Income Protection & Life Insurance
For Police Officers: Do You Need It?
What police benefits already cover, where the gaps are, how the products differ and what to ask before you buy.
The honest short answer
Police officers already have more built-in protection than most employees: sick pay, ill-health retirement, injury awards and death in service benefits. Whether you need more depends on whether those benefits would cover your actual outgoings at the moments they start late, stop early, or do not apply. For most officers the clearest gap is month seven of long-term sickness, when pay halves, and then month thirteen, when it stops.
This guide is independent. We do not sell, recommend or rate any insurer or product, and nothing here is regulated financial advice. It explains where the gaps are, how the products work, how to compare them and what to ask.
1. What you already have
Before buying anything, be clear about what the job already provides. Each line below links to the detailed guide.
| Benefit | What it gives | Where it stops | Read more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sick pay | 6 months full pay and 6 months half pay in any one year period, chief officer discretion to extend. | Nothing after month twelve unless extended. Overtime and, possibly, allowances stop. | Guide |
| Ill-health retirement | An early, unreduced pension if you are permanently unfit for police duties, plus an enhancement if unfit for any regular employment. | Not for temporary illness. You can be judged able to do other work and get only the lower tier. Short service can rule it out. | Guide |
| Injury award | A gratuity and a pension topping your income up to a guaranteed percentage of pay if a duty injury causes permanent disablement. | Only for duty injuries. Reviewable. Reduced by some benefits. Depends on earning capacity. | Guide |
| Death in service | A lump sum of 2 to 3 times pay, survivor pension and children's pensions. | Not built around your outgoings. Unmarried partners need paperwork. The 1987 survivor pension can stop on remarriage. | Guide |
| Federation and charity support | Some branches run group schemes; one branch page describes a scheme paying a percentage of gross salary in the half-pay and nil-pay phases. Police Care UK offers grants and psychological support. | Local and variable. Check what your branch offers and on what terms. | Guide |
Sources: Home Office, Annex K, Police Pensions Regulations 2015, Police Federation sickness advice, Police Care UK. Read 30 September 2026.
2. Where the real gaps usually are
The figures use the example household from our calculator: a constable on £44,544, married with two children, outgoings of £2,300 a month, 2015 scheme. Replace them with yours.
| Gap | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| The month-seven cliff | On the example household income falls from £2,554 on full pay to £1,424 on half pay, then £0 on no pay, against £2,300 of outgoings: a shortfall of £876 a month from month seven and £2,300 a month from month thirteen. |
| Overtime and allowances | Outgoings often depend on overtime. Sick pay does not include it, so even the full-pay months can be tight. |
| Fit for other work | Ill-health retirement on the lower tier pays an accrued pension, which is usually much lower than salary, if you are judged able to do other work. |
| Unmarried partner | An unmarried partner normally needs two years' cohabitation and the other relationship tests to get a survivor pension in the 2006 or 2015 schemes; the scheme manager can accept less. Keeping evidence of the relationship costs nothing and should come before any insurance. |
| Illness that is not permanent | A long illness with an uncertain outlook may not qualify for ill-health retirement, so you sit on half and then no pay. |
| Serious diagnosis while still serving | The police schemes do not pay a lump sum on diagnosis. Critical illness cover is the product designed for that. |
The FCA's wider picture
3. Income protection, life insurance and critical illness: how they differ
The three products solve different problems. The descriptions below follow general consumer guidance from Citizens Advice, the Association of British Insurers and the FCA; they are not a description of any one policy.
| Product | Pays out when | What it pays | When and for how long | The catch to check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income protection | You cannot work because of sickness or disability, as defined in the policy. | A regular monthly income, typically a proportion of earnings (Citizens Advice says to expect roughly half to two-thirds of pre-tax earnings). | After a waiting period (a minimum of four weeks, up to two years) and then until you return to work, retire, or the policy ends, depending on the policy. | The definition of incapacity (own, suitable or any occupation), the waiting period, other income that reduces the payout, and pre-existing conditions. |
| Life insurance | You die during the term, or are diagnosed as terminally ill, depending on the policy. | A lump sum. Level term keeps the amount the same; decreasing term reduces it, often to match a repayment mortgage. | On death, for policies that run for a fixed term. Whole-of-life policies differ and cost more. | Term length, whether the amount matches your need, and who the proceeds go to. Ask about writing it in trust. |
| Critical illness cover | You are diagnosed with a condition listed in the policy and meet its definition. | A single lump sum, which may not last if you cannot work for a long time. | On diagnosis, once. | Which conditions are covered and how severe they must be; the ABI minimum standards require cancer, heart attack and stroke to be covered to model wordings. |
Income protection. Citizens Advice describes it as a regular income if you cannot work because of sickness or disability, continuing until you return to paid work or retire, and notes you cannot claim straight away: you usually wait at least four weeks, and some waiting periods last up to two years, with cheaper premiums the longer you can wait. You can expect about half to two-thirds of your earnings before tax, because of deductions for state benefits and because the income is tax free. The amount may be affected by other income such as state benefits or other insurance payments. Citizens Advice also notes that you may be offered critical illness cover when you take out a mortgage, that the policy is likely to be run by your lender, and that another policy may be cheaper and better suited, so compare it with similar policies before you sign.
