Ill-Health Payouts
By Scheme
What a police ill-health retirement actually pays depends on which scheme your service is in, how long you have served, your pay, your age and your tier. Here are the formulas from each set of regulations, the rules on qualifying service and deferred pensions, and eight worked examples you can check by hand.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 7 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
2015 scheme: your accrued pension with no early payment reduction (lower tier), plus final pay / 55.3 x half the years to 60 if you are unfit for any regular employment (upper tier); no automatic lump sum. 2006 scheme: 1/70 of final pay per year plus a 4/70 lump sum, with half the years to 55 added on the enhanced top-up. 1987 scheme: one pension on a sixtieths scale, at least 20/60 and at most 40/60 of pay with over 10 years. Most serving officers today get a legacy element plus 2015 tiers.
England and Wales. Every figure on this page is an illustration built from the regulations, using today's pay as a simplification and no pension increases or revaluation. They are not your entitlement. Two rules matter for realism: nobody can have more than about 11.5 years of 2015 scheme service by October 2026, and since 1 April 2022 every serving officer builds 2015 scheme pension. So longer service always means some 1987 or 2006 legacy service, and the examples model that.
The three schemes at a glance
| Scheme | Annual pension | Lump sum | Service needed | Regulations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 (CARE) | Lower tier: accrued pension, no early payment reduction. Upper tier adds final pay ÷ 55.3 × half the years to 60 | None automatic | 2 years' qualifying service, or unfit because of a duty injury | Regs 101 to 104 |
| 2006 (NPPS) | Standard: 1/70 of final pensionable pay per year, unreduced. Enhanced top-up: service increased by half the prospective service to 55 | 4/70 of final pensionable pay per year (4 × the annual pension) | 2 years' qualifying service, or a duty injury | Regs 28 to 31 |
| 1987 (PPS) | One ill-health pension on the Schedule B Part III sixtieths scale (floor 20/60 and ceiling 40/60 over 10 years) | None automatic in the scale | 5 years' pensionable service, or a duty injury; otherwise a gratuity | Reg B3, Sch B Parts III and IV |
Every scheme pays only if the Selected Medical Practitioner (SMP) decides you are permanently unable to perform the ordinary duties of a member of the police force, and the authority retires you. That test is explained in the ordinary duties test. The second test, for the higher level in the 2006 and 2015 schemes, is set out in lower tier vs upper tier.
Which scheme pays you
- Joined on or after 1 April 2015: all your service is 2015 scheme service. Use the 2015 rules.
- Joined before 1 April 2015: you have 1987 or 2006 legacy service. Since 1 April 2022 you have built 2015 service. Under the McCloud remedy, service from 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2022 is treated as legacy service, with a choice of which scheme's benefits to take for it. See the McCloud remedy explained.
- Already retired directly from the 1987 or 2006 scheme: your ill-health pension was worked out under that scheme's own rules, which are set out below for reference.
For a legacy member retired on ill-health grounds now, Schedule 4 paragraph 23 of the 2015 regulations combines the pieces. It applies if you have not reached the legacy scheme's normal pension age. The detail is in legacy members today.
The 2015 scheme formula
Lower tier (regulation 104(2)): your retirement earned pension, calculated as for a normal retirement but "without subtracting the early payment reduction". The 2015 scheme is a career average scheme: each year adds 1/55.3 of that year's pensionable earnings, revalued. Added pension you bought is paid with it (regulation 104(3)).
Upper tier (regulation 104(4) and (5)): the lower tier, plus an enhancement of
final pay ÷ 55.3 × assumed period of pensionable service ÷ 2
The assumed period runs from the day after your service ends to the day before you reach 60. Final pay is defined in regulation 159 (broadly, the best of the last 12 months or any one of the previous 10 scheme years, adjusted for inflation). With an aggregate period of service under 5 years, the enhancement is the lesser of this and 3 × your total accrued earned pension.
- Service needed: 2 years' qualifying service, or unfitness resulting from an injury received without your default in the execution of duty (regulation 102(2)(b)).
- Paid from the date you are required to retire (regulation 103(2)), for life.
- No automatic lump sum.
- You must be eligible for ill-health benefits: see regulation 36.
The 2006 scheme formula
The 2006 scheme (the New Police Pension Scheme) is a final salary scheme. Its ill-health pensions are built from the ordinary pension in regulation 28: an annual pension of 1/70 of final pensionable pay for each year of pensionable service, and a lump sum of 4/70 of final pensionable pay for each year.
