Police Pay
Free calculator 1987 / 2006 / 2015 Updated 1 October 2026

Police Pension Increase Calculator

See what a given percentage would do to your police pension in April 2027, including the first-year pro-rata rule for recent retirees, and how it compounds over 1 to 20 years.

Read this first: the April 2027 figure is not known yet. The increase is based on the change in CPI in the 12 months to September 2026. The ONS release calendar (checked 1 October 2026) lists that figure for 21 October 2026 at 7am. Every percentage in this tool is a scenario you choose, not a forecast. For context, CPI was 3.1% in the 12 months to August 2026, and the April 2026 increase was 3.8%.
Free calculator

Your inputs

The gross annual pension you are paid now (after the April 2026 increase). If you commuted part of your pension for a lump sum, enter the reduced pension you actually receive.

Police pension scheme

The 2015 scheme is a career-average (CARE) scheme. Once your pension is in payment it is increased each April in line with the public service pensions increase. While you are still serving, your CARE pension pot is revalued at CPI plus 1.25% instead (see below).

Leave blank if your pension began more than a year before the April 2027 increase (you get the full increase). If it started in the 12 months before, the first increase is pro-rated by complete months in payment. Months follow the start-date bands in the Order (which roll over late in the month, not on the 1st), and the 2027 bands are assumed to match 2021 until the 2027 Order is made.

No date entered: full first-year increase assumed.

These are scenarios, not forecasts. The real figure is the change in CPI in the 12 months to September 2026, which the ONS publishes on 21 October 2026. Until then nobody knows it.

1 year20 years

Used only to express future pension in today's money. Left blank, it matches the increase you chose, so the only real-terms drag is the first-year pro-rata effect.

New annual pension (Apr 2027)

£20,600.00

Up from £20,000.00 (3.00% applied)

New monthly pension (gross)

£1,716.67

Up from £1,666.67 per month before tax

Increase in year 1

+£600.00 a year

+£50.00 a month, before tax

After 10 years

£26,878 a year

£20,000 in today's money at 3.0% inflation

Projected annual pension

£19,450£23,439£27,429NowApr 2036
  • With increases (cash)
  • In today's money
  • Pension frozen (no increases)
Year-by-year projection of annual and monthly pension, value in today's money and cumulative extra income compared with a frozen pension
YearAnnualMonthlyToday's moneyExtra vs frozen (cumulative)
Now£20,000£1,666.67£20,000—
Apr 2027£20,600£1,716.67£20,000+£600
Apr 2028£21,218£1,768.17£20,000+£1,818
Apr 2029£21,855£1,821.21£20,000+£3,673
Apr 2030£22,510£1,875.85£20,000+£6,183
Apr 2031£23,185£1,932.12£20,000+£9,368
Apr 2032£23,881£1,990.09£20,000+£13,249
Apr 2033£24,597£2,049.79£20,000+£17,847
Apr 2034£25,335£2,111.28£20,000+£23,182
Apr 2035£26,095£2,174.62£20,000+£29,278
Apr 2036£26,878£2,239.86£20,000+£36,156

Real-terms note. Because the annual increase is linked to CPI, the pension broadly keeps its buying power. Any difference in today’s-money terms comes from the pro-rata first year and from CPI moving between September and the year that follows.

2015 scheme, still serving? This tool models a pension in payment. If you are still an active member, your CARE pension pot is instead revalued each April at CPI plus 1.25%, which at the 3.0% scenario would be 4.25%. That revaluation applies to the pot while you serve; it is not the rate applied after retirement.

Not modelled: income tax, the 2015-scheme early-retirement reduction, McCloud remedy recalculations, guaranteed minimum pension adjustments, and any rule that delays increases on pensions paid before a minimum age. Your force pension administrator's figures always override this estimate.

Need the full retirement picture?

This free tool only answers one question: how much does my pension go up. The paid Pension Command Centre models your scheme, retirement age, commutation and lump sum, McCloud remedy options and lifetime pension value in one place. You do not need it to use this page.

See the Pension Command Centre →

This calculator is for general information and illustration only. It is not financial, tax or pension advice and is not affiliated with the Home Office, HM Treasury or any police force. Results are estimates based on the assumptions you enter; they are not forecasts. Assumed increase date: 12 April 2027, with start-date bands assumed to follow the 2021 Order's 28th-27th pattern (the 2027 Order has not yet been made). Speak to your force pension administrator, the Police Federation or a regulated adviser before making decisions.

