MOD Police Pension
alpha and Age 65
Ministry of Defence Police officers are not in a police pension scheme. They are in the Civil Service scheme, alpha, with a pension age linked to the State Pension and an employer-funded deal that lets them retire unreduced at 65. Written from the MDP, Civil Service Pensions, the Defence Police Federation and legislation.gov.uk, read on 23 October 2026.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 23 October 2026 · MOD Police (UK-wide)
MDP officers automatically join the Civil Service alpha scheme. In 2026/27 they pay 4.6% on pensionable earnings up to £36,199 and 5.45% up to £56,000, so constables on basic pay pay 4.6% or 5.45%. The employer pays 28.97%. alpha's normal pension age is State Pension age, not the police age of 60, but the MOD funds an Effective Pension Age of 65 (or 3 years below State Pension age if higher), backdated to April 2016. That means you can retire at 65 without a reduction on your alpha pension.
Which pension scheme MOD Police officers are in
The MDP's pay page says officers "automatically join the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (ALPHA)". This is the pension scheme for civil servants. It is not the Police Pension Scheme that Home Office forces use and it is not a separate MDP scheme.
- Who runs it: Civil Service Pensions. Contribution rates come from its 2026/27 table.
- Who pays in: you (4.6% to 8.05% by earnings band) and the MOD (28.97%).
- Pension age: State Pension age in law, with the MOD funding an Effective Pension Age of 65 (explained below).
- Why it matters: nearly every rule you have heard about police pensions (age 60 and police contribution rates among them) does not apply to MDP officers.
On 23 October 2026 the MDP pay page linked to a Civil Service Pensions alpha guide that returned a "page not found" error. Use the Civil Service Pensions member hub directly for scheme rules.
What MOD Police officers pay into alpha in 2026/27
Civil Service Pensions sets member rates by bands of annual pensionable earnings. The 2026/27 bands are:
| Annual pensionable earnings | Member rate |
|---|---|
| Up to £36,199 | 4.6% |
| £36,200 to £56,000 | 5.45% |
| £56,001 to £150,000 | 7.35% |
| £150,001 and above | 8.05% |
The lowest band now ends at £36,199. In 2025/26 it ended at £34,799, so the 2026/27 threshold is higher. For MDP constables that matters: every point up to point 5 now sits in the lowest band on basic pay.
For your own take-home figure, use our MOD Police pay calculator.
Your contribution band by pay point
| Point | Basic pay | Band rate | You pay a year | You pay a month | MOD pays a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constable point 2 | £30,643 | 4.6% | £1,410 | £117 | £8,877 |
| Constable point 3 | £31,929 | 4.6% | £1,469 | £122 | £9,250 |
| Constable point 4 | £33,222 | 4.6% | £1,528 | £127 | £9,624 |
| Constable point 5 | £34,519 | 4.6% | £1,588 | £132 | £10,000 |
| Constable point 6 | £37,104 | 5.45% | £2,022 | £169 | £10,749 |
| Constable point 7 | £42,317 | 5.45% | £2,306 | £192 | £12,259 |
| Constable point 8 | £49,413 | 5.45% | £2,693 | £224 | £14,315 |
The step from point 5 (£34,519) to point 6 (£37,104) moves you from 4.6% to 5.45%. On our arithmetic your contribution at point 6 is £2,022 a year against £1,588 at point 5: about £434 more for a pay rise of £2,585. You still keep most of the rise.
Sergeants and above
| Rank | Basic pay | Band rate | You pay a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sergeant | £52,671 to £55,267 | 5.45% | £2,871 to £3,012 |
| Inspector | £62,700 to £67,827 | 7.35% | £4,608 to £4,985 |
| Chief inspector | £69,167 to £71,923 | 7.35% | £5,084 to £5,286 |
| Superintendent | £82,767 to £97,356 | 7.35% | £6,083 to £7,156 |
| Chief superintendent | £102,059 to £113,846 | 7.35% | £7,501 to £8,368 |
| Assistant chief constable | £123,092 to £138,687 | 7.35% | £9,047 to £10,193 |
Sergeants are in the 5.45% band. Every rank from inspector to assistant chief constable is in the 7.35% band on basic pay. No MDP rank's published basic pay reaches the 8.05% band, which starts at £150,001 (our arithmetic).
The MDP does not publish which allowances are pensionable. If an allowance counts, it adds to your pensionable earnings and could move you up a band. A constable on point 5 (£34,519) with a £1,681 pensionable addition would cross £36,199, for example. Check your payslip or ask the MDP pay team which payments are pensionable.
