Police Injury on Duty Award Calculator 2026

A police injury award is a pension-related benefit that may be payable where a police officer is permanently disabled as a result of an injury received in the execution of duty. It is separate from ordinary ill-health retirement and is linked to loss of earning capacity.

Rather than being a traditional compensation payout, it operates as a minimum income safety net. If you are medically retired because of an injury that occurred while performing your duties, the regulations ensure your household income does not drop below a specific percentage of your former police salary.

Under the Police (Injury Benefit) Regulations 2006, there are four degrees of disablement (this calculator calls them Bands 1 to 4) used to set your injury gratuity and your guaranteed minimum income. They represent the assessed loss of earning capacity:

Gratuity and guarantee are percentages of average pensionable pay (Schedule 3 to the Police (Injury Benefit) Regulations 2006, read 30 September 2026). Even slight disablement attracts a gratuity and an injury pension.

The calculation starts from the ordinary or ill-health pension you would be paid, then applies the minimum income guarantee for your disablement band and length of service.

The injury pension is the guarantee less three-quarters of that pension, and it is paid in addition to the pension, so your total income is the guarantee plus a quarter of the pension. A one-off injury gratuity is paid as well, for every band including slight. Further reductions apply for industrial injuries benefit, reduced earnings allowance and similar, which this calculator does not model.

Banding is about loss of earning capacity. The diagnosis itself does not decide the band. A severe medical condition that does not restrict your civilian employment prospects might result in a lower band, whereas a moderate condition that completely prevents you from returning to your specific line of work could result in a higher band.

The assessment compares what you would have been capable of earning as a healthy police officer against what you can theoretically earn in the civilian job market given your current physical and psychological restrictions.

The Selected Medical Practitioner (SMP) is a qualified physician appointed to answer critical medical questions:

• Whether the disablement is permanent.
• Whether the disablement was received in the execution of police duties.
• The extent of your loss of earning capacity in the civilian labour market.
• What civilian jobs are compatible with your specific physical or psychological functional restrictions.

Preparing for an appointment? Our free SMP appointment checklist lists the papers to gather, what to ask the force and the questions the SMP must answer. It prints on one page.

It is important to understand how these two separate regulatory systems compare:

Yes, injury awards can be reviewed periodically by the police authority. If a review finds that your medical condition has changed or your civilian earning capacity has improved, your award may be adjusted.

If a medical review finds that your earning capacity has improved (e.g., your injury has healed or you have gained new skills), you may be moved to a lower band, reducing the payment. Conversely, if your condition has deteriorated, you may be adjusted to a higher band.

An ordinary or ill-health pension is taxable income, but individual tax treatment of injury benefit can depend on the structure of the payment and personal circumstances.

HMRC's Employment Income Manual (EIM75900) says payments from injury benefit schemes such as those for police and firefighters can be paid tax-free, while an ordinary or ill-health pension is taxable income. That does not settle how any individual award is taxed, so check with your pension administrator or HMRC.

This calculator cannot tell you whether your injury will be accepted as duty-related, what band an SMP will apply, whether your force or pension authority will dispute causation, whether an award may later be reviewed, or what legal strategy is appropriate.

If you are facing an injury on duty claim or medical retirement process, you should seek guidance from the following resources:

• Your Police Federation branch or staff association representative.
• Your force HR department and payroll teams.
• Your official pension administrator (for formal, verified estimates).
• Independent legal or financial advice where appropriate.

Disagree with an SMP decision? The time limits for a medical appeal are short. The free appeal deadline calculator works out the dates from when you received the report, and the appeals guide explains the stages.

Before an SMP assessment or a formal appeal, here is what the free estimator covers and what the £39.99 report adds (one payment, 6 months' access, 14-day refund). If you are not ready to create an account, you can check out in Stripe as a guest and link the access to your PolicePay profile afterwards.