Life insurance. Term life insurance pays a lump sum if you die within the agreed term. Level term keeps the amount constant; decreasing term reduces over time and is commonly used alongside a repayment mortgage. MoneyHelper has a clear explainer of the options: What is life insurance? For police officers, the starting point is what the scheme already pays: 2 to 3 times pay plus pensions. The question is whether that, with your savings and a partner's income, would meet your family's needs. Our death in service guide sets out the benefits.
Critical illness cover. Pays a single lump sum if you are diagnosed with a covered condition that meets the policy's definition. Citizens Advice notes it covers a limited range of illnesses, that you usually have to be very ill or disabled to claim, and that one payment may not last if you cannot work for a long time. The ABI's minimum standards require cancer, heart attack and stroke to be covered to model wordings for a policy to be called critical illness, and the ABI reports that over 91% of critical illness claims were paid in 2021. MoneyHelper explains it here: What is critical illness cover?
4. Police-specific points to think about
Your sick pay shapes the waiting period. Full pay for six months and half pay for six more means an income protection policy with a deferred period of around six months would be aimed at the point pay falls to half. A shorter wait costs more and overlaps with full pay; a longer wait leaves a gap. Whether a policy should start at 13 weeks, 26 weeks or 52 weeks is a decision for you and an adviser using your own numbers. The deferred period options in our calculator let you test how each changes the gap.
Definitions of incapacity and police ill-health tests are not the same thing. A policy that pays if you cannot do your own occupation may respond to an injury that ends your police career even if you could do another job; a policy that pays only if you cannot do any occupation is closer to a demanding test. The police pension tests (unfit for police duties, unfit for any regular employment) are separate legal tests decided by a selected medical practitioner and your police pension authority, and an insurer is not bound by them. Ask how the policy would treat medical retirement.
Occupation class. Citizens Advice says insurers assess how dangerous a job is when deciding whether to cover you and how much to charge, and different insurers may assess the same job differently. Ask how each provider classifies your current role, whether specialist roles such as firearms or roads policing are treated differently, and what happens to your terms if you change role.
Health history and disclosure. You must give full details of your and your family's medical history; leaving something out can lead to a refused claim, and under section 2 of the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012 consumers must take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation. Expect detailed questions, including about mental health, occupational health referrals and treatment. Answer accurately, keep a copy, and ask how past treatment would change the terms. If you already have a pre-existing condition, Citizens Advice suggests looking for an insurer prepared to cover it, though you may pay more.
Overlap with police benefits. Ask how the policy treats other income: an ill-health pension, an injury award, half pay, a Federation branch payment. Some policies reduce the payout by other income; some do not. You do not want to pay for cover that cancels out the benefit you already have, nor be surprised that a payout is reduced.
5. What responds in each situation
A way to see the products and the police benefits side by side. The private-cover columns describe how policies generally work according to consumer guidance; your policy's wording decides.