- Standard ill-health pension (regulation 30): the ordinary pension and lump sum as if you were entitled to them at retirement, with no reduction for age.
- Enhanced top-up (regulation 31): if you are also permanently disabled for any regular employment, your pensionable service is increased by half of your "prospective service" (the service you would have done from retirement to age 55). With under 5 years' service, the increase is the lesser of multiplying your service by 4 or adding half the prospective service. The top-up is the difference between the enhanced totals and the standard pension, for both the annual pension and the lump sum.
- Final pensionable pay (regulation 24): the greatest of the last 12 months' pensionable pay, either of the two previous 12-month periods, or an average of any three consecutive years ending in the previous seven, with earlier figures adjusted for inflation.
- Age 55 or over at retirement: ordinary pension instead of an ill-health pension (regulation 29(1)(c)).
Final pensionable pay £40,000. These show how the formula works for someone who retired from the 2006 scheme before becoming a 2015 scheme member; they do not apply to an officer retired from service now (see below).
- 8 years' service, aged 35. Standard: 8/70 = £4,571 a year plus £18,286 lump sum. Enhanced: service becomes 8 + (55 − 35) ÷ 2 = 18 years, so 18/70 = £10,286 a year and £41,143 lump sum in total.
- 3 years' service, aged 30. Enhanced service is the lesser of 3 × 4 = 12 or 3 + 12.5 = 15.5, so 12 years: 12/70 = £6,857 a year and £27,429 lump sum in total (standard alone: £1,714 and £6,857).
If you were upgraded from standard to enhanced after retirement on a review, the enhanced top-up does not bring any extra lump sum (regulation 51(9)).
The 1987 scheme formula: the Schedule B Part III scale
The 1987 scheme pays one ill-health pension. With at least 5 years' pensionable service, or disablement resulting from an injury received in the execution of duty, it is a pension on this scale; otherwise it is a gratuity (regulation B3(3) and (4)). Fractions are of average pensionable pay: broadly, the pay for the year ending with your last day of service, or for the year ending on the same date in either of the two previous years if higher (G1(2), (4) and (5)).
| Pensionable service | Pension |
|---|---|
| Under 5 years | 1/60 of average pensionable pay for each year, and at least 1/60 (para 2) |
| 5 to 10 years | 2/60 for each year (para 3) |
| More than 10 years | 7/60, plus 1/60 for each year up to 20, plus 2/60 for each year over 20; at least 20/60 and at most 40/60 (para 4) |
| Limit (paras 3 and 4 cases) | No more than the ordinary or short service pension you would have had if you had served until you could be required to retire on age, using the same average pensionable pay (para 5) |
On a hypothetical average pensionable pay of £50,000, the scale gives these figures (formula illustration only):
| Service | Rule | Fraction | Pension a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 years | Para 2: 1/60 × 3 (pension only with a duty injury) | 3/60 | £2,500 |
| 8 years | Para 3: 2/60 × 8 | 16/60 | £13,333 |
| 10 years | Para 3: 2/60 × 10 | 20/60 | £16,667 |
| 12 years | Para 4: 7 + 12 = 19/60, raised to the 20/60 floor | 20/60 | £16,667 |
| 16 years | Para 4: 7 + 16 = 23/60 | 23/60 | £19,167 |
| 20 years | Para 4: 7 + 20 = 27/60 | 27/60 | £22,500 |
| 23 years | Para 4: 7 + 20 + 2 × 3 = 33/60 | 33/60 | £27,500 |
| 26 years | Para 4: 7 + 20 + 2 × 6 = 39/60 | 39/60 | £32,500 |
| 30 years | Para 4: 7 + 20 + 2 × 10 = 47/60, cut to the 40/60 ceiling | 40/60 | £33,333 |
Without a duty injury, 3 years' service would give a gratuity instead: the greater of 1/12 of average pensionable pay per year (£12,500 here) and your aggregate contributions (Schedule B Part IV para 2). The paragraph 5 limit mainly affects officers who joined late, who could not have reached 30 years by the age at which they could be required to retire. The as-made regulations set those ages by rank (A18), and they were amended later, so check your own position with the administrator.
Schedule B Part III paragraph 1 also makes the pension subject to reductions at State Pension age in Parts VII and VIII of the Schedule. We have not modelled those, and they may not apply to you; your administrator will know.
