How Long Does It
Actually Take?
The honest answer is that no regulation sets an overall timetable. Here is every time limit that does exist, the only published force figures we could find, what slows cases down, what happens to your pay while you wait, and what is backdated.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 1 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
There is no set time: the regulations give the SMP no deadline, so it depends on your force, the SMP provider and medical evidence. Fixed points are the 28-day appeal windows and at least two months' notice of an appeal hearing. One force's FOI data (GMP, 2025) shows injury award claims taking 2 to 26 months. Ill-health pensions run from the retirement date.
The sick pay calculator shows when full and half pay end on your absence history, and the protection gap calculator shows how long savings would cover the drop. When the decision comes, the injury award calculator shows what each band would pay.
There is no overall clock
Neither the Police (Injury Benefit) Regulations 2006 nor the Police Pensions Regulations 2015 set a time for the police pension authority to refer you, for the SMP to decide, or for the authority to act on the report. Regulation 81 of the 2015 regulations says the authority "must refer" the questions before considering compulsory retirement, and the SMP "must" examine or interview you and give a report; neither has a deadline. The same is true of injury award referrals under regulation 30.
So any figure you hear, such as "about six months" or "a year", is someone's experience of one force at one time, not a rule. We set out below the only published figures we found, with their limits.
The time limits that do exist
| Step | Time | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Sick pay: full pay | 6 months in any one year period, reduced by paid sick absence in the previous 12 months | Annex K para 1, 2 |
| Sick pay: half pay | A further 6 months; then no pay unless the chief officer extends it | Annex K para 1, 3 |
| Adjusted duties review | Written notice at 9 months; management review at 12 months; one month's notice of any X-factor deduction | Annex EE paras 12, 13, 16 |
| Pay deductions where you have been referred to an SMP | No adjusted duties pay deduction decision until the outcome of the SMP referral is known | Annex EE para 19 |
| SMP decision | No time limit | PIBR reg 30; PPR 2015 regs 81, 86 |
| Appeal: notice | 28 days from receiving the SMP report, or longer if the authority allows | PIBR reg 31(1); PPR 2015 Sch 1 para 2(1) |
| Appeal: grounds | A further 28 days, or longer if allowed | PIBR reg 31(2); PPR 2015 Sch 1 para 2(3) |
| Appeal hearing: notice | At least 2 months, unless both sides agree to less | PIBR Sch 6 para 3(2); PPR 2015 Sch 1 para 8(2) |
| Appeal hearing: evidence | Written evidence at least 35 days before; replies at least 7 days before | PIBR Sch 6 para 4; PPR 2015 Sch 1 para 9 |
| Upgrade from lower to upper tier (2015) | Normally within 5 years of the lower tier pension becoming payable; no limit for listed progressive conditions | PPR 2015 regs 112, 113 |
| Regulation 12 disablement gratuity | Total and permanent disablement must arise within 12 months of the injury | PIBR reg 12(1)(c) |
| Claiming an injury award | No time limit in the regulations | PIBR reg 11; Kelly (2021) |
Two of these help you. Annex EE paragraph 19 stops adjusted duties pay deductions being decided while an SMP referral for ill-health retirement is pending. And there is no deadline for claiming an injury award: in Kelly the officer first claimed 11 years after retiring.
