Police Retire
and Rejoin
How retire and rejoin (also called retire and rehire) works in England and Wales: the legal basis, what happens to your pension in each scheme, the break, the tax traps, the history and which forces run it. Written from the regulations, force policies and HMRC guidance, with the gaps marked.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 21 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
Yes. Under Police Regulations 2003 reg 10B a force can re-appoint a former officer at any rank the chief officer decides. There is no national scheme: each force sets its own policy. Most require at least one calendar month's break (West Midlands needs none at 55 and over). You join the 2015 scheme and can opt out. A 1987 or 2006 pension is usually abated while you serve (NPCC default: pay only), the lump sum is kept and the full pension resumes when you leave.
What retire and rejoin is and what it is not
Retire and rejoin means an officer formally retires, takes their pension and lump sum, then is re-appointed as a warranted police officer, usually after at least one calendar month. Forces use both names: West Midlands calls its scheme "retire and rejoin", Cambridgeshire "retire and rehire" and older papers say "30+". The South Wales PCC's April 2026 report makes the same distinction this page does: taking a police staff job after retiring is not rejoining.
The legal basis is regulation 10B of the Police Regulations 2003, as substituted from 22 February 2019. It covers a former officer who completed probation and then resigned or retired. They may be appointed "in a rank to be decided by the chief officer", which can be higher, lower or the same as before and they serve a probation period set by the Home Secretary. The College of Policing's rejoiner guidance says rejoiners are subject to the same regulations as any other officer.
| Situation | Retire and rejoin? | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| You retire, draw your pension and lump sum, then are re-appointed as a warranted officer | Yes | Police Regulations 2003 reg 10B applies; a 1987 or 2006 pension can be abated while you serve |
| You retire and take a police staff job (PSI, PIP2 investigator, call handling, custody) | No | Not rejoining in law. No abatement, because the abatement rules cover service as an officer only. The HMRC protected pension age rules can still bite if you retired from the 1987 scheme aged 50 to 54 |
| You resigned (not retired) years ago and come back | Rejoiner, but not retire and rejoin | Reg 10B still applies; there is no pension in payment to abate |
| You move from one force to another while still serving | No | That is a transfer, a different route |
| You retired on ill-health grounds | Usually excluded | West Midlands Police, for one, excludes ill-health retirees from its scheme |
There is no national retire and rejoin scheme. Each force decides whether to run one, who is eligible, how long the break is and whether pensions are abated. Two forces that publish full policies, West Midlands and Cambridgeshire, differ on eligibility and on how abatement can be relieved. Our force-by-force tracker lists what we could confirm, with sources.
What happens to your pension, scheme by scheme
Most officers retiring now have benefits in more than one scheme: a 1987 or 2006 (legacy) pension and a 2015 pension, with McCloud remedy service between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2022. Check each part separately. This table is the summary; the detail is in the three guides it links to.
| 1987 scheme (PPS) | 2006 scheme (NPPS) | 2015 scheme (CARE) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Can the pension be cut while you serve? | Yes, at the authority's discretion: the whole or any part (reg K4) | Yes, the same discretion (reg 52) | No abatement provision. For transition members, the legacy part can still be abated |
| What most published policies do | Abate by default; NPCC guidance says pay only for hours worked | The same | Not applicable to the 2015 pension itself |
| Lump sum already paid | Kept; never repaid | Kept; never repaid | Kept, unless the 28-day rule applies (below) |
| Break needed before coming back | Usually at least one calendar month; under 55, a break protects your tax position | Usually at least one calendar month (force policy) | More than 28 days, or regulation 100 stops the pension and makes payments recoverable |
| Tax trap on a quick return | Yes, if you retired aged 50 to 54 on a protected pension age: up to a 40% charge | No protected pension age issue in the same way | No protected pension age issue in the same way |
| New pension while you serve | You join the 2015 scheme (legacy schemes closed 31 March 2022) | You join the 2015 scheme | You re-enter the 2015 scheme |
| Can you opt out of the new 2015 membership? | Yes | Yes | Yes; check with your administrator how that interacts with regulation 100 |
| When you leave again | Full pension resumes | Full pension resumes | New 2015 benefits are added under the scheme rules |
For the 1987 timing rules, read rejoining on the 1987 scheme: the one-month break and protected pension age. For the 2015 rules, read retire and rejoin in the 2015 scheme: the 28-day rule. For how abatement works in each scheme, including other jobs, read our guide to whether your pension stops if you work again.