If your allowances are pensionable: a scenario
The MDP does not publish which allowances count for pension. This table shows what a constable on point 2 (£30,643) would pay at each kind of site in two cases: allowances not pensionable and allowances fully pensionable. It is a scenario to show why the question matters, not a statement of the rules.
| Site | Listed allowances | If not pensionable | If pensionable |
|---|---|---|---|
| No listed allowance (for example HMNB Clyde or Porton Down) | £0 | 4.6%: £1,410 | 4.6%: £1,410 |
| Southwick Park, Portsmouth or Oakhanger: South East (Lower) | £2,070 | 4.6%: £1,410 | 4.6%: £1,505 |
| Barrow-in-Furness: priority posting | £3,000 | 4.6%: £1,410 | 4.6%: £1,548 |
| Welford or Croughton: South East (Higher) | £3,105 | 4.6%: £1,410 | 4.6%: £1,552 |
| AWE Group: South East (Higher) plus priority posting | £6,105 | 4.6%: £1,410 | 5.45%: £2,003 |
At AWE, counting both allowances would take a new constable past £36,199 and into the 5.45% band. The rate would apply to a bigger figure too, so the yearly difference is more than the allowances alone suggest. Ask the MDP pay team before you rely on either column.
What the MOD pays into your pension
The MDP pay page gives the employer contribution as 28.97%. The Civil Service Pensions table shows the same rate for every band. On a constable's basic pay that is (our arithmetic):
- Point 2 (£30,643): £8,877 a year from the MOD, against £1,410 from you.
- Point 8 (£49,413): £14,315 a year from the MOD, against £2,693 from you.
So for every pound you put in at constable rank, the MOD puts in between about £5.30 and £6.30 (our arithmetic). The employer rate is not the value of your own pension, but it shows how much of the cost sits with the employer.
Normal pension age in alpha: State Pension age
The Public Service Pensions Act 2013 set the pension age rule for the reformed public service schemes. Section 10 says the normal pension age of a scheme is the member's State Pension age, or 65 if that is higher. It makes an exception: for members of a police force, firefighters and the armed forces the normal pension age is 60.
MDP officers are in alpha, so their normal pension age in law is their State Pension age. They did not get the police exception. Your own State Pension age depends on your date of birth: check it before you plan anything.
Why the MOD Police missed the police pension age of 60
The Defence Police Federation's pensions toolkit says MDP officers were left out of the uniformed services' normal pension age of 60 in the 2013 Act. The DPF calls this "an error" and says Lord Hutton, whose review led to the reforms, accepted it.
The result: an MDP officer and a Home Office police officer can do armed work side by side, but one has a pension age of 60 and the other a pension age linked to the State Pension. Armed officers face an annual fitness test and annual firearms refreshers throughout their career, which is why the DPF has pushed for a lower age (see the age 60 campaign).
The age 65 deal: the employer-funded Effective Pension Age
DPF Circular 03/22 (January 2022) sets out the fix that was agreed:
- What it is: an Effective Pension Age (EPA) for MDP officers in alpha of 65, or 3 years below the officer's State Pension age if that is higher.
- Who pays: the MOD funds it in full. Officers do not pay extra contributions for it.
- Where it came from: the 2016 terms and conditions (TACOS) negotiations.
- Who it covers: after a Pensions Ombudsman determination the MOD applied it to all MDP officers with alpha service.
- From when: backdated to April 2016.
- What it changes: early retirement reductions on your alpha pension are worked out from 65, not from State Pension age.
- What it does not change: the normal pension ages of the earlier civil service schemes. Any service you have in those keeps its own rules.
How the "higher of" rule works
| If your State Pension age is | 3 years below it | The floor | Your EPA |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Pension age 66 | 63 | 65 | 65 |
| State Pension age 67 | 64 | 65 | 65 |
| State Pension age 68 | 65 | 65 | 65 |
| State Pension age 69 (if it ever rose this far) | 66 | 65 | 66 |
For anyone whose State Pension age is 68 or lower, the EPA works out at 65. It only rises above 65 if State Pension age goes above 68.
What the age 65 deal means in plain terms
- Retire at 65: your alpha pension is paid without an actuarial reduction, even though your normal pension age is later.
- Retire before 65: your alpha pension is reduced for early payment, with the reduction worked out from 65. Leaving at 60 means five years early on this measure. The DPF circular does not give the size of the reduction and we have not estimated it.
