Retired firefighter members
As a retired member receiving your pension, you'll know it is a valuable source of income in your retirement. This part of the website is for people who are in receipt of a Firefighters pension.
When is my pension paid?
Pensions are paid on the 29th of every month, unless that falls on a bank holiday or weekend when it will be paid on the previous working day closest to the 29th.
What are my upcoming pay dates?
The dates below are your 2019/2020 pay dates:
Friday 29th November 2019
Friday 20th December 2019
Wednesday 29th January 2020
Friday 28th February 2020
Friday 27th March 2020
Wednesday 29th April 2020
How does my pension increase?
Your pension will be increased each year in line with the cost of living. This is based on CPI from September the previous year. We’ll tell you in April if there’s an increase, what the increase is, when it’s applied from and your new pension amount for that year. The increases won’t apply until age 55.
Pensions increase in April 2019 was 2.4%.
Application of the increase
April’s pension payment will made up of two different pension rates. The first is the current rate that applies from the 1st of the month to the 7th. The second rate is the increased rate that applies from the 8th to the 30th. From May, the full 2.4% increase will be applied.
Proportional increase for new retired members
If your pension began on or after 9th April 2018, you will get a proportion of this year’s pension increase. This proportion will depend on how many months your pension has been in payment.
As with other public-sector pension schemes, Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service is bound by the provisions of annual review orders issued by HM Treasury. This means they have no discretion in applying your pension increase.
Payment of your pensions increase
If you reached state pension age before 6th April 2016, the payment of the increases to your pension may be shared between your Firefighters' Pension and your state pension paid by the government via the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
If you were contracted out of the State Second Pension, Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service must make sure a minimum pension (GMP) is paid to you. A GMP applies to your pension if you were a member of the Firefighters' Pension Scheme between 6th April 1978 and 5th April 1997 and have reached state pension age. Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service will pay the first 3% increase on the GMP generated by any membership after April 1988. The DWP pays the increase on the rest with your state pension.
Why do I pay tax on my pension?
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) look at all types of income you receive. If this comes to more than your tax allowance, you’ll pay tax on your pension.
When I die, is there anything due to my family?
If, when you die you leave a spouse or partner, they may get a survivors’ pension. The amount that may be due depends on a number of factors, including when you left, your pensionable service, your partnership status and whether you have eligible children. If your marriage has taken place after you left employment, this could also affect the amount of pension that would be due to your surviving partner.
- 1992 Scheme member
No death grant is due.
- 2006 Scheme member, Retained Modified Scheme member or 2015 Scheme member
If you’re a retired member and you die under age 75, having received a pension for less than five years, a death grant may be due. This would be based on the difference between the amount of pension you’ve already had and the pension that would have been due over the five-year period.
Survivors’ pensions
- 1992 Scheme member- Survivors’ pension for a spouse or civil partner
If you’re a retired firefighter and your marriage took place before you stopped being a firefighter – half your pension as worked out before any reduction was made for commutation and/or allocation. The widow or widower of a same sex marriage or surviving civil partner, would receive but, it would only include service from 6 April 1988.
If you’re a former firefighter who’s married after leaving the service, the surviving spouse’s pension would be worked out as either:
- pensionable service (after 5 April 1978) x 1/160 x your average pensionable pay
- 1/2 x service (after 5 April 1978) / total pensionable service x firefighter’s pension
whichever is more.
The spouses’ or civil partners’ pension would stop if your spouse or partner remarried or entered a new civil partnership.
- 2006 Scheme member or Retained Modified Scheme member- Survivors’ pension for a spouse, civil partner or nominated partner
When you die a pension may be paid to your surviving spouse, civil partner or nominated partner. The pension due would be half your pension.
If your spouse or partner is more than 12 years younger than you, the pension as mentioned above will be reduced. This would be by 2.5% for every year or part year over of the 12 years, to a maximum of 50%.
A spouse’s or partner’s pension is paid for life even if your spouse or partner remarries, or form another civil partnership.
- 2015 Scheme member- Survivors’ pension for “surviving partners”
When you die a pension may be paid to your “surviving partner”. The pension due would be half your pension. (This would be the pension after any commutation or allocation but before any reduction made for early retirement.)
A “surviving partner” is:
- your spouse or civil partner
- cohabiting with you and
- not married or in a civil partnership with you or anyone else. But, could enter into a marriage or civil partnership with you under the law
- financially dependent on you or you’re both financially dependent on each other
- in a long-term relationship with you. This is a relationship that has continued for at least 2 years (or a shorter period at the discretion of the authority).
If your spouse or partner is more than twelve years younger than you, the pension as mentioned above will be reduced.