How it works, step by step
The order below follows the published West Midlands and Cambridgeshire policies. Your force's own policy is what counts, so treat this as the questions to ask at each stage.
| Stage | What happens | Who decides |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Read the policy | Ask the force you want to rejoin for its written retire and rejoin (or retire and rehire) policy. Eligibility, ranks, break and abatement differ by force. | The force |
| 2. Get pension figures in writing | Ask your administrator what your pension and lump sum would be, which parts could be abated and whether any break protects your tax position. | Scheme manager or administrator |
| 3. Apply and get approval | Ask whether approval is needed before you retire and how long a decision takes. Cambridgeshire allows an appeal within 7 days of a refusal. | Force HR or a panel under the policy |
| 4. Use up leave and TOIL | West Midlands says annual leave and time off in lieu are not carried over into the new appointment. | You, with your line manager |
| 5. Retire | Your pension and any lump sum are paid as normal. | You |
| 6. The break | Usually at least one calendar month. West Midlands needs no break at 55 and over since 18 March 2026. | Force policy, with HMRC rules in the background |
| 7. Re-appointment | You are appointed under reg 10B in a rank the chief officer decides, after vetting, medical and fitness checks. | Chief officer |
| 8. Probation | A rejoiner probation set by Home Office determination. West Midlands sets 12 months where the gap is 12 months or more. | Home Office rules; force can be stricter |
| 9. Serving | Pay for hours worked; 1987 or 2006 pension abated under the policy; new 2015 scheme membership unless you opt out. | Force and scheme manager |
| 10. Leaving again | Full legacy pension resumes. Any 2015 benefits you built are added under the scheme rules. | Administrator |
Before stage 3, run your own figures in the free retire and rejoin calculator. It shows take-home pay under each abatement approach, which is the number most people want before they commit.
Your pension while you serve: abatement in brief
The 1987 regulations (reg K4) let the authority "in their discretion, withdraw the whole or any part of the pension" while the pensioner serves as a regular policeman in any force. The 2006 regulations (reg 52) give the same power. It applies only to service as a police officer: a staff job or any other employer does not trigger it, as the Scottish Public Pensions Agency and LPPA both explain. The 2015 scheme has no abatement provision.
- The NPCC default. NPCC guidance issued in July 2022, summarised in NPCC slides of 4 July 2024, says forces should have an abatement policy, that the decision is the scheme manager's discretion and that the default is pay only for the hours worked, not pay plus pension. The slides note the Home Office position "may change".
- Paying both is the exception. The same guidance allows the pension to be paid on top of pay with "strong justification", for example a skills shortage. The force then pays an amount equal to the pension into the pension fund (Police Pension Fund Regulations 2007, reg 5), so a rejoiner whose pension is not abated costs the force salary plus a pension-equivalent payment.
- No blanket policies. The NPCC slides cite a Pensions Ombudsman decision (PO-25374) for the point that a force should not apply a blanket rule without considering the case.
- What forces publish. West Midlands abates except in exceptional circumstances and does not partly abate for part-time hours. Cambridgeshire abates for the duration but lets the Chief Constable relieve it fully or partly.
- What you keep. The lump sum already paid is not affected and is not repaid and the full pension resumes when you leave.
Our pension abatement guide covers the rules in more depth, including the Home Office's older recommended method (pension plus new pay capped at pay before retirement) and how ill-health and injury pensions are treated.
The break in service: why a month matters
Most policies require at least one calendar month between retiring and re-appointment. Cambridgeshire says at least one calendar month. West Midlands says one month, but since a policy change on 18 March 2026 no break is needed for those aged 55 and over. South Wales's Chief Constable is to come back "after a month and a day".
The break exists mainly because of tax. If you retired from the 1987 scheme aged 50 to 54, you rely on a protected pension age to draw your pension before 55. HMRC says re-employment by your former employer loses that protection unless there was a break of at least six months, or at least one month where the scheme allows abatement or the new job is materially different. Lose it and payments before 55 become unauthorised, with a 40% charge on you. At 55 and over the restriction falls away, which is why West Midlands dropped the break for that age group.