The stages, and where time goes
| Stage | What happens | What usually decides the time |
|---|---|---|
| Occupational health assessment | OH assesses prognosis and whether adjustments or redeployment can work | Force OH capacity; treatment still under way |
| Decision to refer | The authority decides to refer permanence questions to an SMP | Force policy; whether adjustments and redeployment have been exhausted (the Surrey and Sussex policy requires that first) |
| Gathering records | GP, hospital and specialist records and reports, with your consent | Third parties sending records; consent forms |
| SMP appointment and report | Examination or interview, possibly further specialist opinion, then the report | SMP provider waiting list; need for further reports |
| Authority's decision | Retire on a tier, or retain you in a role you can do | Internal decision-making; any invitation to comment on the report |
| Injury award (if not decided with retirement) | Records check, earnings assessment, SMP decision on causation and degree | Evidence that the injury happened on duty; earnings assessment |
| Appeal (if any) | Notice, grounds, referral, hearing, written decision | At least 2 months' hearing notice plus evidence periods; board availability |
| Payment | Administrator sets up the pension, gratuity and injury pension | Administrator; certificates passed on |
Published force data: Greater Manchester Police
In a Freedom of Information response dated 21 March 2025, Greater Manchester Police gave the time taken to process each injury on duty claim over the previous five years, in months. It said it did not hold an average. We have grouped the 63 cases it listed:
| Time taken | Cases | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 6 months | 24 | 38% |
| 7 to 12 months | 29 | 46% |
| 13 to 18 months | 8 | 13% |
| More than 18 months | 2 | 3% |
The full list runs from 2 months to 26 months. The same response said GMP received 84 injury on duty claims in the period, 55 succeeded and 8 did not, and the successful claims were placed in band 1 (1), band 2 (11), band 3 (16) and band 4 (27). (Bands 1 to 4 are shorthand for the four degree of disablement ranges in Schedule 3, from slight to very severe; the regulations themselves speak of a percentage degree of disablement.) It has 10.5 HR caseworkers processing applications.
- One force only. Other forces' processes and providers differ.
- The response does not say when the clock starts and stops (for example from application to SMP decision, or to payment), or whether appeals are included.
- It covers injury award claims, not ill-health retirement decisions.
- Figures cover 2020 to 2025 and may not reflect current waiting times.
Published data from Scotland (a different system)
Police Scotland officers are in separate Scottish pension arrangements, so these figures do not describe England and Wales. They are included because they are the only official waiting time figures for an SMP stage we found. The Scottish Police Authority's Ill Health Retirement Review Closure Report (published 23 February 2024) said:
- average waits for an SMP appointment fell from 13 months in 2021-22 to 5 months in 2022-23;
- in a fast-track trial from May to November 2023, 7 officers meeting the criteria took an average of 27 days (range 16 to 42) from SMP appointment to sign-off, against an average of 61 days (range 35 to 82) for 8 officers in January to May 2023;
- officers are given 28 days to consider the SMP report and a further 28 days to respond to the posting panel information;
- live ill-health retirement cases fell from 101 to 57 over the year, and injury on duty cases from 48 to 39.
The lesson that does transfer: waits for the SMP appointment, not the decision itself, can dominate the timetable.
What slows cases down
- Treatment not finished. Permanence is judged assuming normal appropriate treatment (PIBR reg 7(3); PPR 2015 reg 75). If treatment is still under way, OH or the SMP may wait for its outcome.
- Records and consent. GP, hospital and specialist records, and your written consent for each. Missing consent can stall a referral, because the SMP or board may not have the evidence it needs. The regulations do not say an appeal is dismissed for withholding consent to records; the rule on appeals being treated as withdrawn is about failing to attend examinations or interviews (see non-attendance below).
- Further opinions. The SMP can refer you to a specialist; the Surrey and Sussex policy requires you to attend those appointments.
- Evidence that the injury happened on duty. The GMP toolkit describes a records check and, where records are missing, statements from you and your line manager and a decision by a senior HR manager before referral.
- Sequencing. Some forces decide the injury award after ill-health retirement rather than at the same time.
- The earnings assessment. Preparing the comparator jobs and getting your feedback adds a step. See the earnings assessment guide.
- Appeals. 28 plus 28 days for notice and grounds, then at least two months' notice of a hearing, plus the board's availability.
- Non-attendance. If you wilfully or negligently fail to attend an examination or interview the SMP needs, the authority can decide on the evidence and advice it has; if it happens on an appeal, the appeal is treated as withdrawn (PIBR reg 33; PPR 2015 reg 77(1) and (2)). A documented good reason for missing an appointment makes that much less likely, so rearrange in writing.