- Compared with a Home Office officer: a police officer in the 2015 police scheme has a normal pension age of 60, so the MDP officer waits five years longer for an unreduced pension.
- Compared with a civil servant: most alpha members wait until State Pension age. The MDP officer gets an unreduced alpha pension earlier than that, paid for by the MOD.
- Older service: if you have service in an earlier civil service scheme, its pension age is not changed by the EPA.
Every operational MDP officer is armed, with annual firearms refreshers and an annual job-related fitness test. The DPF says it is "unrealistic" to expect officers to meet operational standards up to 65. If you cannot, the pension rules above do not change. Ill-health and injury terms for MDP officers are not covered in the sources we read, so ask the DPF before you plan around them.
The age 60 campaign: where it stands
In January 2022 the DPF said it was discussing an option for members to pay extra contributions so they could retire unreduced at 60. We found no later public DPF circular saying whether that option was agreed or what it costs. Some DPF circulars are for members only.
So, on the public record we can check: there is an employer-funded EPA of 65; a paid-for age 60 option was being discussed in 2022; the outcome is not published. Ask the DPF directly if this affects your decision to join or stay.
Joining from a Home Office force: what you leave behind
Serving and recent officers join the MDP through the New Entrant from Other Forces (NEOF) route. Once you join, you are an MDP officer and you build pension in alpha. The facts that change for a Home Office officer:
| MOD Police (alpha) | Home Office police | Civil Nuclear Constabulary | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scheme | Civil Service alpha | Police Pension Scheme 2015 (England and Wales) or the equivalent police scheme | UKAEA Combined Pension Scheme (due to move to alpha; date delayed) |
| Normal pension age in law | State Pension age (alpha) | 60 (members of a police force, Public Service Pensions Act 2013 s.10) | Not a police force for the 2013 Act (High Court, 2016) |
| Age you can retire unreduced | 65 under the employer-funded Effective Pension Age (or 3 years below State Pension age if higher) | 60 | Not published for new recruits |
| Member contribution at constable pay | 4.6% (points 2 to 5) or 5.45% (points 6 to 8) | Not covered here: check your payslip | 8.2% at £21,000 or more |
| Employer contribution | 28.97% | Not covered here | 20.7% |
What to do before you apply
- Get a benefit statement from your police scheme showing what you have built so far.
- Ask your scheme administrator what happens to those benefits if you leave the force for the MDP and what your options are. We do not cover that here because it depends on your scheme and service.
- Ask Civil Service Pensions how alpha would treat your future service and whether any transfer in is possible.
- Compare pension ages for your own date of birth: 60 in the police scheme against 65 (the EPA) in alpha.
- Talk to your Federation and the DPF before you resign from a Home Office force.
For the full transfer route see transferring to the MOD Police. For how police pensions move between schemes in general, read transferring into or out of a police pension.
MOD Police vs CNC pension
The Civil Nuclear Constabulary is the other armed national force and its pension is different again:
- Scheme now: CNC officers are in the UKAEA Combined Pension Scheme, paying 8.2% of pensionable pay at £21,000 or more. The CNC employer rate is 20.7%.
- Moving to alpha: that scheme must close to future accrual. The scheme administrator says the move has been delayed, with a new date expected to be confirmed in early 2027.
- Police pension age: in 2016 the High Court decided CNC officers are not members of a police force for the 2013 Act, so they do not get the police exception of 60 either.
- Officers who moved from the MDP: MDP officers who moved to the CNC on 1 April 2025 at the non-nuclear gas sites stayed in alpha. The CNPA accounts say the employer cost for them covers an employer-funded Effective Pension Age of 65.
On basic contributions an MDP constable pays less (4.6% or 5.45%) than a CNC constable (8.2%). The schemes are built differently, so contribution rates alone do not tell you which pension is worth more. See our CNC pension guide.
