The Firefighters’ 2015 Pension Scheme (Scotland) came into being on 1 April 2015. If you’re a new regular or retained firefighter, you’ll automatically be enrolled in the scheme when you take up employment with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. Additionally, if you’ve previously been a member of one of the earlier Scottish firefighters’ pension schemes, you may have been transitioned to the 2015 scheme already – or at an agreed date in the future.

The Firefighters’ 2015 scheme is a high quality workplace pension scheme that offers defined benefits at retirement and protection for your dependents based on your career average earnings.

Key features

• Career average revalued earnings scheme which provides benefits based on your earnings each year which are revalued annually to keep pace with inflation.
• Current accrual rate of 1/61.6 of pensionable pay in each year.
• Revaluation is linked to Consumer Price Index.
• Options to transfer in service from other pension schemes.
• Normal pension age of 60, deferred pension age linked to State Pension age.
• Early retirement options from age 55 subject to actuarial reduction to age 60 (or State Pension age for deferred pensions).
• Tax-free lump sum option at retirement – £12 of lump sum for every £1 of annual pension given up with a current maximum of 25% of your pension fund.
• Valuable death benefits for your dependents.
• Ill health retirement options if you’re permanently unable to work as a firefighter or if you’re permanently unable to undertake any paid work.
• Valuable benefits for members who are injured while on firefighting duty.

Your pension calculator

Our pension calculator can give you an estimate of what you may be entitled to when you choose to retire. 

Your pension estimates and annual statements

Information about pension estimates and your annual benefit statements, including how to access them.

Joining the Firefighters’ 2015 scheme

Information for new members of the scheme, including how to top up or transfer-in another pension.

Leaving the Fire Service or opting-out of the scheme

Learn more about what to do if you want to stop paying into your pension pot or are thinking about leaving SFRS employment.

Transferring another pension into the Firefighters scheme

A step-by-step guide to help you transfer another pension into the Firefighters scheme.

Death benefits

Information for members and dependents in the event that a scheme member dies whilst still in service or after retirement.

Injury Benefits

Find out if you are eligible for injury benefits if you have been injured whilst at work.

Paying for additional pension benefits

Find out how to contribute more into your pension scheme so that you can increase your entitlement when you retire.

Normal Retirement Age 

You can use the state pension age calculator to find out when you will be able to retire from the 2015 scheme without an early retirement penalty.

Further reading

Firefighters’ 2015 Pension Scheme (Scotland) guide

Firefighters’ 2015 Pension Scheme (Scotland) guide for transitional members

Key features

• Dual accrual rate of 1/60 of final salary for each year of service and members can accrue up to 45 years of service.
• Option to exchange part of your pension for a tax-free lump sum (£12 of a lump sum value for every £1 pension given up).
• Normal pension age of 60 for active contributing members.
• Deferred pension age of 65 years for members that have left the scheme but have a preserved pension.
• Immediate pension and lump sum payment to any officer at any age who is granted ill-health retirement.
• A lump sum death grant of two times pay.
• A pension for a widow, widower or surviving civil partner (normally of half of the officer’s pension entitlement after lump sum deduction).
• Dependent children under the age of 23 may qualify for a pension.

Continuing membership after a change of duties

One of the conditions for membership in the NFPS was that members should have been appointed as regular firefighters who were expected by their fire and rescue authority to engage in firefighting. Having joined the NFPS, however, membership can continue if you’re required to perform just the non-firefighting duties appropriate to your role. This means, for example, that if you become unfit for the ‘operational’ aspects of the role (provided there’s no break in the continuity of your employment) you can remain a member.

Other types of membership

If you’re a retained or volunteer firefighter, recruited before 1st April 2015 you may also continue to be a member of the NFPS.

Pension transfers

In some cases, if you transfer previous service into the fire pension scheme, a part of that transferred in service may be eligible to gain pensionable service in the New Firefighters' Pension Scheme (NFPS) 2006.

More information

NEW Firefighters' Pension Scheme 2006 Guide

The Retained Firefighters’ Modified Pension Scheme was introduced on 1 April 2015 following a successful legal challenge to the rules which previously had prevented part-time, retained firefighters from joining the Firefighters’ Pension Scheme 1992. The creation of the modified scheme brought in benefits for retained firefighters who’d been employed between 1 July 2000 and 5 April 2006.

As the FPS 1992 scheme had been closed by 2015, a ‘special’ category of the NFPS 2006 scheme was created that mirrored many of the rules and benefits that would have been available to these members if they’d originally been allowed membership in the FPS 1992 scheme.

Effectively, the modified scheme gives retained firefighters benefits that are equivalent to regular firefighters who were in the 1992 scheme during the same period.

To address the historical position, eligible firefighters who joined the scheme were entitled to purchase pension rights under the following terms:

• A uniform accrual rate of 1/45th
• A normal pension age of 55 years
• A deferred pension age of 60 years
• Fixed commutation factors
• Contribution rates that mirror those applicable to the FPS 1992 in respect of both the period of service purchased and further accrual
• A death grant of 2 x pensionable pay
• Ill health benefits in accordance with the terms of the NFPS 2006

Transfer of external pension benefits in accordance with the terms of the NFPS 2006.

Following an options exercise undertaken by Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, entry to this scheme closed on 30 September 2015.

Although the Firefighters' Pension Scheme 1992 closed to new members on 6 April 2006, it continues to serve active members who satisfied the membership conditions and joined before that date and who have not subsequently opted out or had a break in continuity of employment.

One of the conditions of membership of the the Firefighters' Pension Scheme 1992 was that the member had to be appointed as a regular firefighter by a fire and rescue authority on terms that meant they'd be required to engage in firefighting. Once in the scheme, however, membership can continue if a person is required to perform non-firefighting duties only as appropriate to their role. This means, for example, that if a firefighter is no longer able to complete the 'operational' aspects of the role, provided there is no break in the continuity of the employment, they would be able to continue in the scheme.

Key features

• A uniform accrual rate of 1/60th
• A normal pension age of 50 with 25 years’ service, 30 years’ service or age 55 which ever milestone comes first
• A deferred pension age of 60 years
• Fixed commutation factors
• A death grant of 2 x pensionable pay
• Ill health benefits

Further information

Firefighters' Pension Scheme 1992 guide

Your Firefighters' pension contributions

Your firefighters' pension scheme contributions

The amount you pay towards your pension depends on how much you earn. Your contributions are deducted from your pay before tax is applied - meaning you get income tax relief on your contributions.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service also pays into the pension scheme on your behalf.

The current contribution rates for the various firefighters' pension schemes are shown in the tables below:

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