Firefighters RDS modified scheme

Contributions

How much do I pay in contributions?

As a member of FPS 2006 you pay a basic contribution which is a percentage of your pensionable pay. Current contribution rates and how they are determined are shown below. The fire and rescue authority pay an employer’s contribution and additional charges for ill-health awards plus the cost of exercising certain discretions allowed under the Scheme. Employees’ and employers’ contributions are determined by the Secretary of State on the advice of the Scheme Actuary who will have regard to the total cost of Scheme benefits. They are reviewed regularly.

The pensionable pay upon which you pay contributions is the amount determined in relation to the duties of your role. You would also pay contributions on elements of pay which the authority may, at their discretion, treat as pensionable for providing “Additional Pension Benefits”. For retained firefighters it is not possible to achieve total consistency with regular firefighters' pensionable pay but, generally, it will be the main "constant" elements of pay, e.g. annual retainer, disturbance payment and payment for work activity. And any items of pay which would not be treated as pensionable for regular firefighters, for example certain reimbursements of expenditure, are treated as non-pensionable for retained firefighters, too.

Contributions table

Contributions table 2020 – 21

Mandatory special period pension contributions

These are, in effect, historic contributions, i.e. those you would have paid had you been admitted to FPS1992 with effect from the date you have chosen between 1 July 2000 and 5 April 2006, up to the date at which you elected to join FPS 2006. Payment of the contributions is a condition of admission to the modified FPS 2006. You can pay the contributions by a single lump sum or periodically along with your basic contributions.

A lump sum would have to be paid within 6 months from the date of electing to join: failure to pay within this period would mean that the election to join would be treated as not having been made.

Periodic contributions (plus interest) would be paid over a period of 10 years, commencing after the date of election. If the firefighter paying by this method were to retire within those 10 years and before payment had been completed, there would be an option to pay the balance of contributions as a lump sum within three months of becoming entitled to receive payment of the pension. Payment could be made by a deduction from any lump sum by commutation.

If payment is not made in full, the period of special pensionable service that was due to be credited will be pro rated according to contributions paid as a proportion of contributions due. The exception to this would be if the firefighter were to die in service. Then, full credit of special pensionable service would be given, and used in the calculation of survivor benefits.

Contributions for unpaid leave

During paid maternity, paternity or adoption leave you would pay contributions on whatever rate of pensionable pay you receive; if a period of additional maternity, paternity or adoption leave is unpaid, you will have the option to pay contributions on the rate you were receiving immediately before pay ceased (disregarding any "Keeping in Touch" days), if you wish to count that period as pensionable service.

If you have an unpaid period of absence for other reasons (including authorised sick leave), you will have the option to pay contributions (based on the pensionable pay you would have received but for the absence) in order that the period can count as pensionable service. You would be required to pay both the employee's and employer's contribution. (At their discretion the fire and rescue authority may agree to pay the employer's contribution for you.)