Timeline: how the MDP pension position came about
| When | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Public Service Pensions Act 2013, s.10: normal pension age is State Pension age (or 65 if higher), with 60 for police, firefighters and the armed forces. MDP officers are not given the police age. | legislation.gov.uk; DPF Circular 53/14 |
| 2014 | DPF pensions toolkit (Circular 53/14) calls the MDP's omission an error accepted by Lord Hutton. | DPF Circular 53/14 |
| 2016 | Terms and conditions (TACOS) negotiations agree an employer-funded Effective Pension Age for MDP officers in alpha. | DPF Circular 03/22 |
| 2016 | High Court rules CNC officers are not members of a police force for the 2013 Act. | CNPF v CNPA [2016] EWHC 2186 |
| January 2022 | DPF Circular 03/22: after a Pensions Ombudsman determination the EPA is applied to all MDP officers with alpha service, backdated to April 2016. A paid age 60 option is under discussion. | DPF Circular 03/22 |
| 1 April 2025 | MDP officers at the gas sites that pass to the CNC move with them and stay in alpha. | CNPA Annual Report 2025/26 |
| 2026/27 | alpha member bands: 4.6% to £36,199; 5.45% to £56,000; 7.35% to £150,000; 8.05% above. Employer 28.97%. | Civil Service Pensions; MDP pay page |
The terms in plain English
- alpha: the Civil Service pension scheme MDP officers join automatically.
- Pensionable earnings: the pay your contributions and pension are based on. For MDP officers basic pay counts; which allowances count is not published.
- Normal pension age (NPA): the age a scheme pays your pension without a reduction. In alpha it is State Pension age.
- State Pension age (SPA): the age you can claim the State Pension. It depends on your date of birth.
- Effective Pension Age (EPA): an earlier age at which your alpha pension is paid unreduced. For MDP officers the MOD funds an EPA of 65, or 3 years below SPA if higher.
- Actuarial reduction: the cut to a pension taken early, because it is paid for longer. For MDP officers in alpha it is worked out from 65.
- DPF: the Defence Police Federation, the staff association for MDP officers.
What is not published (and what we have not stated)
- The alpha accrual rate. A rate is widely quoted, but we did not read it on a live Civil Service Pensions page in this check, so we have not stated it. Use your benefit statement.
- A paid option to retire unreduced at 60. Discussed by the DPF in 2022; outcome not published.
- Which MDP allowances are pensionable. Not on the MDP pay page.
- How the McCloud remedy applies to MDP officers. Not covered by the sources we read.
- Ill-health and injury benefits for MDP officers. Not covered by the sources we read.
- The size of early retirement reductions. The DPF circular says they run from 65 but gives no factors.
Common mistakes about the MOD Police pension
- Assuming MDP officers retire at 60. That is the Home Office police rule. MDP officers are in alpha.
- Assuming you must work to State Pension age. The employer-funded EPA lets you take your alpha pension unreduced at 65 (or 3 years below State Pension age if higher).
- Thinking the EPA applies to all your pension. It is an alpha rule. Earlier civil service scheme pension ages do not change.
- Using police contribution rates in a pay estimate. MDP officers pay alpha rates: 4.6% or 5.45% at constable rank on basic pay.
- Quoting an accrual rate second hand. Check it with Civil Service Pensions.
- Transferring in without a statement. A Home Office officer moving to the MDP should know what their police pension is worth before resigning.
- Thinking the CNC is the same. CNC officers are still in the UKAEA scheme at 8.2% until the delayed move to alpha.
Questions to ask before you join or transfer
- Which of the allowances at my site are pensionable?
- What will my alpha contribution rate be with those allowances included?
- What is my State Pension age and therefore my EPA?
- What reduction would apply if I took my alpha pension at 60, 62 or 64?
- Is there now a paid option to retire unreduced at 60?
- (Transferees) What happens to my police pension if I leave my force to join the MDP?
- What ill-health and injury cover applies to an armed MDP officer?
Put the scheme questions to Civil Service Pensions and the conditions questions to the Defence Police Federation or the MDP. PolicePay is an independent guide and is not affiliated with the MDP, the MOD or the DPF.
Want to talk your pension through with someone?
Our calculators show the numbers, but some decisions (when to go, how much lump sum to take, your McCloud choice, a tax charge) are worth talking through with a regulated adviser. Tell us where you are and Andrew, who runs PolicePay, will reply by email.
Frequently Asked Questions
What pension do MOD Police officers get?
MDP officers automatically join the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme, alpha. It is the civil service scheme, not a police pension scheme. Members pay between 4.6% and 8.05% of pensionable earnings in 2026/27 depending on their earnings band and the employer pays 28.97%.
What is the MOD Police pension age?
In alpha an MDP officer's normal pension age is their State Pension age. But the MOD fully funds an Effective Pension Age of 65, or 3 years below State Pension age if that is higher. In practice this means you can retire at 65 without an actuarial reduction on your alpha pension.
Why can MOD Police officers not retire at 60 like other police?
The Public Service Pensions Act 2013 gave members of a police force, firefighters and the armed forces a normal pension age of 60. MDP officers were left out. The Defence Police Federation says this was an error that Lord Hutton accepted. The employer-funded Effective Pension Age of 65 was agreed later as a partial fix.