Legacy members retired today: how the pieces combine
If you are a "transition member with continuity of service" (in practice, a 1987 or 2006 member who moved into the 2015 scheme) and you are ill-health retired before the legacy scheme's normal pension age, Schedule 4 paragraph 23 of the 2015 regulations says:
- no ill-health pension is paid under the legacy scheme itself;
- instead you get a "transition member's ill-health pension": the 2015 lower tier, plus the 2015 enhancement if you meet the upper tier threshold, plus an amount for your legacy service;
- 2006 members: the legacy amount is the 2006 ill-health pension, which paragraph 21 defines as the standard ill-health pension, plus the regulation 28(1)(b) lump sum on legacy service;
- 1987 members: the better of the 1987 ill-health pension that would have been payable on your closing date, or a pension worked out on "weighted accrual" (paragraph 39 of Schedule 4);
- the legacy part keeps its own scheme's conditions and can end in the same circumstances (paragraph 23(8)); when you reach the legacy normal pension age it is paid under the legacy scheme instead (paragraph 24).
Two details change the 2015 enhancement for legacy members (regulation 104(4) and (6)). For a 2006 transition member, 2006 service counts toward the 5-year "aggregate period", and 2006 accrued pension counts in the 3 times cap. For a 1987 transition member, only 2015 service counts, so the under-5-years cap must be checked even for a long-serving officer. In our examples the formula is below the cap either way.
Eight worked examples
Illustrative examples, not real cases. Pay figures are 2026/27 England and Wales scale points from our pay data. Ages are at retirement in October 2026. Legacy examples assume legacy benefits are taken for the McCloud remedy period, leaving 4.5 years of 2015 service from April 2022. Totals are the sum of the rounded parts.
| Example | Age | Service | Pay | Lower tier (or standard) a year | Upper tier a year | Lump sum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Example 1: 2015 scheme only: constable, top of scale, joined 2016 | 38 | 10 years 2015 | £52,015 | £9,406 | £19,753 | None |
| Example 2: 2015 scheme only: constable, joined 2020 | 31 | 6 years 2015 | £44,544 | £4,833 | £16,513 | None |
| Example 3: 2015 scheme only: constable, joined 2023 | 26 | 3 years 2015 | £36,335 | £1,971 | £7,884 | None |
| Example 4: 2015 scheme only: student officer, 1 year, unfit after an assault on duty | 23 | 1 year 2015 | £34,972 | £632 | £2,529 | None |
| Example 5: 2006 legacy sergeant: joined 2010 | 40 | 12 years 2006 + 4.5 years 2015 | £56,573 | £14,302 | £24,532 | £38,793 |
| Example 6: 1987 legacy sergeant: joined 2004 | 44 | 18 years 1987 + 4.5 years 2015 | £58,175 | £28,974 | £37,390 | None |
| Example 7: 1987 legacy inspector: joined 1999 | 47 | 23 years 1987 + 4.5 years 2015 | £71,396 | £45,078 | £53,470 | None |
| Example 8: 2006 legacy constable: joined 2013 | 35 | 9 years 2006 + 4.5 years 2015 | £52,015 | £10,921 | £22,678 | £26,751 |
What the eight examples show:
- Short 2015 service (Examples 3 and 4): the 3 times cap cuts the enhancement sharply. Example 4 only qualifies at all because the unfitness results from a duty injury; without it, under 2 years' service gives no 2015 ill-health pension.
- Young officers (Examples 1, 2 and 8): the enhancement is often bigger than the lower tier, because it credits half of many years to 60.
- Long legacy service (Examples 6 and 7): the 1987 element is most of the pension. The 2015 lower tier adds about £4,700 to £5,800 a year, and the upper tier enhancement about £8,400 more.
- 2006 legacy (Examples 5 and 8): a lump sum comes with the legacy element, whichever tier applies.