How the calculator works

Police pensions in payment, under the 1987, 2006 and 2015 schemes alike, are increased each April by the same percentage as other public service pensions. That percentage is the change in the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) between the previous two Septembers. The calculator applies your chosen percentage to your current annual pension, then repeats it each April for the years you select.

  1. Year 1 (April 2027). New pension = current pension × (1 + increase). If your pension began in the 12 months before the increase date, the increase is multiplied by complete months in payment ÷ 12 first.
  2. Later years. Each April the full percentage is applied to the previous year's pension, so increases compound.
  3. Today's money. Each year's pension is divided by (1 + inflation) raised to the number of years, using the inflation rate you enter (default: equal to the increase).
  4. Extra vs frozen. Running total of the additional income you receive compared with a pension that never increased.

Assumptions and limits

  • Increase date assumed to be 12 April 2027. Recent Orders took effect on the first Monday after 5 April. The 2027 Order will not be made until early 2027, so this date is an assumption. It only matters for the pro-rata calculation.
  • Pro-rata rule. Modelled on Article 3 of the Pensions Increase (Review) Order 2026, which multiplies the increase by complete months in payment ÷ 12 for pensions that began within the previous 12 months. The calculator counts calendar months to 12 April 2027. Each Order's Explanatory Note sets the official start-date bands, and they are offset from the 1st of the month (the 2026 bands ran from the 22nd to the 21st; the 2021 bands, the last year with an increase date of 12 April, from the 28th to the 27th). For some start dates the official band can therefore be one month higher than this tool shows. Check your date against the 2027 Order when it is published.
  • Under 55. Not modelled. A pension for your own service is not increased before 55 unless you retired on ill-health grounds or are permanently incapacitated (Pensions (Increase) Act 1971, section 3), with a narrow exception for pre-1993 service if you have a dependant. Survivors' and relevant injury pensions are increased at any age.
  • Negative CPI. A pension in payment is not reduced if CPI is negative, so negative percentages are treated as 0%.
  • Gross figures. No income tax, no National Insurance and no adjustments for guaranteed minimum pensions or McCloud remedy recalculations. Your administrator applies those.
  • Constant percentage. The projection applies your chosen percentage to every year. Real CPI will vary from year to year.

Quick check: a £20,000 pension

Illustrations only. These are scenarios, not forecasts.

Effect of scenario increases on a £20,000 annual pension
Scenario New annual pension Extra per year Extra per month
2%£20,400£400£33.33
3%£20,600£600£50.00
3.8% (the April 2026 rate, for comparison)£20,760£760£63.33
4%£20,800£800£66.67

Pro-rata example: if the same pension began 6 complete months before the increase date, a 3% scenario gives 3% × 6/12 = 1.5%, so £20,300 rather than £20,600.

What happens on 21 October 2026

Status as at 1 October 2026: scheduled, not yet published.

The ONS release calendar lists "Consumer price inflation, UK: September 2026" for Wednesday 21 October 2026 at 7am. The line that matters is the CPI 12-month rate to September 2026. The same bulletin reports CPIH and RPI, which do not set the increase (in August 2026, CPI was 3.1% and CPIH 3.3%). The April 2026 increase of 3.8% matched CPI to September 2025, and the April 2025 increase of 1.7% matched CPI to September 2024.

  1. Enter the published September CPI figure as the increase in the calculator above.
  2. If your pension began after about April 2026, enter the start date to see the pro-rata share.
  3. If you are under 55 and did not retire on ill-health grounds, no increase is paid until 55, so the tool's figures do not apply to you yet.
  4. Serving 2015 scheme members: add 1.25 percentage points for the 1 April 2027 revaluation of built-up CARE pension. This tool does not model that.
  5. Remember the figure is formally confirmed later: by a Treasury statement (26 February in 2026) and the 2027 Pensions Increase (Review) Order (made 9 March in 2026).
Illustrative April 2027 changes at CPI scenarios of 2%, 3% and 4%
Illustrative pension (not a real case) CPI 2% CPI 3% CPI 4%
£20,000, in payment over a year, aged 55++£400+£600+£800
£20,000, began 1 October 2026 (6/12 pro-rata)+£200+£300+£400
£20,000, aged 52, not ill-health£0£0£0
£15,000 ill-health pension, aged 45+£300+£450+£600
£10,000 survivor's pension+£200+£300+£400

Gross annual changes, not forecasts. The pro-rata row assumes a 12 April 2027 increase date and the 2026 Order's complete-months rule. The full guide adds a 2015 scheme revaluation row and what happens to an under-55 pension at 55.

