The Police Pension Scheme 2015 replaced the previous Police pension arrangements for new members on 1 April 2015. Anyone joining Police Scotland after that date is automatically enrolled in the scheme. Additionally, if you’ve previously been a member of either the 1987 or 2006 versions of the Police pension scheme, you may have been transitioned to the 2015 scheme already – or you will be at an agreed date in the future. 

The Police Pension Scheme 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 1/56.1 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 35.7% of your pension fund (subject to a decrease from your 65th birthday onwards). 
• Valuable death benefits for your dependents. 
• Ill health retirement options if you’re permanently unable to work as a police officer or if you’re permanently unable to undertake any paid work. 
• Valuable benefits for members who are injured while on duty. 

Related information

Looking for specific information about your 2015 pension or need to know how to use our services?  These links will take you to relevant pages that can help:

Pension calculators

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

Pension estimates and your Annual Benefit Statement

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

Joining the 2015 Scheme

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

Leaving the Police 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 Police employment.

Transferring another pension into the Police scheme

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

The Police Pension Scheme 2006 (NPPS) applied to all serving police officers who joined the service between 6 April 2006 and 1 April 2015, unless they decided to opt out. It also accepted officers who decided to transfer from the 1987 Police Pension Scheme (PPS). The Police Pension Scheme 2006 closed to new members on 1 April 2015.

Key features

• Single accrual rate of 1/70 of final salary for each year of service  
• Maximum pension of half final salary plus a fixed lump sum of 4 times the pension, with option to give up part (or all) of the lump sum for additional annual pension 
• Maximum pension after 35 years 
• A normal pension age of 55 years 
• A deferred pension age of 65 years 
• An immediate pension and lump sum payment to any officer granted ill-health retirement. 
• A lump sum death grant of three times pay 
• A pension for a spouse, civil partner or eligible nominated partner* payable for life – these are normally half of the officer’s pension entitlement. *Unmarried partners and partners who aren’t in a civil partnership can be nominated as beneficiaries if they meet certain qualifying conditions. 
• Dependent children under the age of 23 may qualify for a pension. 

The Police Pension Scheme 1987 (PPS) was introduced in 1987 and applied to all serving police officers who joined the service until 6 April 2006, unless they decided to opt out. 

It’s a statutory pension scheme based on the Police Pensions Regulations 1987 (as amended), made under the Police Pensions Act 1976 and was designed to offer police officers financial security both in the time up to retirement and beyond. The Police Pension Scheme 1987 closed to new members on 6 April 2006. 

Key features

• Dual accrual rate of 1/60 of final salary for each year of service for the first 20 years and then an accelerated rate of 2/60 of final salary for each year of service thereafter 
• Maximum pension of 2/3 final salary with an option to commute part of the pension for a tax-free lump sum 
• Retirement option on completion of 30 years’ service or 25 years’ service for members over 50 
• A deferred pension age of 60 years 
• 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 
• Dependent children under the age of 23 may qualify for a pension. 

Your Police pension contributions

The amount you pay towards your pension scheme depends on your ‘pensionable pay’ (which is your salary, wages, fees and any other regular payments but not any bonuses, expenses or overtime payments).

For officers this is based on your previous year’s earnings. If you are a practitioner, we’ll use earnings in the current year. If you work part-time, your contribution rate is worked out using your whole time equivalent pensionable pay.

Your pension contributions are deducted from your monthly salary by your employer and you receive income tax relief on your contributions.

Your employer contributes an amount equal to 29.4% of your pensionable pay into the scheme on your behalf.

Members of the Scottish Police Pension Scheme 2015 currently pay a flat rate of 13.46% into the scheme regardless of their pensionable earnings.

Previous contribution rates for the legacy 2006 and 1987 schemes are available in the following table: 

This section relates to officers who have membership of the 1987 and 2015 pension schemes.

Following scheme reforms in 2015 and then the closure of the legacy 1987 and 2006 pension schemes) in 2022, many scheme members have membership in more than one pension scheme. These members are entitled to take their legacy scheme benefits in the same way as before.

