employment begins.
This means you could receive financial compensation if you’re permanently disabled because of an injury received on duty and have to leave the Fire Service as a result.
If you qualify for the award, you’ll receive a monthly tax free injury allowance and a one-off tax free lump sum payment. The amount is calculated using the severity of your injury and how many years service you have.
Guaranteed Minimum Pension
Find out more about the Guaranteed Minimum Pension
If you were contributing to a public service occupational pension scheme between 6 April 1978 and 5 April 1997, you were contracted out of the earnings related state additional pension.
During this period legislation ensured public service schemes guaranteed to pay scheme members at least as much as they would have received had they contributed to the state additional pension. This amount is known as the Guaranteed Minimum Pension (GMP).
You can find out more about this subject, and how it affects some people who retired before 6 April 2016, by clicking the buttons below.