Step by step: check each example by hand
Every number above can be checked with a calculator. The enhancement uses the years from retirement to 60, halved.
| Example | Legacy element | 2015 lower tier | 2015 enhancement (upper tier only) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Example 1 | No legacy service | £52,015 × 10 ÷ 55.3 = £9,406 | 5+ years: formula £52,015 ÷ 55.3 × 22 ÷ 2. Enhancement: £10,347 |
| Example 2 | No legacy service | £44,544 × 6 ÷ 55.3 = £4,833 | 5+ years: formula £44,544 ÷ 55.3 × 29 ÷ 2. Enhancement: £11,680 |
| Example 3 | No legacy service | £36,335 × 3 ÷ 55.3 = £1,971 | Under 5 years: lesser of the formula (£11,170) and 3 × £1,971 (£5,913). Enhancement: £5,913 |
| Example 4 | No legacy service | £34,972 × 1 ÷ 55.3 = £632 | Under 5 years: lesser of the formula (£11,699) and 3 × £632 (£1,897). Enhancement: £1,897 |
| Example 5 | 2006 standard pension: £56,573 × 12 ÷ 70 = £9,698, lump sum 4 × = £38,793 | £56,573 × 4.5 ÷ 55.3 = £4,604 | Aggregate period 16.5 years (2006 service counts): no cap; £56,573 ÷ 55.3 × 20 ÷ 2. Enhancement: £10,230 |
| Example 6 | 1987 scale: 25/60 × £58,175 = £24,240 | £58,175 × 4.5 ÷ 55.3 = £4,734 | Aggregate period 4.5 years (2015 service only for a 1987 transition member): lesser of the formula (£8,416) and 3 × £4,734 (£14,202). Enhancement: £8,416 |
| Example 7 | 1987 scale: 33/60 × £71,396 = £39,268 | £71,396 × 4.5 ÷ 55.3 = £5,810 | Aggregate period 4.5 years (2015 service only for a 1987 transition member): lesser of the formula (£8,392) and 3 × £5,810 (£17,429). Enhancement: £8,392 |
| Example 8 | 2006 standard pension: £52,015 × 9 ÷ 70 = £6,688, lump sum 4 × = £26,751 | £52,015 × 4.5 ÷ 55.3 = £4,233 | Aggregate period 13.5 years (2006 service counts): no cap; £52,015 ÷ 55.3 × 25 ÷ 2. Enhancement: £11,757 |
For the 2006 examples the lump sum is 4 × the legacy annual pension, because both are fractions of the same final pensionable pay (4/70 against 1/70 per year). For the 1987 examples, Example 6 has 18 years, so 7 + 18 = 25/60; Example 7 has 23 years, so 7 + 20 + (2 × 3) = 33/60. Both are inside the 20/60 floor and 40/60 ceiling.
- Today's pay is used for every part. Real legacy figures use the scheme's own pay definition, and 2015 accrual uses each year's earnings, revalued.
- The 1987 "weighted accrual" alternative, the paragraph 5 limit and any State Pension age reductions are not modelled.
- Part-time service, added pension, transfers in and pension sharing on divorce are ignored.
- Your McCloud remedy choice could move 2015 to 2022 service between schemes and change every part.
The examples one by one
Short notes on what each example shows, and what would change it.
Lower tier £9,406; upper tier £19,753. With 22 years to 60, the enhancement (£10,347) is slightly larger than the pension built up in ten years. Retiring five years later, at 43, would cut the enhancement by about £2,351 a year.
Lower tier £4,833; upper tier £16,513. With 6 years' service the cap does not apply, and the enhancement (£11,680) is more than twice the lower tier. Had this officer been retired with 4 years' service, the cap would have limited the enhancement to 3 times the accrued pension.
Lower tier £1,971; upper tier £7,884. The formula would give more than £11,000, but with under 5 years the enhancement is capped at 3 times the accrued pension: £5,913. For short-serving officers, an injury award, if one applies, can be worth more than the ill-health pension.
Lower tier £632; upper tier £2,529. Payable only because the unfitness results from an injury on duty without the officer's default (regulation 102(2)(b)). The same officer unfit because of an unrelated illness would have no 2015 ill-health pension. An injury award has no minimum service and would be decided separately.
Legacy standard pension £9,698 plus a £38,793 lump sum, on either tier. 2015 lower tier £4,604. The 2015 enhancement (£10,230) runs to 60, not 55. Total £14,302 (lower) or £24,532 (upper) a year.
1987 element £24,240 (25/60). 2015 lower tier £4,734; enhancement £8,416. Because a 1987 transition member's aggregate period is only the 2015 service, the 3 times cap is checked: 3 × £4,734 is higher than the formula, so the formula applies. Total £28,974 or £37,390.
1987 element £39,268 (33/60). With 27.5 years in total this officer may be close to the 1987 normal pension age; paragraph 23 applies only before it, so this example needs checking with the administrator. Total £45,078 or £53,470. The upper tier total crosses the higher rate threshold, which matters with an injury award.