Sources

Checked 1 October 2026.

The Scottish circular is used for the wording of the CPI indexation and revaluation rules that apply UK-wide to public service pensions; the Order itself extends to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Confirm the application to your own scheme with your force pension administrator.

Frequently asked questions

How much will my police pension go up in April 2027?
Nobody knows yet. The April 2027 increase is based on the change in the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) in the 12 months to September 2026, which the ONS is due to publish on 21 October 2026. Until then, the calculator lets you test scenarios such as 2%, 3% and 4%. For reference only, CPI was 3.1% in the 12 months to August 2026, but that figure does not set the increase.
What happens on 21 October 2026?
The ONS release calendar lists 'Consumer price inflation, UK: September 2026' for 21 October 2026 at 7am (checked 1 October 2026). Look for the CPI 12-month rate to September 2026, not CPIH or RPI. Enter that percentage in the calculator. It is the expected April 2027 increase, but it is formally confirmed later by a Treasury statement and the 2027 Pensions Increase (Review) Order.
What was the police pension increase in April 2026 and April 2025?
3.8% from 6 April 2026 (CPI in the 12 months to September 2025) under the Pensions Increase (Review) Order 2026, SI 2026/256, and 1.7% from 7 April 2025 (CPI in the 12 months to September 2024) under SI 2025/343. Both were for pensions in payment for a full year; newer pensions got a pro-rata share.
Does the calculator apply the under-55 rule?
No. Under section 3 of the Pensions (Increase) Act 1971, a pension for your own service is not increased until you are 55 unless you retired on ill-health grounds or are permanently incapacitated (with a narrow exception for pre-1993 service if you have a dependant). Survivors' and relevant injury pensions are not affected. If you are under 55 and none of these applies, the calculator's figures do not apply to you until 55; ask your administrator for your rate at 55.
When is the 2015 scheme CARE revaluation applied?
On 1 April, the start of the scheme year. The Public Service Pensions Revaluation Order 2026 (SI 2026/254) set the change in prices at 3.8% (CPI to September 2025) and came into force on 1 April 2026; the 2015 regulations add 1.25%, giving 5.05%. The pension increase for pensions in payment uses the same CPI figure but a separate Order, in force 6 April 2026. This calculator models pensions in payment only.
Does this calculator forecast the April 2027 increase?
No. Every percentage in the calculator is a scenario you choose. The tool does not predict inflation. It shows what a given percentage would do to your pension, month by month and year by year.
Which police pension schemes does it cover?
Pensions in payment under the 1987, 2006 and 2015 police pension schemes are all increased through the same annual public service pensions increase, so the arithmetic is the same. The scheme selector adds scheme-specific notes, for example that a serving 2015 scheme member has their CARE pot revalued at CPI plus 1.25% instead.
What is the first-year pro-rata rule?
If your pension began within the 12 months before the increase date, you do not get the full percentage. The increase is multiplied by the number of complete months your pension has been in payment divided by 12. For example, a pension in payment for 6 complete months gets half of the annual percentage. This mirrors Article 3 of the Pensions Increase (Review) Order 2026 (SI 2026/256).
Why does the calculator assume 12 April 2027?
Recent increases have taken effect on the first Monday after 5 April (6 April 2026, 7 April 2025, 8 April 2024). In 2027, 5 April is a Monday, so the first Monday after it is 12 April. The 2027 Order has not been made yet, so this is an assumption that only affects the pro-rata calculation for recently retired officers.
Does the pension increase apply to my lump sum?
No. The annual increase applies to your pension in payment. A lump sum you have already been paid does not increase. If you have commuted part of your pension, enter the reduced pension you actually receive.
Is the result before or after tax?
Before tax. Police pension income is taxable. The calculator shows gross figures only and does not model income tax, so your take-home increase will be smaller than the figures shown.
What does the real-terms view show?
It converts each future pension figure into today's money using an inflation rate you choose (by default, the same rate as the increase). If the pension rises with inflation, the real-terms line stays roughly flat. It slopes down if you assume inflation is higher than the increase.
Can I use this if I am still serving?
You can use it to illustrate a pension in payment, but your accrued pension is calculated differently while you serve. In the 2015 scheme, a serving member's CARE pot is revalued at CPI plus 1.25%. In the 1987 and 2006 schemes your final pension depends on your pay and service. For full retirement modelling see the Pension Command Centre.
Is this financial advice?
No. It is an illustration based on the inputs and assumptions you enter. Your force pension administrator's figures, and advice from a regulated adviser, take precedence.