Your pay while you wait
Annex K sets sick pay whatever the cause: full pay for 6 months in any one year period, then half pay for 6 months, reduced by paid sick absence in the previous 12 months. After that there is no pay unless the chief officer exercises the discretion in paragraph 3.
- PNB guidance. Police Negotiating Board Circular 5/01, quoted by the High Court in Weed (2020), says it would generally be appropriate for chief officers to exercise the discretion favourably where the authority has referred the question of permanent disablement to an SMP, among other cases. It also says each case must be considered on its merits and a force cannot have a fixed policy either way.
- In Weed itself the force paid full pay from the SMP referral to retirement, in line with its own procedure and the PNB guidance, but refused earlier periods; the court upheld that.
- Force policy. The Surrey and Sussex policy says an individual will usually stay on their current pay status (full or half) once they have applied for medical retirement, with discretion under the relevant guidance.
- Adjusted duties. Annex EE paragraph 19 stops X-factor deduction decisions while an SMP referral for ill-health retirement is pending.
Before half pay starts, ask HR in writing for the force's sick pay extension policy and request an extension, pointing to any SMP referral and to evidence that the injury happened on duty. Your Federation or staff association rep can help. See long-term sickness.
What is backdated, and what is not
- Ill-health pension (2015). Payable from the date the authority requires you to retire (regulation 103). Until then you are a serving officer on whatever pay you are entitled to.
- Upper tier added on review. Payable from the "claim date": when the scheme manager is told you have worsened (regulation 112) or refers the questions on a periodic review (regulation 113).
- Injury pension. Payable from retirement where you were retired because of the disablement (Kelly, 2021). Regulation 43(3) allows payment to be delayed while liability is determined, which is why arrears are paid once the award is made. If you left before becoming disabled, it runs from when you became disabled (regulation 11(2)).
- Injury gratuity. Payable as soon as the entitlement arises and "forthwith in one sum", unless delayed while liability is determined or paid in instalments where the authority thinks that is to your advantage (regulation 43(6)).
- Interest. In Kelly the Court of Appeal held that the Crown Court can award interest on a regulation 34 appeal, and restored its award of 3% a year from July 2017, when the authority decided the claim, rather than from the 2005 retirement. Whether interest is due in another case, and from when, is a question for your Federation rep or a solicitor.
What you can do to avoid delay
- Return consent forms for records the same week, and keep copies.
- Ask your GP and treating specialists for reports early, addressing diagnosis, treatment, prognosis and what you can do.
- Attend every appointment; if you cannot, rearrange in writing at once.
- Ask whether the injury award questions can be referred at the same time as ill-health retirement.
- Ask for the earnings assessment as soon as it exists and comment promptly.
- Keep a dated log of every request, response and chaser.
- Diary 28 days from the day you receive any SMP report. The appeal deadline calculator works out the dates.
If you have already left the force
A claim for an injury award after you have left follows a different path, because permanence may not have been decided. The GMP toolkit we read describes the steps for someone who resigned or retired normally: an application, a check of personal and sickness records, statements where records of the incident are missing, a decision by a senior HR manager on whether the injury did or may have occurred, an earnings assessment, referral through occupational health to an SMP for permanence, then causation and degree. Each of those steps adds time, and records from years ago can be slow to find; the toolkit describes archived paper files.
There is no deadline for claiming, and where you were retired because of the disablement the pension is payable from retirement (Kelly). Where you left before becoming disabled, it runs from when you became disabled, or from when your claim was first made known if that date cannot be ascertained (regulation 7(7), or 7A(7) for 2015 scheme members). That is a reason not to delay a claim once you are disabled.