Legacy standard pension £6,688 plus a £26,751 lump sum. Aged 35, the 2015 enhancement covers half of 25 years: £11,757, which is more than the legacy and 2015 lower tier pensions together. Total £10,921 or £22,678.
After tax
An ill-health pension is taxable. This table shows each example after 2026/27 England and Wales income tax, assuming the pension is your only income and the standard personal allowance. No National Insurance is due on pension income.
| Example | Lower tier | Upper tier | After tax a month (lower / upper) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Example 1 | £9,406 → £9,406 | £19,753 → £18,316 | £784 / £1,526 |
| Example 2 | £4,833 → £4,833 | £16,513 → £15,724 | £403 / £1,310 |
| Example 3 | £1,971 → £1,971 | £7,884 → £7,884 | £164 / £657 |
| Example 4 | £632 → £632 | £2,529 → £2,529 | £53 / £211 |
| Example 5 | £14,302 → £13,956 | £24,532 → £22,140 | £1,163 / £1,845 |
| Example 6 | £28,974 → £25,693 | £37,390 → £32,426 | £2,141 / £2,702 |
| Example 7 | £45,078 → £38,576 | £53,470 → £44,650 | £3,215 / £3,721 |
| Example 8 | £10,921 → £10,921 | £22,678 → £20,656 | £910 / £1,721 |
If you have other income, a partner's income does not affect your tax, but your own earnings or other pensions do. Scottish income tax rates are different.
The police ill-health retirement calculator applies these formulas to your scheme, pay, age and service, shows both tiers and the after-tax position, and lets you add an injury award. Take the output to your Federation representative or pension administrator as a starting point for questions, not as a decision.
Part-time officers
The schemes adjust the enhancement for part-time service rather than ignoring it:
- 2015: for the 5-year test, part-time service (2015 or 2006) counts as if it were full-time (regulation 104(8)). The assumed period to 60 is treated as part-time in the same proportion as your past service (regulation 104(9)), so a part-time officer's enhancement is scaled down accordingly. The lower tier is simply the pension you have built up.
- 2006: part-time service counts as full-time for the under-5-years test (regulation 31(5)); prospective service is treated as part-time in the same proportion as past service (regulation 31(6)); and there is a protection so that the pension is not less than it would have been on an earlier entitlement date (regulation 31(7)).
Part-time working is common in the years before an ill-health retirement. If your hours dropped because of your condition, ask the administrator how that period has been treated.
When the payout starts
A 2015 ill-health pension is payable monthly from the date the authority requires you to retire (regulation 103(2)), and for life. Before that date, while you are still serving, you are on sick pay or your normal pay, not the pension. How long the stages take varies by force; see how long it takes. If your pension is later upgraded to the upper tier, the enhancement is paid from the claim date (regulations 112(3) and 113(5)).
Qualifying service: who can get an ill-health pension
| Scheme | Condition for an ill-health pension | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | At least 2 years' qualifying service, or permanently unfit as the result of an injury received without your default in the execution of duty (reg 102(2)(b)) | Includes 1987 or 2006 service for transition members, and some transferred-in service; career breaks and unpaid leave are not counted (reg 88) |
| 2006 | The qualifying service criterion (2 years' qualifying service, reg 17(3)), or disablement resulting from an injury received without your default in the execution of duty (reg 29(3)(a)) | Over 55 at retirement: ordinary pension instead of an ill-health pension (reg 29(1)(c)) |
| 1987 | At least 5 years' pensionable service, or disablement resulting from an injury received in the execution of duty (B3(3)) | Otherwise an ill-health gratuity: the greater of 1/12 of average pensionable pay per year and your contributions; under 1 year, your contributions (Sch B Part IV) |
The duty injury route matters most for new officers. A student officer who is permanently unfit after an assault on duty in their first year can still receive a 2015 ill-health pension (Example 4), and may also have an injury award, which has no minimum service.