| Situation | Police benefits | Income protection | Life insurance | Critical illness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A back injury ends your police career, but you could do a desk job | Sick pay for up to 12 months. Lower-tier ill-health pension if judged permanently unfit for police duties only. An injury award if a duty injury caused it. | Depends on the definition. An own-occupation definition may pay; an any-occupation definition may not, because you can work. | No. | Only if the condition is a listed one and meets its definition. |
| Cancer diagnosis and 14 months of treatment | Six months full pay, six months half pay, then nothing unless extended. Ill-health retirement only if permanent unfitness is found. | May pay after the waiting period while you meet the policy's definition of being unable to work. | Only on death. | A lump sum on diagnosis if the cancer meets the policy definition. Citizens Advice notes some early-stage cancers probably will not be included. |
| PTSD after an incident, recovery expected over time | Sick pay. No ill-health pension while the condition is not permanent. An injury award only if permanent and caused by a duty injury. | Depends on whether mental health conditions are covered and how the policy defines incapacity. Check the wording and any exclusions. | No. | Critical illness policies list specific conditions; check whether any mental health condition is included. |
| A three-week illness | Full pay. | Usually nothing: Citizens Advice says the minimum waiting period is four weeks. | No. | No. |
| You die aged 38 with two children | Lump sum of 3 times pay (2006, 2015 schemes), survivor pension and children's pensions. | No. | Pays the sum assured to the beneficiary or trust. | No. |
| You die, and your partner is unmarried and you have lived together under two years | Normally no survivor pension in the 2006 or 2015 schemes, because two years' cohabitation is expected (the scheme manager can accept less). The lump sum is at the scheme manager's discretion. | No. | Pays the named beneficiary or trust: this is where a policy can do what the scheme does not, if it is arranged correctly. | No. |
What makes cover cheaper, and what you give up
Citizens Advice lists what affects the cost of income protection: your age, your health, your job, hobbies and lifestyle, how long you can wait before a claim, and whether you would accept only claiming if you cannot do any work rather than just your own job. Two levers are in your hands: a longer waiting period (cheaper, but it leaves more of your sick pay cliff exposed) and a stricter definition (cheaper, but it may not pay if you can do other work). For an officer whose sick pay already covers the first six months at full pay, a longer wait may sit comfortably behind it; a stricter definition is a bigger trade-off because a medical retirement from policing may not mean you cannot do any job at all.
6. When private cover may, and may not, make sense
We cannot tell you whether to buy. These are the situations where the question is worth asking, and where it may not be needed.
| Situation | Why | What to do first |
|---|---|---|
| May be worth looking at | You are the main earner and the half-pay and nil-pay months would leave a shortfall you could not cover from savings or a partner's income. | Use the calculator to size the gap by month. |
| May be worth looking at | You have a large mortgage or young children and the death in service lump sum and pensions would not cover what the family needs. | Use the death in service tab; check nominations and your evidence of the partner relationship first. |
| May be worth looking at | You are an unmarried partner without survivor rights, or the survivor pension would stop on remarriage (1987 scheme). | Gather evidence of the relationship first where you can; consider cover for what remains. |
| May be worth looking at | You are not eligible for ill-health benefits (for example after a medical at joining), or have less than two years' service. | Ask your administrator what applies, then ask what insurers would offer. |
| May not be needed | The calculator shows no gap in any scenario, or a gap your savings would comfortably cover. | Keep the paperwork right and revisit if your circumstances change. |
| May not be needed | You have cover elsewhere (a Federation scheme, a mortgage protection policy, cover through a partner's job) that already does the same job. | Avoid paying twice; ask how the covers overlap. |
| May not be affordable or available | Premiums would strain the budget, or a medical history means the cover would exclude what you are most worried about. | Prioritise the cheapest effective protection, such as the gap at months 7 to 12, and keep savings. |
Citizens Advice also suggests asking yourself three checks before you buy income protection or critical illness cover: do you really need it (look at employer provision, other cover and savings), is it the best type of illness insurance for you, and can you afford the premiums, given you get nothing back if you never claim. It also suggests working out the level of cover by starting with your take-home pay, taking away state benefits you could claim, taking away work-related costs such as travel, food and clothing, and adding extra costs you might have if you were ill or disabled.
A worked sizing example, not a recommendation
7. How to compare quotes properly
Price is the easiest number to compare and the least useful on its own. Compare like with like on the points below. Citizens Advice notes that you probably will not be able to buy income protection online because the insurer needs to assess your suitability, although you can get a quote online or find advisers to speak to.
| Compare | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Definition of incapacity | Own occupation, suitable occupation or any occupation. Does it change over time? How does it treat a move to a desk job after injury? |
| Waiting (deferred) period | Line it up with your sick pay: full pay for six months, half pay for six, then nil. A longer wait is cheaper but leaves more exposed. |
| Benefit amount and limit | How much a month, as a share of earnings, and how the insurer treats other income such as sick pay, an ill-health pension or an injury award. |
| Premiums | Guaranteed or reviewable? Do they rise with age? Do benefits increase each year in line with the cost of living? Citizens Advice suggests checking this. |
| Length of cover and end date | Until retirement age, for a fixed term, or for a limited period per claim? What happens when you retire from the police? |
| Exclusions and loadings | Pre-existing conditions, mental health, hobbies, your role, any medical loading or exclusion that is added to your policy. |
| Tax on payouts | Depends on who pays and how it is set up. Ask for it in writing. |
| Trust and estate | For life cover, whether the policy is written in trust and who the beneficiaries are. |
| Claims and complaints | How are claims made, how long do they take, and what is the complaints route? Free access to the Financial Ombudsman Service is available to consumers. |
| Cancellation | Citizens Advice says you usually have 30 days to cancel and get a full refund if you have not made a claim. Check the terms of your policy. |
8. Questions to ask an adviser
Print or copy these. A good adviser will welcome them; be wary of anyone who cannot answer them in writing.