In Corsham v PCC for Essex [2019] EWHC 1776 (Ch), five 1987 officers who retired under 55 and took police staff jobs within a month lost their protected pension age and faced tax charges. Read the 1987 scheme guide before you agree a start date.
In 2020 HM Treasury and HMRC temporarily relaxed the one-month break for officers aged 50 to 54 who rejoined for the COVID response. That easement has ended and it was a tax concession only: chiefs could still abate.
The 2015 scheme: enrolment, opting out and the 28-day rule
The 1987 and 2006 schemes closed to future accrual on 31 March 2022, so everyone serving from 1 April 2022 is in the 2015 scheme. West Midlands and Cambridgeshire both say rejoiners are enrolled in the 2015 scheme and can opt out. A rejoiner who stays in builds new career average pension, which counts towards the annual allowance.
If you are drawing a 2015 scheme pension yourself, two rules matter. Regulation 90 means a 2015 retirement pension needs you to have left service: there is no drawdown while serving and no phased or partial retirement in the police schemes. Regulation 100 says that if you re-enter pensionable service within 28 days of your last day, the pension stops, anything paid can be recovered and your account is treated as never having closed.
Whether regulation 100 applies if you opt out of the 2015 scheme on rejoining is something we could not confirm: check with your administrator. The full rules, the pension trap and what transition members should ask are in retire and rejoin in the 2015 scheme.
Worked example: what three approaches to abatement mean in cash
A 1987 scheme constable at the top of the scale (£52,015 in 2026/27) retires on a pension of £26,000 a year after commutation and rejoins full time at the same pay point. They live in England, stay in the 2015 scheme and are under State Pension age. Retiring fully, they would take home about £23,314 a year (£1,943 a month) after income tax.
| Approach | Pension paid while serving | Take-home a year | Take-home a month | Gain over retiring fully |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pension stopped in full (NPCC default, most published policies) | £0 | £35,299 | £2,942 | £11,985 |
| Capped at pay before retirement (Home Office's older recommended method) | £0 | £35,299 | £2,942 | £11,985 |
| Pension paid in full (exceptional, needs strong justification) | £26,000 | £51,994 | £4,333 | £28,680 |
With full abatement the officer is working full time for about £11,985 a year more than they would get for not working at all, before counting the £941 or so of 2015 pension built for each year back. In this example the capped method gives the same result as full abatement, because the new pay already equals the old pay. It only leaves some pension in payment when the new pay is lower: rejoining at £36,335 instead, the capped method would pay £15,680 of pension.
Paying both in full looks the most attractive, but it is the exception and income tax is charged on pension and pay added together, so much of the extra falls in the 40% band. Try your own figures in the retire and rejoin calculator.
Is it worth it? Questions that decide the answer
Whether retire and rejoin pays depends less on the headline and more on your scheme, your age and your force's abatement policy. These are the situations the rules treat differently.
| Your situation | What the rules mean | Question to settle first |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 member, retiring aged 50 to 54 | A return within six months to the same employer can cost the protected pension age unless you have at least a one-month break and the abatement condition or a materially different job applies | Ask the administrator to confirm in writing that your break and role keep the protection (1987 guide) |
| 1987 or 2006 member, aged 55 or over | No protected pension age issue; West Midlands needs no break at this age | Will my pension be abated in full, in part or not at all? |
| Drawing a 2015 pension (including the 2015 part of a mixed pension) | No abatement, but re-entering the scheme within 28 days stops the pension and makes payments recoverable | How long must my break be and does opting out change it? (2015 guide) |
| In the pension trap (30 years combined service before 55) | You can draw the 1987 pension now; the 2015 pension stays deferred to State Pension age | What happens to my deferred 2015 benefits if I re-enter the scheme? |
| Want to come back part time | West Midlands does not partly abate for part-time hours | Will the force pro-rate abatement for my hours and how? |
| Retired on ill-health grounds | West Midlands excludes ill-health retirees; ill-health pensions have their own review rules | Am I eligible at all? (abatement guide, ill-health section) |
| Want a higher rank | Reg 10B allows any rank, but many force schemes are same or lower rank only | Does the policy allow promotion on return and do I need an exam pass? |
| Hoping to be paid pension and salary in full | Exceptional: needs strong justification and costs the force a pension-equivalent payment | Has the force ever agreed it and on what grounds? |
Money is not the only reason people come back. Some want to finish a project, stay in a specialist role or keep working while drawing a legacy pension they cannot otherwise use. Whatever the reason, compare the two columns in the calculator with the force's written abatement decision in front of you, not an estimate.