If you leave instead: deferred pension ages
Officers sometimes resign while unwell instead of waiting for an ill-health decision. A deferred pension is normally paid much later:
| Scheme | Normal payment age | Earlier payment | Service needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | State Pension age (reg 91(2)) | Earlier from normal minimum pension age in some cases (reg 91(4)): ask about any reduction; early on health grounds if permanently unfit for any regular employment (reg 91(3)) | 2 years' qualifying service (reg 91(2)(b)) |
| 2006 | 65 (reg 32(4)) | Voluntary early payment from 55 with an actuarial reduction (reg 33); early if permanently disabled for any regular employment (reg 32(4)) | Qualifying service criterion: 2 years (reg 17(3)) |
| 1987 (as made) | 60 (B5(4)(a)) | Earlier if you become permanently disabled, which in the 1987 scheme means unable to perform the ordinary duties (B5(4)(a), A12) | 5 years in the as-made text (B5(1)); later amendments not shown on legislation.gov.uk |
Resigning means you are not ill-health retired, so no lower or upper tier pension is paid for that service (regulation 102(2)(a) requires the authority to retire you). Early payment of a deferred pension on health grounds in the 2006 and 2015 schemes needs permanent disablement for any regular employment, which is a higher bar than the ordinary duties test. Talk to your Federation representative before resigning while an ill-health referral is possible. An injury award can still be claimed after leaving if a duty injury later causes permanent disablement; see which route applies.
Regulation 36: officers excluded from ill-health benefits
Regulation 36 of the 2015 regulations lets the scheme manager require a new joiner to be examined by an SMP. If the likely cost of providing that person's benefits is "disproportionately high", meaning more than 50% greater than for someone without an identified risk (regulation 35(2)), the person is ineligible for ill-health benefits (regulation 36(5)). Ineligible members paid reduced contributions (regulation 38). The scheme manager can re-determine eligibility later, but service then counts for ill-health purposes only from the re-determination (regulation 37). The 2006 scheme had a similar rule (regulation 8).
- In a 2023 legal challenge, the then Home Secretary conceded that regulation 36(5) contravened the non-discrimination rule in section 61 of the Equality Act 2010, in that case.
- The Home Office says new members should pay full contributions without the reductions in regulations 38 and 107 since September 2023.
- The Home Office consulted on removing regulation 36 from 20 August to 17 September 2026.
- The consultation page says the Home Office is analysing feedback. No outcome had been published when we checked.
- The Home Office says a second consultation may follow on any retrospective changes, depending on the outcome.
If you were told on joining that you were ineligible for ill-health benefits, keep the letter and ask your Federation representative how the outcome may affect you. We will update this page when the outcome is published.
Lump sums and tax
- 2015: no automatic lump sum with an ill-health pension.
- 2006: the standard ill-health pension comes with a lump sum of 4/70 of final pensionable pay per year. For legacy members retired now, it is paid on the legacy service (Schedule 4 paragraph 23(3)(b) and (4)(b)).
- 1987: no automatic lump sum in the ill-health scale; a gratuity is paid instead of a pension only where the service and duty injury conditions are not met.
- Commutation: whether and how much of an ill-health pension can be exchanged for a lump sum depends on the scheme; ask your administrator for figures. We have not set the rules out here.
- Tax: the ill-health pension is taxable. HMRC says police injury benefit "can be paid tax-free" (EIM75900). We say nothing definitive about tax on an injury gratuity.
If you also get an injury award
An injury award is paid on top of the ill-health pension, but the injury pension is reduced by three-quarters of your police pension (Police (Injury Benefit) Regulations 2006, Schedule 3 paragraph 6). So a higher ill-health pension, for example the upper tier, adds only a quarter of the difference before tax, and after tax the gain can be small, nil or even negative for a higher rate taxpayer. The arithmetic is worked through in lower tier vs upper tier, and the injury award itself in worked examples by band.
Can the payout change later?
Yes. Ill-health pensions can be reviewed, and the rules differ by scheme and tier. In outline:
- 2015 lower tier: reviewable until 60; if you are found fit for the ordinary duties you can be offered your job back, and the pension stops after 3 months or when you rejoin (regulations 110 and 111).
- 2015 upper tier: the enhancement can be reviewed at intervals of no less than 5 years until State Pension age; if it stops, the lower tier continues (regulation 114).
- Moving up: a lower tier pension can gain the enhancement if you get worse, normally only if the claim is within 5 years (regulations 112 and 113).
- 2006: standard pensions reviewable until 55, enhanced top-ups at intervals of at least 5 years until 65 (regulation 51).
- 1987: reviewable only while you would not have reached 25 years' service and could not have been required to retire on age (K1).
- Legacy element for transition members: subject to the same conditions, and ends in the same circumstances, as the legacy scheme's ill-health pension (Schedule 4 paragraph 23(8)).
Pensions in payment are normally increased each year under the pensions increase legislation; see pension increases explained. Full detail on reviews is in lower tier vs upper tier.