- How are you paid for this advice: a fee, commission from the provider, or both?
- Are you advising on the whole market or a limited panel of providers, and which?
- How does each policy define being unable to work, and does that definition change after a period?
- If I am medically retired from the police, or move to a different role, does the policy still pay and does my ill-health pension reduce the benefit?
- What deferred period fits my sick pay (full pay six months, half pay six months, nothing after)?
- How is my role classified and how would a move into a specialist role change the price or terms?
- What exclusions, loadings or special terms would apply to me, and can I see them in writing before I accept?
- Are premiums guaranteed or reviewable, and what might they look like at age 50 or 60?
- Do benefits and cover increase each year, and by how much?
- What happens to the policy if I stop paying, reduce cover, or am off sick?
- How is the payout taxed in my case?
- For life cover, should it be written in trust, and who would be the beneficiaries?
- What are the claim stages and how long does a typical claim take? What evidence will I need?
- What would make a claim invalid, and how much detail must I give about past treatment?
- What does the policy do if I have other cover, such as a Federation scheme, and how do the benefits interact?
- How do I check your FCA authorisation, and what is the complaints process if something goes wrong?
Checking an adviser. Use the FCA Financial Services Register to confirm a firm or individual is authorised. If something goes wrong and the firm cannot resolve it, the Financial Ombudsman Service is a free route for consumers.
A ten-minute test for any policy document
Whoever sells it, read the key features and policy documents for these nine points before you commit. The plain-English rules Citizens Advice refers to mean you should be able to find them.
- Find the definition of being unable to work. Is it your own occupation, a suitable occupation or any occupation, and can it change during a claim?
- Find the waiting (deferred) period and work out the date it would end if you fell ill today, against your sick pay dates.
- Find how the payout is reduced by other income, including sick pay, an ill-health pension or an injury award.
- Find the end date: a fixed term, a retirement age, or a limit per claim.
- Find the exclusions, any loading added for you, and any condition you are required to disclose that you have not.
- Check whether premiums are guaranteed or can be reviewed, and whether benefits rise each year.
- Check who the policy belongs to, who is named to receive the payout and whether it is written in trust.
- Check how to claim, what evidence is needed and the complaints route.
- Check the cancellation terms and cooling-off period.
9. A sensible order to do things in
- Put your real outgoings into the calculator and note the monthly gap in each scenario.
- Fix the free things first: nominations, evidence of your partner relationship, knowing your scheme.
- Ask your Federation branch and your force what support already exists.
- Decide what you want to protect (months 7 to 12 of sickness, a mortgage, your family's living costs) and for how long.
- If you want to go further, speak to an FCA-authorised adviser and take the questions above with you.
- Compare at least two options on the same definitions, waiting period and benefit level, not just price.
- Keep a copy of every form you complete and every quote.
Start with your own numbers.
Open the protection gap calculatorMyths and facts
Myth: Police officers get a year of full sick pay.
Fact: Full pay is 6 months and half pay 6 more, in any one year period, and the entitlement is rolling.
Myth: Ill-health retirement pays my salary.
Fact: It pays a pension worked out on a formula. The lower tier is only your accrued pension, which for most officers is a fraction of salary.
Myth: An injury award means 85% of my pay.
Fact: Eighty-five per cent is the top guarantee, for very severe disablement; the others run from 15% to 80%, and the injury pension is reduced by three-quarters of your pension.
Myth: My partner gets my police pension because we live together.
Fact: Not in the 1987 scheme, and in the 2006 and 2015 schemes only if they meet the relationship tests and normally two years' cohabitation; a signed declaration is no longer required.
Myth: Critical illness cover pays if I am off work ill.
Fact: It pays only if you are diagnosed with a listed condition that meets the policy's definition, as a single lump sum.
Myth: Income protection replaces all my income.
