The 2015 Scheme
28-Day Rule
What retire and rejoin means for the 2015 career average scheme: why a 2015 pension is not abated, the 28-day rule in regulation 100, what happens if you are a transition member, the pension trap and the new pension you build when you come back.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 21 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
A 2015 scheme pension is not abated: the regulations have no abatement power. But you must have left service to draw it (reg 90) and if you re-enter the 2015 scheme within 28 days of your last day, regulation 100 stops the pension, makes what was paid recoverable and treats your account as never closed. Transition members' legacy pensions can still be abated. Rejoiners are enrolled in the 2015 scheme and can opt out; new accrual counts towards the annual allowance.
In brief
- No abatement. A 2015 scheme pension in payment cannot be withdrawn because you serve again.
- You must leave to draw it. Regulation 90 rules out drawing a 2015 pension while serving.
- More than 28 days. Re-enter the scheme within 28 days of your last day and regulation 100 unwinds your retirement.
- Legacy parts still can be abated. If you are a transition member, your 1987 or 2006 pension is subject to that scheme's rules.
- You build new pension. Rejoiners are enrolled in the 2015 scheme, can opt out and new benefits count towards the annual allowance.
- Two things we could not confirm. Whether regulation 100 applies if you opt out and what re-entering does to deferred pension trap benefits. Ask your administrator.
For the whole picture, including how forces run retire and rejoin, start with the retire and rejoin guide.
Why a 2015 pension is not abated
The 1987 and 2006 schemes contain an express power to withdraw a pension while the pensioner serves again as an officer (1987 reg K4, 2006 reg 52). The Police Pensions Regulations 2015 contain no equivalent. The NPCC's July 2024 pension slides and LPPA's guidance both say abatement does not apply to the 2015 scheme.
That does not mean a 2015 pensioner can come back on any terms. The scheme protects itself differently: by requiring you to leave before you draw the pension and by unwinding a retirement that is followed too quickly by a return. Those are regulations 90 and 100.
| Regulation (SI 2015/445) | What it says, in plain English | Why it matters on rejoining |
|---|---|---|
| Reg 21 | Any member of a police force in England and Wales is eligible to be an active member | A rejoiner is enrolled in the 2015 scheme and can opt out |
| Reg 90(1)(c) | A retirement pension needs the member to have left eligible service | You cannot draw a 2015 pension while serving: no drawdown and no phased, partial or flexible retirement in the police schemes |
| Reg 100 | If a member re-enters pensionable service in the scheme within 28 days of the last day of service, the pension stops, any pension or lump sum paid is recoverable and the active account is treated as never closed | The 2015 scheme's own break rule: come back too soon and you are treated as never having retired |
| Reg 60(2) | A deferred or pensioner member who re-enters pensionable service gets an active account re-established | What happens to your earlier 2015 benefits; ask your administrator how it applies to you |
| Reg 67 | A deferred member who rejoins within 5 years has the deferred account closed and the active account re-established as continuous service | Relevant if you left with deferred 2015 benefits, as pension trap officers do |
| No abatement regulation | The 2015 regulations contain no power to withdraw a pension because you serve again | A 2015 pension in payment is not abated; legacy pensions can be |
Regulation 90: you must leave before you draw
Regulation 90(1)(c) makes leaving eligible service a condition of a retirement pension. A serving officer cannot draw their 2015 pension and carry on and the police schemes have no phased, partial or flexible retirement. If you want your 2015 pension in payment and to keep working as an officer, the only route is to retire, then rejoin.
When you retire from the 2015 scheme before normal pension age 60, the pension is reduced for early payment. The can I retire at 55? guide explains the reduction.
Regulation 100: the 28-day rule
Regulation 100 deals with a member who has become entitled to a pension and then re-enters pensionable service in the scheme within 28 days of the last day of service. If that happens:
- the pension stops;
- any pension or lump sum already paid is recoverable; and
- the active account is treated as never having closed, as if you had not retired.
In the 1987 and 2006 schemes abatement never touches the lump sum. Regulation 100 is the one rule in this cluster under which a lump sum already paid can be recovered. A break of more than 28 days before you re-enter the 2015 scheme avoids it. Most force policies already require at least one calendar month.
West Midlands Police removed its one-month break for those aged 55 and over from 18 March 2026. That change is about HMRC's protected pension age, which does not apply at 55 and over. It does not switch off regulation 100, so a 2015 pensioner coming back with no break should get the administrator's confirmation first.
When you come back and what follows
| Your return | Under regulation 100 | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Re-enter the 2015 scheme within 28 days of your last day of service | Pension stops; pension and lump sum already paid are recoverable; the account is treated as never closed | Avoid, unless you have agreed it in writing with your administrator and understand the cost |
| Re-enter after more than 28 days | Regulation 100 does not bite. Your 2015 pension keeps being paid; there is no abatement of it | Check the force's own break, which is usually at least one calendar month |
| Rejoin and opt out of the 2015 scheme | Whether regulation 100 applies is unconfirmed | Ask your administrator before you rely on it |
| Also have a 1987 pension and retired aged 50 to 54 | Regulation 100 is not the only rule: HMRC's protected pension age conditions apply to the 1987 pension | Read the 1987 scheme guide |
Opting out of the 2015 scheme on rejoining
West Midlands and Cambridgeshire both say rejoiners are enrolled in the 2015 scheme and can opt out. Some rejoiners consider opting out because they already have a pension in payment and want more take-home pay now. The retire and rejoin calculator shows the difference in cash.