What to ask your administrator
- Please quote my ill-health pension on the lower tier and the upper tier separately.
- Please show the legacy element, the 2015 lower tier and the 2015 enhancement as separate figures, with any lump sum.
- Which pay figure is used for each part, and from which year?
- How has my McCloud remedy period service been treated, and how would the figures change with the other choice?
- What qualifying service do you hold for me, and does it include my legacy service?
- Am I recorded as eligible for ill-health benefits (regulation 36)?
- Can any part be commuted for a lump sum, and on what terms?
Your Police Federation representative can help you through the medical process and any appeal. A solicitor who handles police pensions can advise if a decision is disputed.
Common mistakes
- "I have 20 years in the 2015 scheme." Not possible: the scheme started in April 2015. Longer service means legacy service, paid under different rules.
- "The 1987 scheme has tier 1 and tier 2." It has one ill-health pension. The 2015 enhancement can be added for transition members who meet the upper tier test.
- "The upper tier credits all the years to 60." Half of them, at 1/55.3 of final pay.
- "2006 members get the enhanced top-up to 55." Only if retired directly from the 2006 scheme. Legacy members retired now get the 2006 standard pension plus 2015 tiers.
- "If I resign, my pension is paid at 55." Deferred pensions are normally paid at State Pension age (2015), 65 (2006) or 60 (1987, as made).
- "Under 2 years means nothing." A duty injury removes the 2-year condition in the 2015 scheme.
- "The ill-health pension is tax-free." It is taxable. It is the injury pension that HMRC says can be tax-free.
Not verified, or needs checking
- McCloud remedy. The ill-health chapter of the Police Pensions (Remediable Service) Regulations 2023 (Part 7, Chapter 1) covers officers who became entitled to an ill-health pension between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2022. We have not confirmed exactly how the remedy and your choice change Schedule 4 paragraph 23 and regulation 104 for a retirement now.
- Pay references. Which pay figure applies to each legacy element (including any final salary link) should be confirmed with your administrator.
- 1987 amendments. legislation.gov.uk holds only the as-made 1987 regulations. The deferred pension service condition (5 years as made), compulsory retirement ages (A18), State Pension age reductions and the weighted accrual calculation may have changed.
- Legacy normal pension age. Paragraph 23 applies only before it. For 1987 members it is set by an amendment (A4(4)) not shown on legislation.gov.uk.
- Commutation of ill-health pensions. Not set out here.
- Regulation 36 outcome. Pending at 7 October 2026.
- Tax on the injury gratuity. Not stated in the HMRC pages we read.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a police ill-health retirement payout?
It depends on your scheme, service, pay, age and tier. In the 2015 scheme the lower tier is your accrued pension with no early payment reduction; the upper tier adds final pay divided by 55.3, times half the years to 60. For example, a constable on £52,015 with 10 years' 2015 service retiring at 38 would get about £9,406 a year on the lower tier or £19,753 on the upper tier. There is no automatic lump sum in the 2015 scheme.
How is the 1987 police ill-health pension calculated?
Under Schedule B Part III of the 1987 regulations: under 5 years' service, 1/60 of average pensionable pay per year; 5 to 10 years, 2/60 per year; over 10 years, 7/60 plus 1/60 per year up to 20 plus 2/60 per year over 20, with a minimum of 20/60 and a maximum of 40/60. It cannot exceed the ordinary pension you would have had when you could have been required to retire on age.
Do I get a lump sum with police ill-health retirement?
In the 2006 scheme, yes: the standard ill-health pension includes a lump sum of 4/70 of final pensionable pay per year of service. The 2015 scheme and the 1987 ill-health scale have no automatic lump sum. Commutation is a separate question for your administrator. Any injury award gratuity is separate again.
How long do I need to have served for police ill-health retirement?
2015 scheme: 2 years' qualifying service, or unfitness resulting from an injury on duty without your own default. 2006 scheme: 2 years' qualifying service or a duty injury. 1987 scheme: 5 years' pensionable service or a duty injury for a pension; otherwise a gratuity.
I am a 1987 scheme member. Which scheme pays my ill-health pension now?
Since 1 April 2022 every serving officer builds pension in the 2015 scheme. If you are ill-health retired now, you get a legacy element for your 1987 service (the 1987 ill-health pension at your closing date, or a weighted accrual figure if better), plus the 2015 lower tier for your 2015 service, plus the 2015 upper tier enhancement if you meet the upper tier test (Schedule 4 paragraph 23 of the 2015 regulations). McCloud remedy choices can change the split.