Fact: Citizens Advice says to expect roughly half to two-thirds of pre-tax earnings.
Myth: If I leave something out, it will not matter.
Fact: It can: you must take reasonable care not to misrepresent, and leaving something out can lead to a refused claim.
Glossary
- Deferred (waiting) period
- The time you must be unable to work before an income protection payout starts.
- Own, suitable and any occupation
- Three ways a policy can define whether you are too ill to work, from the narrowest to the strictest.
- Level term and decreasing term
- Life insurance where the payout stays the same or falls over the term, often to match a repayment mortgage.
- Written in trust
- A way of owning a policy so that the proceeds are paid to beneficiaries you choose, outside your estate.
- Premium
- What you pay for the policy. You get nothing back if you never claim.
- Loading and exclusion
- Terms added to a policy because of your health, job or lifestyle: a higher price, or something not covered.
- Guaranteed and reviewable premiums
- Whether the price is fixed for the term or can change at the insurer's review.
- Non-disclosure
- Not giving the insurer the information it asks for, which can lead to a refused claim.
Related guides
If you can't work: the overview
Sick pay, injury on duty, ill-health retirement.
Death in service benefits
What your family receives, scheme by scheme.
Long-term sickness explained
The rolling 12-month rule.
Police debt and money pressure
When outgoings outrun income.
Police take-home pay explained
How tax, NI and pension shape take-home.
Mortgage borrowing calculator
How lenders see police income.
Frequently asked questions
Do police officers need income protection insurance?
Not automatically. Officers already get 6 months on full pay and 6 months on half pay, ill-health retirement and injury awards, and death in service benefits. Whether private cover is worth considering depends on whether those benefits would cover your outgoings in the situations where they start late or stop early, most obviously when sick pay falls to half pay at month seven and stops after month twelve. Use the protection gap calculator with your real outgoings to see whether there is a gap, then decide.
What is the difference between income protection, life insurance and critical illness cover?
Income protection pays a regular income if you cannot work because of sickness or disability, typically until you return to work or retire, after a waiting period. Life insurance pays a lump sum if you die within the policy term. Critical illness cover pays a lump sum if you are diagnosed with a specified serious illness that meets the policy's definition. They solve different problems: income protection replaces lost earnings, life insurance protects dependants, and critical illness provides a one-off sum.
Does being a police officer make insurance more expensive?
It can. Citizens Advice notes that insurers assess how dangerous a job is when deciding whether to cover you and how much to charge, and that different insurers may assess the same job differently. Ask each provider how your role, including any specialist role, is classified, and whether moving roles later could change your terms.
If I am medically retired, would an income protection policy still pay?
It depends entirely on the policy wording. Key questions are how the policy defines being unable to work (your own occupation, a suitable occupation or any occupation), whether an ill-health pension is treated as other income that reduces the payout, and whether the policy ends when you leave the police. The police ill-health tests (unfit for police duties, or unfit for any regular employment) are a different legal test from an insurer's definition, so do not assume the two match. Ask the adviser to show you the wording.
What does 'own occupation', 'suitable occupation' and 'any occupation' mean?
They describe how the policy decides whether you are too ill to work. Own occupation usually means you cannot do your own job. Suitable occupation means you cannot do any job suited to your education, training or experience. Any occupation is the strictest: you cannot do any work. Citizens Advice warns that some policies will not pay if you can do a different kind of work, and that cover assessed on a narrower definition usually costs less. Always check which definition applies and when.
How long is the waiting period on income protection?
Citizens Advice says most policies make you wait a minimum of four weeks before payments start, and that waiting periods can last up to two years, with premiums usually cheaper the longer you can wait. For an officer, the natural question is how the deferred period lines up with your sick pay: a long deferred period can sit behind full pay and half pay, but leaves a gap if the policy starts later than your pay falls.
Are income protection payouts taxable?
Citizens Advice states that the income from an income protection policy is tax free and that, because of this and deductions for state benefits, you can expect roughly half to two-thirds of your pre-tax earnings. Tax treatment can depend on who pays the premium and how the policy is set up, so ask your adviser to confirm for the specific policy.
Should life insurance be written in trust?
Often worth asking. HMRC's Inheritance Tax Manual says that where the deceased is the life assured and owner, the proceeds form part of their estate, and that policies held in trust are treated as settled property. A trust can also mean payment without waiting for probate. Whether it suits you depends on your circumstances, so ask an adviser and read the trust terms.