Rank, pay point, probation and checks
- Rank. Reg 10B leaves it to the chief officer. Force schemes are often narrower: West Midlands re-appoints at the same or a lower rank, normally constable to inspector. West Yorkshire has been reported to include ranks up to and including chief constable.
- Pay point. West Midlands sets the pay point by previous service; Cambridgeshire pays former pay if you return at the same rank. Housing allowance is not restored in either.
- Probation. Every rejoiner serves a probation period set by Home Office determination. Home Office Circular 003/2019 set at least six months, longer in some cases. Forces can be stricter: West Midlands sets 12 months where the gap is 12 months or more. Our rejoining the police guide sets out the current periods.
- Exams. College of Policing guidance has been reported to say rejoining sergeants and inspectors must sit the promotion exam unless they hold a valid pass. Check the current text with your force.
- Hours and moves. West Midlands allows up to 40 hours a week and asks for 12 months in post before a lateral move.
- Vetting, medical and fitness. You are a new appointment, so expect the checks a new appointment needs.
Tax with two incomes
GOV.UK says pension and earnings are added together for income tax. There is no National Insurance on pension income, so employee National Insurance is charged on the pay only. HMRC gives you a tax code for each job or pension and the Personal Allowance usually goes against one of them, so the other is taxed at the basic or higher rate from the first pound. Scottish taxpayers have different bands.
If the pension is abated in full, only the pay is taxed while you serve. If it is not abated, two full incomes can push part of your income into the 40% band. A rejoiner in the 2015 scheme builds new benefits that count towards the £60,000 annual allowance (tapered above £200,000 threshold income and £260,000 adjusted income, with three years' carry forward). The lifetime allowance was abolished on 6 April 2024. For the detail on codes and refunds, read tax on your police pension.
A short history: from 30+ to 30++ to today
Retire and rejoin is not new. According to the NPCC's July 2024 slides, the 30+ scheme was introduced in 2002, with NPIA guidance updated in 2007. Officers with 30 years could retire and come back with their pension paid on top of pay, which mainly made up for housing allowance lost on retirement. HM Treasury approved it until 31 March 2010. An NPIA survey found about 1,200 officers on it in February 2007.
By May 2008 Police Professional reported that seven forces had suspended or withdrawn it: Greater Manchester, Humberside, Lincolnshire, Merseyside, Norfolk, North Yorkshire and South Wales. It closed to new applicants on 31 March 2010 and was replaced from 1 April 2010 by 30++: the monthly pension abated, the lump sum kept, housing allowance stopped and a one-month break (30+ needed only a one-day break). The Scottish Public Pensions Agency's Police Circular 2/2010 said the Scottish arrangement "mirrors that in England, Wales and Northern Ireland".
Why it is back now: West Midlands' policy cites NPCC National Reward Team Guidance Note 8, which gives three reasons. Keeping experienced officers during the Uplift programme; the end of compulsory retirement ages on 1 April 2022; and the "pension trap" between the legacy and 2015 schemes. Note 8 itself is not public, so we have not read it.
An officer with 1987 and 2015 service who reaches 30 years' combined service before 55 can take the 1987 pension straight away, but the 2015 pension is deferred to State Pension age. The Police Federation took advice from three KCs between 2023 and 2025; all found no viable legal challenge. Retire and rejoin lets some of these officers draw their 1987 pension and keep working. See the 2015 scheme guide for what we could and could not confirm about their deferred 2015 benefits.
We found no Home Office or Treasury change to police abatement between 2023 and October 2026. That is absence of evidence, not a statement that nothing has changed: check the date on any guidance you rely on.
Chief officers who retired and rejoined
Retire and rejoin has been most visible at chief officer level. These are the cases we could find in public sources. Where we could only read a summary, we say so.
- South Wales, Jeremy Vaughan. The PCC's statement of 17 July 2026 says he would retire in summer 2026 and rejoin "after a month and a day" on a fixed term to the end of 2028, at "no additional cost to the taxpayer", citing Home Office Circular 007/2024. It does not say whether his pension is abated.