Does the 2006 enhanced top-up still apply?
For officers retired directly from the 2006 scheme, yes. For a 2006 legacy member ill-health retired from service now, Schedule 4 paragraph 23 of the 2015 regulations pays the 2006 standard ill-health pension and its lump sum for legacy service; the enhancement comes from the 2015 scheme (half the years to 60, at 1/55.3) instead of the 2006 top-up to 55.
When is a deferred police pension paid if I leave instead?
2015 scheme: State Pension age, with earlier payment possible in some cases. 2006 scheme: 65, or from 55 with an actuarial reduction. 1987 scheme (as made): 60. Each scheme can pay a deferred pension early on health grounds, under its own test.
What is regulation 36 of the 2015 police pension regulations?
It lets the scheme manager examine new joiners and decide that someone with a pre-existing condition is ineligible for ill-health benefits if the likely cost is more than 50% higher than normal. In a 2023 legal challenge the then Home Secretary conceded that, in that case, regulation 36(5) breached the Equality Act non-discrimination rule. The Home Office consulted on removing it from 20 August to 17 September 2026; the outcome had not been published when we checked on 7 October 2026.
Is a police ill-health pension taxable?
Yes. The ill-health pension is taxable income. HMRC says injury benefit from police schemes can be paid tax-free, which matters if you also get an injury award. We do not say anything definitive about the tax treatment of the injury gratuity.
Can I check my own figures?
Our police ill-health retirement calculator estimates the lower and upper tier for your scheme, pay, age and service, using the rules on this page. Your pension administrator's quote is the figure that counts.
What does the 1987 scheme pay with under 5 years' service?
If the disablement resulted from an injury received in the execution of duty, an ill-health pension of 1/60 of average pensionable pay for each year (at least 1/60). Otherwise an ill-health gratuity: the greater of 1/12 of average pensionable pay for each year and your aggregate contributions, or just your contributions if you served under a year (Schedule B Parts III and IV, as made).
How does part-time service affect the upper tier enhancement?
In the 2015 scheme, part-time service counts as full-time for the 5-year test, but the assumed period to age 60 is treated as part-time in the same proportion as your past service, so the enhancement is scaled down (regulation 104(8) and (9)). The 2006 scheme has a similar rule for prospective service (regulation 31(5) to (7)).
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 7 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 Pensions Regulations 2015, regulations 101 to 104 — tiers, entitlement, amounts (formulas in 104(4)-(5) checked on the as-made PDF) (accessed 7 October 2026)
- Police Pensions Regulations 2015 as made (PDF) — reg 2 (regular employment), 36 to 38 (eligibility), 88 (qualifying service), 90 and 91 (deferred members), Sch 4 paras 21 to 24 (transition members) (accessed 7 October 2026)
- Police Pensions Regulations 2015, regulation 36 — eligibility for ill-health benefits on joining (accessed 7 October 2026)
- Police Pensions Regulations 2006, regulations 28 to 31 — 1/70 and 4/70; standard and enhanced top-up ill-health pensions; under 5 years (accessed 7 October 2026)
- Police Pensions Regulations 2006, regulations 17, 24, 32 and 33 — 2 years' qualifying service; final pensionable pay; deferred pension at 65; early payment from 55 (accessed 7 October 2026)
- Police Pensions Regulations 2006, regulation 51 — reviews; no extra lump sum on a later upgrade (accessed 7 October 2026)
- Police Pensions Regulations 1987 (as made), Schedule B Part III — the ill-health pension scale, floor, ceiling and para 5 limit (accessed 7 October 2026)
- Police Pensions Regulations 1987 (as made), Schedule B Part IV — ill-health gratuity (accessed 7 October 2026)
- Police Pensions Regulations 1987 (as made), regulations B3, B5 and G1 — ill-health award conditions; deferred pension at 60; average pensionable pay (accessed 7 October 2026)
- Home Office: Police Pension Scheme 2015, regulation 36 (consultation) — 20 August to 17 September 2026; 2023 concession; full contributions for new members since September 2023; status 'analysing feedback' (accessed 7 October 2026)
- HMRC Employment Income Manual EIM75900 — police injury benefit can be paid tax-free; registered scheme pensions taxable (accessed 7 October 2026)
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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 7 October 2026.