Keep your own timeline
| Event | Date | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| First day of sickness absence | Starts the Annex K full and half pay periods | |
| Request for sick pay extension sent | Shows you asked before half pay started | |
| Referral to occupational health | OH advises whether to refer to an SMP | |
| Referral to the SMP, and the questions referred | Starts the SMP stage; Annex EE para 19 pay protection on adjusted duties | |
| Consent forms returned | Avoids delay being put down to you | |
| SMP appointment(s) | Missing one without good reason has consequences | |
| SMP report received | Starts the 28-day appeal clock | |
| Authority's decision and retirement date | Ill-health pension payable from this date | |
| Injury award application and decision | Arrears may be due back to retirement |
If your case stalls
- Write to the person managing your case asking what stage it is at, what it is waiting for and when the next step is expected. Ask for the force's medical retirement policy.
- Involve your Federation or staff association representative while you serve; after you leave, ask your branch what it offers retired members.
- Use the force's grievance or complaints route for delay in handling. That does not change the medical questions, which only the SMP or board decides.
- Where a refusal to refer, or a decision on non-medical grounds, is the problem, the Crown Court route under regulation 34 may apply; take legal advice. See the appeals guide.
What people get wrong
- "It takes 6 months" (or 20 weeks, or a year). There is no regulation timetable and no national figure. Ask your force.
- "Once referred, I stay on full pay." Only if the chief officer exercises the discretion. PNB guidance supports it, but it is not automatic.
- "If I wait too long I lose the injury award." There is no claim deadline, though evidence gets harder to gather.
- "The 28 days run from the date on the letter." From when you receive the report.
- "Appealing restarts everything." It adds the appeal stages; you stay retired or not retired in the meantime, and a successful appeal can void a retirement (2015 regulation 84).
What we could not verify
- A national average or median. We found none for England and Wales and have not estimated one.
- Other forces' timescales. A Cleveland Police FOI on ill-health retirement and injuries on duty (FOI 248-25) was listed in search results but its page blocked automated access, so we could not read it.
- How GMP measured time. The FOI does not say what start and end points it used.
- Appeal board waiting times. No published figures found; the Home Office appeal guidance was withdrawn in 2022.
- How weekends count in the 28-day windows. The regulations do not say. Act well before the deadline or ask for an extension in writing.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How long does police medical retirement take?
There is no set time. The regulations give the SMP no deadline, so the length depends on your force, the SMP provider and how quickly medical evidence arrives. The only fixed periods are the appeal windows and hearing notice periods. We found no national figure; the force data we found is set out on this page.
How long does a police injury on duty award take?
One force has published figures. Greater Manchester Police's FOI response of 21 March 2025 listed 63 injury award claims taking between 2 and 26 months to process, with 24 taking 6 months or less and 53 taking 12 months or less. GMP said it did not hold an average. Other forces may differ.
Is there a time limit for the SMP to make a decision?
No. Regulation 30 of the Police (Injury Benefit) Regulations 2006 and regulations 81 and 86 of the Police Pensions Regulations 2015 require the referral and a report but set no deadline.
How long do I have to appeal an SMP decision?
28 days from receiving the report to give notice, or longer if the police pension authority allows, then a further 28 days for your grounds. The hearing then needs at least two months' notice unless both sides agree otherwise.
Do I go on to half pay while waiting for ill-health retirement?
Sick pay follows Annex K: full pay for 6 months then half pay for 6 months, whatever the reason for the absence. Police Negotiating Board guidance, quoted by the High Court in Weed (2020), says chief officers should generally exercise their discretion favourably where the authority has referred permanent disablement to an SMP. It is a discretion, so ask in writing.
Is the ill-health pension backdated?
Under the 2015 regulations the ill-health pension is payable from the date the authority requires you to retire (regulation 103). You are paid as a serving officer until then. If you are retired and win an appeal on the tier, ask the administrator how arrears are calculated.
Is an injury award backdated?
Where you were retired because of the disablement, the Court of Appeal in Kelly (2021) held the injury pension is payable from retirement, even if the award is decided years later. It also restored the Crown Court's award of interest on the arrears, at 3% a year from July 2017 (when the authority decided the claim), not from the 2005 retirement. If you left before becoming disabled, it is payable from when you became disabled (regulation 11(2)).
Why is my ill-health retirement taking so long?
