Leaving the scheme

FPS 2015 has a minimum vesting period of 3 months. This means that if you have less than 3 months membership you do not qualify to receive a pension or a deferred benefit and will get a refund of your contributions instead.

You meet the 3 month vesting period if:

• you have been a member of the FPS 2015 in England and Wales for 3 months, or
• you have brought a transfer of pension rights into FPS 2015 in England or Wales from a different occupational pension scheme or from a European pensions institution and the length of service you had in that scheme or institution was 3 or more months or,
• when added to the period of time you have been a member of the FPS 2015 is, in aggregate, 3 or more months, or
• you already hold a deferred benefit or are receiving a pension from the FPS in England or Wales (other than a survivor's pension or pension credit member's pension).

If you meet any of these conditions you can read more about deferred benefits here and claiming a pension or retiring here.

If you leave the pension scheme with less than 3 months membership you’re entitled to a refund of your pension contributions, less deductions for tax relief unless you meet the vesting criteria above.

You’ll also have the option of transferring your pension rights to another pension scheme if you want to.

Your employer will tell us you have left or opted out and we will write to you with details of your refund. 

Ill health benefits can be paid at any age but you must meet the minimum vesting period of months membership to qualify.

However not all illness reaches the threshold to qualify for an ill health retirement. You can read more about ill health retirements here.

As long as you have been in the scheme for 2 years you will qualify to receive a pension or a deferred benefit when you leave

The minimum pension age for the scheme is 55 (ignoring ill health retirements). If you leave under this age you will get a deferred benefit. You can read more about deferred benefits here and claiming a pension or retiring here.

Ill health benefits can be paid at any age and are not reduced on account of early payment as long as you have been a member of the scheme for 2 years. There are tiers of benefits based on how likely you are to be capable of gainful employment after you leave.

However not all illness reaches the threshold to qualify for an ill health retirement.

You can read more about ill health retirements here.

You can choose to opt out of the FPS. Depending how long you were in the scheme for you will get either a refund or a deferred benefit.

The FPS is a great occupational pension schemes. Your FRA meets a large part of the cost of providing the excellent range of secure benefits, so it’s an extremely valuable and important part of your employment package. If you’re thinking of opting out of the FPS, you should carefully consider the benefits you would be giving up. 

• You get a guaranteed pension for life that goes up every year in line with the cost of living
• You can give up part of your pension for a tax-free lump sum
• You get a pension at any age if you become too ill to work*
• You can retire from age 55 on reduced benefits*
• If you die there’s a lump-sum death grant of three times your pay – and you can choose who it goes to
• There’s a pension for your spouse, civil partner or eligible cohabiting partner if you die
• There are pensions for your (eligible) children if you die
• You can pay extra to increase your pension benefits
• You get tax relief on your pension contributions **
• There are no hidden fees or charges
• Your pension benefits are guaranteed in law and not affected by share prices or the stock market
  
  *a minimum membership requirement applies
  ** a basic rate taxpayer paying £100 pension contributions would pay £20 more tax every month by opting out

You can opt out of FPS 2015 at any time if you do not wish to be a member. To do so you must give a signed, written notice to the fire and rescue authority. The option would be considered to have been exercised on the date the notice is received by the authority.

You can find a copy of the opt-out form here.

If you opt out before the end of 3 months' continuous Scheme employment, or within 3 months of automatic re-enrolment, you would be treated as not having been a member in pensionable employment during this period and would receive a refund of the contributions you have paid for the period. These would be repaid by your employer.

If you opt out 3 months or more after a continuous period of service in Scheme employment or 3 or more months after automatic re-enrolment, you would normally be treated as having ceased pensionable service in the Scheme on the first day of the pay period immediately after that in which you opted out. You would become a deferred member of the Scheme from that date and you would cease to have any further cover under FPS 2015, other than that which is provided to a deferred member.

Seek independent financial advice if you are thinking about opting out. You would save the cost of contributions but may pay more by way of tax (contributions attract tax relief). Your dependents would also cease to have pension cover.

You would, however, continue to be covered by the provisions of the Firefighters’ Compensation Scheme in the event of a qualifying injury.