- Kent, Tim Smith. Kent County Council committee papers, which we could only read in summary, report that he retired on 28 February and rejoined on 1 April 2025 with his pension abated, that the Home Office advised treating it as a new appointment with panel scrutiny under the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 and that his term runs to 7 December 2029.
- Derbyshire, Rachel Swann. The PCC's announcement, read in summary only, reports that she retired on 7 October 2024 and returned after a one-month break on a fixed term to the end of July 2026.
- Sussex, Jo Shiner. Police Oracle reported in October 2024 that she retired and rejoined that year. The article is for subscribers and we have not read the full text.
It has been controversial. In 2022 a proposal by Northamptonshire's PCC to retire and rehire the then Chief Constable drew objections from unions, who said such schemes block promotion for others. In November 2024 Police Oracle reported PCC Simon Foster calling it a "national problem" caused by an "irrational" pension system; we have seen that only as a headline.
Which forces run it
No national total exists. Freedom of information answers give a sense of scale: Greater Manchester Police said 32 officers had retired and rejoined within three months since 1 January 2019 and Cumbria said 4 (both December 2024). Higher figures for other forces have been reported but we could not open the responses.
Our force-by-force tracker lists West Midlands, Cambridgeshire, West Yorkshire, the Met and the chief officer cases, with each row's source and the date we last checked it, plus notes on Scotland and Northern Ireland. If your force is not listed, ask its HR team for the policy in writing.
Common mistakes: a checklist before you retire
- Coming back within a month aged 50 to 54 on the 1987 scheme. This can cost the protected pension age and bring unauthorised payment charges, as in Corsham.
- Assuming a staff job is "materially different". Get the administrator's written confirmation first. A change in hours alone does not count.
- Assuming you will be paid pension and salary. Most published policies abate by default.
- Expecting part-time hours to cut the abatement. West Midlands does not partly abate for part-time work.
- Drawing 2015 benefits and re-entering the 2015 scheme within 28 days. Regulation 100 stops the pension and makes payments recoverable.
- Not using annual leave and TOIL before retiring. West Midlands says neither carries over.
- Expecting housing allowance back. It is not restored.
- Forgetting it is a new appointment. Probation, vetting, medical and fitness checks apply again.
- Ignoring the tax code split. Two incomes mean two codes; check both once the first payslip arrives.
Myths and facts
Who to ask and what
| Question | Ask | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Will the force re-appoint me, at what rank and pay point? | Force HR or the rejoiner team | Reg 10B leaves the rank to the chief officer; pay point follows the force policy |
| Which parts of my pension would be abated and by how much? | Scheme manager or pension administrator | K4 and reg 52 are discretions; the amount is set case by case |
| Does my break protect my protected pension age? Is a staff job materially different? | Pension administrator, in writing, before you accept | HMRC's conditions are strict and the Corsham officers lost their protection |
| How does regulation 100 apply to me, including if I opt out? | Pension administrator | We could not confirm the opt-out position |
| Is this the right decision for me? | Police Federation, Superintendents' Association or NARPO; a regulated independent financial adviser | Large sums and a tax charge risk |
| Are my two tax codes right? | HMRC | The Personal Allowance usually goes against one source |
Keep every answer in writing. If the administrator later says your new job was not materially different, or that a break was too short, a written answer you relied on is your best evidence. In the Corsham case, letters from one police authority that wrongly said lump sums were tax free were central to the appeal that succeeded.
What we could not verify and how we handled it
- Abatement amounts and duration. Decided case by case under each force's policy.
- NPCC Guidance Note 8. Cited in the West Midlands policy; its text and date are not public.
- The 30+ start year. We give 2002 as the NPCC's date.
- Regulation 100 if you opt out. Unconfirmed: ask your administrator.
- Regulation 67 and pension trap deferred benefits. Unconfirmed: ask your administrator.
- Remedy-period legacy benefits. We could not confirm how forces treat them for abatement.
- Kent, Derbyshire, West Yorkshire and Met details. Read in summary only; worded as reported.
- "No additional cost to the taxpayer" claims. We report them as made; we have not tested them.
- Minimum pension age rising to 57. Commentary says police are exempt; we have not confirmed it (see the 1987 guide).
- Any Home Office change after 21 October 2026. Check before you rely on this page.