Former members of the 1987 scheme who have at least 25 years’ pensionable service can take their 1987 scheme benefits at any time after they turn 50. If they do these members may spend a comparatively shorter period in the 2015 scheme. The earliest age at which benefits can be taken from the 2015 scheme is age 55.

What happens if the officer decides to opt out of the 2015 scheme, or retire before age 55 and access their 1987 benefits? We have prepared some information for this scenario below.

If I have over 25 years’ service but opt out of the 2015 scheme before age 50, can I still access my 1987 pension at aged 50?

Yes, if you have at least 25 years’ service, you are entitled to access your 1987 pension benefits from aged 50. However, your pension will be calculated using your pensionable pay at the date you opt out.

Will opting out affect the weighted accrual for my 1987 pension?

This will depend on your circumstances, broadly aligned to the following scenarios based on your earliest date of potential retirement:

1. If you would have attained 30 years’ pensionable service before age 50, then the regulations provide an underpin to ensure that the effect of the weighted accrual isn’t lost.

2. If you have at least 25 years’ pensionable service and are under age 50, weighted accrual remains unaffected until age 50, when it no longer applies. i.e. an officer aged 48 with 25 years’ pensionable service, would have the benefit of a further 2 years’ weighted accrual until they attain age 50.

3. If you have already attained age 50 with at least 25 years’ pensionable service, further weighted accrual is lost from the point of opting out. However weighted accrual up to the point of opting out still applies.

Essentially the underpin in the 1987 scheme ensures that the benefit of weighted accrual continues after opting out, until your earliest date of potential retirement i.e. on reaching 25 years’ pensionable service and age 50, or with 30 years’ pensionable service.

The table below provides the weighted accrual that would be used when calculating your 1987 scheme benefits.

What if I retire from service on ill-health grounds after opting out?

Could I qualify for an upper-tier enhancement? No. Upper-tier ill health benefits, (which include an enhancement of notional service up to the scheme’s normal pension age) are only payable to active members of the pension scheme.

Active members with entitlement in 1987 and 2015 schemes are entitled to enhanced ill-health benefits if they meet the criteria set out in the 2015 regulations. If these members are also under the voluntary retirement age for the 1987 scheme, they are entitled to an additional amount of either:

• annual rate of ill health pension that would have been payable at the date you left the 1987 scheme, or;
• annual rate of entitlement to ordinary/short service pension, whichever is higher

Members who have opted out and are subsequently found to be permanently unfit for any regular employment (upper-tier threshold) would be entitled to payment of accrued 1987 and 2015 benefits before the normal pension age without any actuarial reduction. Members who have opted out and are subsequently found to be permanently unfit for their current employment, (lower-tier threshold) do not qualify for any immediate pension payment in respect of ill-health. You may, however, be entitled to claim a deferred pension on the grounds of ill health for previous contributions made up to the point of opt-out. A deferred pension on the grounds of ill health does not include annual pension increases below age 55 unless permanently unfit for any regular employment (as per the upper-tier threshold).

What about other considerations?

Active members in the 2015 scheme retain the “final salary link”. This means that when they retire, the salary used in the calculation of their 1987 accrued pension is their salary at retirement. If you opt out of the 2015 scheme and remain in service, you lose this final salary link and your pension will be calculated based on your salary at the point of opting out.

If you rejoin the 2015 scheme within five years, your final salary link will be reinstated in full providing you have accrued at least 12 months’ pensionable service from the date of rejoining. Otherwise, it will be based on a proportion of your pensionable salary prior to opting out- for example, if you rejoin for six months, the “final salary” will be based on six months of pay before opting out, and six months from date of rejoining.

Opting out of the 2015 scheme also impacts the survivor benefits that become payable in the event of your death, with a lower amount being payable than if you were in active pensionable service.

By opting out of the scheme, you will no longer receive tax relief on your pension contributions, but your benefits will no longer be subject to the Annual Allowance tax each year.