Is there a risk my claim will be refused?
The biggest controllable risk is what you tell the insurer. Under section 2 of the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012, a consumer must take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation. Answer every medical and lifestyle question accurately and completely, including mental health history, and keep a copy. The Association of British Insurers reports that over 91% of critical illness claims were paid in 2021, but the terms of each policy decide what counts as a valid claim. If you disagree with a decision, the Financial Ombudsman Service is free to consumers.
Who should I speak to, and is this guide financial advice?
This guide is general information and not regulated financial advice; we do not recommend or rate products or providers. For advice on what to buy, use an adviser authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority, check them on the FCA Financial Services Register, and ask how they are paid.
Sources and access dates
- Citizens Advice, Income protection insurance . Accessed 30 September 2026.
- Citizens Advice, Critical illness insurance . Accessed 30 September 2026.
- Association of British Insurers, Guide to Minimum Standards for Critical Illness Cover (16 September 2022, updated April 2023) . Accessed 30 September 2026. Cancer, heart attack and stroke must be covered to the model wordings for a policy to be called critical illness; the ABI reports over 91% of critical illness claims paid in 2021.
- FCA, press release on the pure protection market study (29 January 2026) . Accessed 30 September 2026. Reports 58% of adults hold no pure protection product and that for those who do, the market mostly works well. Final findings were expected in Q3 2026.
- Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012, section 2 (duty to take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation) . Accessed 30 September 2026.
- HMRC Inheritance Tax Manual IHTM20012 (life policies and Inheritance Tax) . Accessed 30 September 2026. States that where the deceased is the life assured and owner, the proceeds form part of their estate; policies held in trust are treated as settled property. General background only.
- MoneyHelper, What is life insurance? . Accessed 30 September 2026. Listed by search on the access date; the site blocks automated fetches, so we cite it as a place to read, not for any specific figure.
- MoneyHelper, What is critical illness cover? . Accessed 30 September 2026. Listed by search on the access date; the site blocks automated fetches, so we cite it as a place to read, not for any specific figure.
- FCA Financial Services Register (check a firm or adviser is authorised) . Accessed 30 September 2026.
- Financial Ombudsman Service, information for consumers . Accessed 30 September 2026.
- Home Office, Police Regulations 2003 determinations, Annex K (sick pay), circular of 28 March 2003 . Accessed 30 September 2026. Original 2003 determination: six months full pay then six months half pay "in any one year period", rolling 12-month deduction, chief officer discretion to extend.
- Police Federation (Sussex), sickness advice . Accessed 30 September 2026. Confirms six months full / six months half pay and the chief constable discretion; mentions a branch-level Group Insurance Scheme payable in the half-pay and nil-pay phases.
- Police Pensions Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/445), regulations 101 to 104 (ill-health), 134 to 146 (survivors, children), 152 to 161 (death grant, nominations) . Accessed 30 September 2026. Revised text on legislation.gov.uk, up to date to 1 April 2026.
- Police Pensions Regulations 2006 (SI 2006/3415), regulations 28 to 31 (pensions), 39 to 42 (survivors), 46 to 47 (death grant, nomination) . Accessed 30 September 2026.
- Police Pensions Regulations 1987 (SI 1987/257), regulation B3 and Schedule B Part III (ill-health), regulation C1 and Schedule C (widow(er)s), Part D (children), E8 (first 13 weeks) . Accessed 30 September 2026. legislation.gov.uk holds only the as-made text of the 1987 Regulations; later amendments (for example the lump sum death grant, regulation E3A) are taken from the Home Office members' guide below.
- Home Office, The Police Pension Scheme 1987: Members' Guide (Crown copyright 2006), sections 5 and 6 . Accessed 30 September 2026. States the lump sum death grant (twice annual pensionable pay), the half-rate widow(er)/civil partner pension, the 13-week increase and the child allowance rates.
- Police Care UK (charity, formerly the Police Dependants' Trust) . Accessed 30 September 2026. Supports serving and former officers, staff and families harmed through policing work: psychological support, financial grants, transition support.
Where the regulations or a force's policy are the last word, this guide says so. Spotted something out of date? See our corrections policy and source policy.
This guide is general information, written to help you ask better questions. It is not regulated financial advice, and it does not recommend, rate or link to any insurer, broker or product. Policy terms change and differ between providers: always read the policy documents and get advice from an FCA-authorised adviser before buying or cancelling cover. We are independent of any force, union or insurer. Consumer guidance cited here was read on 30 September 2026.