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
Can a retired police officer rejoin the police?
Yes. Regulation 10B of the Police Regulations 2003 lets a force appoint a former officer who completed probation and then resigned or retired, in a rank the chief officer decides (higher, lower or the same). There is no national retire and rejoin scheme: each force decides whether to run one and sets its own policy.
What is retire and rehire in the police?
It is the same thing as retire and rejoin: an officer formally retires, takes their pension and lump sum, then is re-appointed as a warranted officer, usually after at least one calendar month. Taking a police staff job after retiring is not rejoining in law.
Do I get my pension and salary if I retire and rejoin?
Usually not both in full. A 1987 or 2006 scheme pension can be withdrawn in whole or part while you serve (1987 reg K4, 2006 reg 52). NPCC guidance from July 2022 says the default is pay only for the hours you work, not pay plus pension. Paying both needs strong justification and the force must then pay an equal amount into the pension fund.
Do I lose my lump sum if I rejoin?
No. Abatement only affects the pension instalments while you serve. West Midlands Police's policy says a lump sum already paid is not lost and Kent's Chief Constable was reported to have rejoined with his pension abated. The one exception is the 2015 scheme's 28-day rule, where a return within 28 days makes payments recoverable.
How long do I have to wait before rejoining?
Most published policies require at least one calendar month. West Midlands removed the break for those aged 55 and over from 18 March 2026. If you retired from the 1987 scheme aged 50 to 54, the break also protects your tax position, so do not shorten it without your administrator's written agreement.
Which pension scheme do I join when I rejoin?
The 2015 scheme. The 1987 and 2006 schemes closed to future accrual on 31 March 2022, so everyone serving from 1 April 2022 builds pension in the 2015 scheme. Force policies say rejoiners are enrolled and can opt out.
Does my pension go back to normal when I leave again?
Yes. The abatement lasts only while you serve. West Midlands Police's policy says the full pension resumes when you leave and any 2015 scheme benefits you build while back are added under that scheme's rules.
Will working part time reduce the abatement?
Not necessarily. West Midlands Police says it does not partly abate for part-time hours. Other forces may differ, so ask for the method in writing.
Is there an age limit for retire and rejoin?
Compulsory retirement ages ended on 1 April 2022, according to the Police Federation's circular, because the 2015 scheme cannot set one. Forces still decide whom to appoint and you go through vetting, medical and fitness checks again.
Can chief constables retire and rejoin?
Yes and several have. South Wales Police's PCC said in July 2026 that Chief Constable Jeremy Vaughan would retire and rejoin after a month and a day on a fixed term to the end of 2028. Kent, Derbyshire and Sussex chief constables have been reported to have done the same.
Do I get housing allowance back if I rejoin?
No. West Midlands and Cambridgeshire both say housing allowance is not restored. Making up for lost housing allowance was one reason for the old 30+ scheme, which closed to new applicants on 31 March 2010.
Can I retire and rejoin at a higher rank?
Reg 10B lets the chief officer decide the rank, which can be higher, lower or the same. Many force schemes are narrower: West Midlands appoints at the same or a lower rank and normally covers constable to inspector.
Is there a calculator for retire and rejoin?