Common reasons are waiting for GP and specialist records or reports, SMP availability, a referral for a further specialist opinion, disputes about whether the injury happened on duty, the injury award being dealt with after the retirement decision, and appeals. Ask your force which stage you are at and what it is waiting for.
Can I speed up police ill-health retirement?
You cannot force a timetable, but you can avoid avoidable delay: give consent for records promptly, attend appointments, send treating specialists' reports early, and keep written track of what the force is waiting for. Ask whether the injury questions can be referred at the same time.
Does the 28-day appeal time count weekends?
The regulations say 28 days without excluding weekends. For the appeal board's 35-day and 7-day evidence periods the regulations expressly include weekends and public holidays. If in doubt, act early or ask the authority in writing to allow longer.
How long does it take in Police Scotland?
Scotland has separate pension regulations. The Scottish Police Authority reported in February 2024 that the average wait for an SMP appointment fell from 13 months in 2021-22 to 5 months in 2022-23. Those figures do not describe England and Wales.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 1 October 2026. Rules and figures change, so check the source for the date you are reading this. Where we could not confirm something from an official or independent source, the page says so rather than guessing. Spotted something out of date? See our corrections policy.
- Police (Injury Benefit) Regulations 2006, regulations 11, 12, 30, 31, 43 and Schedule 6 (legislation.gov.uk, as made) — no SMP deadline; appeal periods; hearing notice and evidence periods; payments delayed pending determination (43(3), (6)) (accessed 1 October 2026)
- Police Pensions Regulations 2015, regulations 81, 86, 103, 112, 113 and Schedule 1 (revised) — referral without deadline; ill-health pension from the retirement date; 5-year upgrade limit; appeal timetable (accessed 1 October 2026)
- Annex K determination text (copy hosted by Police Federation, West Midlands) — six months' full pay, six months' half pay, chief officer discretion (accessed 1 October 2026)
- Home Office, Annex EE (limited duties and the deployment component of X-factor), effective 1 May 2015 (Circular 010/2015) — 9-month notice, 12-month review, one month's notice of deduction; para 19: no pay deduction decisions until the SMP referral outcome is known (accessed 1 October 2026)
- R (Weed) v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis [2020] EWHC 287 (Admin) — PNB Circular 5/01 guidance on discretionary sick pay, including where permanence has been referred to an SMP (accessed 1 October 2026)
- R (Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police) v Kelly [2021] EWCA Civ 1699 — injury pension from retirement despite an 11-year gap before the claim; Crown Court interest award of 3% a year from July 2017 restored (accessed 1 October 2026)
- Greater Manchester Police FOI 01/FOI/25/014281/L (21 March 2025) — processing time for each injury on duty claim (months); average not held; 10.5 HR caseworkers (accessed 1 October 2026)
- Scottish Police Authority: Ill Health Retirement Review Closure Report (published 23 February 2024) — Police Scotland: SMP appointment waits 13 months (2021-22) to 5 months (2022-23); fast-track trial 27 days against 61 days. Separate Scottish system (accessed 1 October 2026)
- Surrey Police and Sussex Police: Medical Retirement Policy 542/2025 — pay status during the process; injury award considered after retirement; a 14-day notification step in the force's own procedure, which is not the legal time limit (the regulations allow 28 days to appeal) (accessed 1 October 2026)
- Home Office: Guidance on medical appeals, section 9 (archived 2022) — historic target: board report normally within 10 working days of the hearing. Withdrawn (accessed 1 October 2026)
On this topic elsewhere
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Disclaimer
PolicePay.co.uk is an independent reference site. This page is general information, not legal, medical or financial advice, and the outcome of any injury award or ill-health retirement decision turns on the medical evidence and the facts of the individual case. Decisions are made by the police pension authority, selected medical practitioners and appeal boards, and the regulations are amended from time to time. Speak to your Police Federation representative or a solicitor about your own case, and your pension administrator about your figures. If you are struggling, speak to your GP or one of the services listed on our support directory; if you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999. Details apply to England and Wales unless stated. Details are as checked on 1 October 2026.