How much do MOD Police officers pay into their pension?
On basic pay alone, constables on points 2 to 5 (£30,643 to £34,519) are in the 4.6% band and points 6 to 8 (£37,104 to £49,413) in the 5.45% band. At point 2 that is about £1,410 a year (our arithmetic). The MDP does not publish which allowances count as pensionable, so your band could be higher.
When did the age 65 Effective Pension Age start?
It was agreed in the 2016 terms and conditions negotiations. After a Pensions Ombudsman determination the MOD applied it to all MDP officers with alpha service, backdated to April 2016 (DPF Circular 03/22, January 2022).
Can MOD Police officers retire at 60 now?
You can leave at 60, but your alpha pension would be reduced because the reductions are worked out from 65. In January 2022 the DPF was discussing an option for members to pay extra to retire unreduced at 60. We found no later public circular saying whether that option now exists, so ask the DPF or Civil Service Pensions.
What does a police officer give up by transferring to the MOD Police?
Future service would build up in alpha, with a normal pension age of State Pension age and the employer-funded age of 65, instead of a police scheme with a normal pension age of 60. What happens to the police pension you have already built is a question for your police scheme administrator: get a statement before you apply.
What is the alpha accrual rate for MOD Police officers?
We have not stated it because we did not read it on a live Civil Service Pensions page in this check. Get it from Civil Service Pensions or your annual benefit statement rather than from a figure quoted second hand.
Do CNC officers have the same pension as the MOD Police?
Not yet. CNC officers are in the UKAEA Combined Pension Scheme, paying 8.2% at £21,000 or more, with an employer rate of 20.7%. That scheme must close and move members to alpha, but the date has been delayed and is expected to be confirmed in 2027.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 23 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.
- MDP: Salary, allowances and pension : officers automatically join the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (alpha); employer contribution 28.97%; constable pay points (accessed 23 October 2026)
- Civil Service Pensions: Contribution rates (2026/27) : member bands 4.6% to £36,199, 5.45% to £56,000, 7.35% to £150,000 and 8.05% above; employer 28.97% (accessed 23 October 2026)
- Public Service Pensions Act 2013, section 10 (legislation.gov.uk) : normal pension age is State Pension age or 65 if higher; 60 for members of a police force, firefighters and the armed forces (accessed 23 October 2026)
- Defence Police Federation Circular 53/14, Members Toolkit: Pensions : MDP left out of the police pension age of 60; the DPF says this was an error accepted by Lord Hutton (accessed 23 October 2026)
- Defence Police Federation Circular 03/22, Implementation of Employer Funded Effective Pension Age option in alpha (26 Jan 2022) : EPA of 65 or 3 years below State Pension age if higher; 2016 TACOS negotiations; Pensions Ombudsman; backdated to April 2016; reductions from 65; earlier scheme NPAs unchanged; age 60 option under discussion (accessed 23 October 2026)
- MDP: NEOF entry criteria : who can join from another force (accessed 23 October 2026)
- UKAEA pension scheme (Equiniti): About the scheme : CNC member rate 8.2% at £21,000 or more; employer 20.7% (accessed 23 October 2026)
- UKAEA pension scheme (Equiniti): Alpha delay FAQs : CNC move to alpha delayed; new date expected to be confirmed in early 2027 (accessed 23 October 2026)
- High Court, Civil Nuclear Police Federation v Civil Nuclear Police Authority [2016] EWHC 2186 (Admin) : CNC officers are not members of a police force for the 2013 Act (accessed 23 October 2026)
- CNPA Annual Report and Accounts 2025/26 : officers moved from the MDP to the CNC on 1 April 2025 stayed in alpha with an employer-funded EPA 65 (accessed 23 October 2026)
On this topic elsewhere
More in this guide series
Free tools for MOD Police and CNC applicants
Disclaimer
PolicePay.co.uk is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with the Ministry of Defence Police, the Ministry of Defence, the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, the Civil Nuclear Police Authority, the Defence Police Federation, the Civil Nuclear Police Federation, the College of Policing or any other force. It does not recruit, vet or assess applicants. Every fact here comes from the force's own pages, GOV.UK, legislation.gov.uk or the other sources listed, read on the date shown. Each force sets and changes its own process and pay: check its current pages and your own invitation before relying on anything here. Our practice questions are original PolicePay material, not questions used by either force. Details are as checked on 23 October 2026.