Yes. Our free retire and rejoin calculator compares retiring fully with retiring and rejoining, after income tax, National Insurance on the pay and 2015 scheme contributions, under full, capped or no abatement.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 21 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 Regulations 2003, regulation 10B (rejoiners), latest version : former officers who completed probation and resigned or retired; rank decided by the chief officer; probation set by the Home Secretary (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Home Office Circular 003/2019: regulation 10B of the Police Regulations 2003, rejoiners (25 April 2019) : the 2019 rejoiner rules; the five-year limit on rejoining in rank removed (accessed 21 October 2026)
- College of Policing: police rejoiners (first published 15 June 2023, updated 18 October 2023) : rejoiners subject to the same regulations as any officer (accessed 21 October 2026)
- West Midlands Police: Retire and Rejoin Policy v1.1, effective 8 April 2026 (FOI publication) : eligibility, one-month break (none at 55 and over from 18 March 2026), rank and pay point, abatement, lump sum kept, 2015 enrolment, NPCC Guidance Note 8 reasons (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Cambridgeshire Constabulary: Retire and Rehire (30+) policy and procedure (Peterborough City Council papers) : eligibility, one calendar month break, former pay, abatement and relief by the Chief Constable, 7-day appeal (accessed 21 October 2026)
- South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner: report, 15 April 2026 (Merthyr Tydfil Council papers) : what retire and rejoin means; staff jobs are not rejoining (accessed 21 October 2026)
- South Wales PCC: Chief Constable Vaughan retire and rehire, statement (17 July 2026) : retire in summer 2026, rejoin after a month and a day, fixed term to the end of 2028, Home Office Circular 007/2024 (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Kent County Council committee papers: the Chief Constable's re-appointment : read in summary only: retired 28 February and rejoined 1 April 2025 with pension abated; term to 7 December 2029 (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Derbyshire PCC: Chief Constable Rachel Swann announcement : read in summary only: retired 7 October 2024, one-month break, fixed term to the end of July 2026 (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Police Oracle: Briefing room, what is the retire and rejoin scheme? (1 October 2024) : subscriber article; we read the headline and summary only (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Northamptonshire Journal: Friday brief (2022) : the 2022 proposal for the then Chief Constable and union objections (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Police Pensions Regulations 1987, regulation K4 : discretion to withdraw the whole or any part of the pension while the pensioner serves as a regular policeman (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Police Pensions Regulations 2006, regulation 52 : the same discretion for the 2006 scheme (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Police Pension Fund Regulations 2007, regulation 5 : a force that does not abate pays an amount equal to the pension into the pension fund (accessed 21 October 2026)
- NPCC Pension chat slides (Clair Alcock, 4 July 2024): abatement, contingent decisions, compensation, contributions : history of 30+ and 30++, NPCC guidance of July 2022 on abatement, no abatement in the 2015 scheme (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Police Professional (8 May 2008): forces suspending the 30+ scheme : seven forces had suspended or withdrawn 30+ by May 2008 (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Scottish Public Pensions Agency: Police Circular 2/2010, new retention scheme (8 February 2010) : 30+ replaced from 1 April 2010; mirrors England, Wales and Northern Ireland (accessed 21 October 2026)
- SPPA: police re-employment factsheet (2 September 2024) : abatement only for service as an officer; returns as an officer relatively rare; SPA decides; Police Scotland and SPA one employer (accessed 21 October 2026)
- LPPA: Returning to work after retirement (11 May 2023) : abatement on re-employment as an officer; not in the 2015 scheme (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Police Pensions Regulations 2015, regulation 100 : re-entering pensionable service within 28 days: pension stops, payments recoverable, account treated as never closed (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Police Pensions Regulations 2015, regulation 90 : a retirement pension needs the member to have left eligible service (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Home Office: Police Pension Scheme prospective remedy, consultation response (8 March 2022) : legacy schemes closed to future accrual on 31 March 2022; everyone serving from 1 April 2022 is in the 2015 scheme (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Police Federation: BB Circular 007/2022, compulsory retirement ages : compulsory retirement ages ended on 1 April 2022 (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Police Federation pensions newsletter, June 2025 : the pension trap; advice from three KCs found no viable legal challenge (accessed 21 October 2026)
- HMRC Pensions Tax Manual PTM062230: loss of a protected pension age due to employment (updated 9 October 2026) : the 6-month and 1-month re-employment conditions; abatement liability; materially different employment; unauthorised payments (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Corsham and others v Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex and others [2019] EWHC 1776 (Ch), 11 July 2019 : 1987 officers who retired under 55 and took police staff jobs within a month (accessed 21 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Tax on your private pension, annual allowance : £60,000; tapering; three years' carry forward (accessed 21 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Tax when you get a pension : pension and earnings added together for income tax; no National Insurance on pension income (accessed 21 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Tax codes : a tax code for each job or pension; how the Personal Allowance is used (accessed 21 October 2026)
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Disclaimer
PolicePay.co.uk is an independent reference site. It is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority and this page is general information, not financial, tax or pension advice and it cannot consider your personal circumstances. Pension and tax rules change and depend on your scheme, service and tax position: check your pension administrator's statement and, where sums are large or decisions hard to reverse, speak to an FCA-authorised adviser, Pension Wise (free guidance for defined contribution pensions only) or HMRC. Details apply to England and Wales unless stated. Details are as checked on 21 October 2026.