Regulation 100 talks about re-entering pensionable service in the scheme. Whether it applies if you opt out (and so never re-enter pensionable service) is a reading we could not confirm. Do not assume that opting out lets you come back inside 28 days. Check with your administrator, in writing, before you agree a start date.
Opting out means no new 2015 pension for the time you serve. It also means no employee contributions, so take-home pay is higher. The trade is personal; a regulated independent financial adviser can look at it with your whole position.
What happens to your earlier 2015 account
Regulation 60(2) says a deferred or pensioner member who re-enters pensionable service has an active account re-established. Regulation 67 says a deferred member who rejoins within 5 years has the deferred account closed and the active account re-established as continuous service.
How these apply to a rejoiner already drawing a 2015 pension (in particular what they do to the deferred 2015 benefits of an officer in the pension trap) is something we could not confirm. We do not state an answer. Ask your administrator before you rejoin, because it may change what your 2015 benefits look like when you finally leave.
Transition members: the legacy part can still be abated
Most officers retiring now are transition members, with a 1987 or 2006 pension for earlier service and 2015 pension for later service. The 2015 part is not abated. The legacy part can be, at the authority's discretion, while you serve. NPCC guidance from July 2022 makes pay only the default.
| Part of your pension | Can it be abated while you serve? | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 scheme pension (service before 1 April 2015, or remedy service if you chose legacy) | Yes, at the authority's discretion (reg K4) | Police Pensions Regulations 1987 |
| 2006 scheme pension | Yes, at the authority's discretion (reg 52) | Police Pensions Regulations 2006 |
| 2015 scheme pension | No abatement provision | NPCC slides; LPPA |
| Remedy period service (1 April 2015 to 31 March 2022) | Unconfirmed how forces treat it for abatement | Ask your administrator |
| New 2015 pension built after rejoining | Not in payment while you serve; added under the scheme rules | Reg 90 |
Service between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2022 is McCloud remedy service, with a choice between legacy and 2015 benefits for that period. We could not confirm how forces treat remedy period benefits for abatement. The abatement guide covers the legacy rules in depth.
The pension trap and the KC advice
The pension trap affects officers with 1987 and 2015 service. Reach 30 years' combined service before 55 and you can take the 1987 pension immediately, but the 2015 pension is deferred until State Pension age. You either keep working without a pension or leave with only part of it.
The Police Federation took legal advice from three KCs between 2023 and 2025. Its June 2025 pensions newsletter says all found no viable legal challenge. NPCC Guidance Note 8, as cited in West Midlands' policy, lists the pension trap as one of the reasons forces now offer retire and rejoin.
It lets an officer draw the 1987 pension and come back to work, usually with that pension abated under force policy. It does not, on anything we found, bring the deferred 2015 pension forward. What re-entering the 2015 scheme does to those deferred benefits under regulations 60 and 67 is unconfirmed. If you are in this position, that is the first question for your administrator.
The new pension you build when you come back
Everyone serving since 1 April 2022 builds pension in the 2015 scheme, so a rejoiner who stays in builds new career average pension at 1/55.3 of each year's pensionable earnings, revalued while they serve. The Police Federation's circular on compulsory retirement ages says retired officers who rejoin can accrue further 2015 benefit. Contributions are at the rates in force from 1 April 2026.
| Illustrative rejoiner (full time, 2026/27) | Contribution rate | Contributions a year | Pension built in a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Constable, top of scale (£52,015) | 13.88% | £7,220 | £941 |
| Sergeant, top of scale (£58,175) | 13.88% | £8,075 | £1,052 |
Contributions are taken before tax, so the cost after tax relief is lower than the figure shown. Each year back adds another slice. Whether that is worth more to you than the take-home pay is a personal decision; the calculator shows both sides.
Annual allowance on the new pension
New 2015 benefits count towards the annual allowance: £60,000 a year, tapered above £200,000 threshold income and £260,000 adjusted income, with unused allowance carried forward from the previous three years. The lifetime allowance was abolished on 6 April 2024; the lump sum allowance (£268,275) and lump sum and death benefit allowance (£1,073,100) replaced it.
HMRC values growth in a defined benefit pension at 16 times the increase. A fresh year of accrual for the top-of-scale sergeant above, £1,052 of pension, would be roughly £16,832 of pension input on its own, well inside £60,000. If your earlier 2015 benefits are brought back into an active account, the measurement could look different, which is another reason to ask your administrator.
Our annual allowance guide explains pension savings statements and Scheme Pays.
Worked example: a transition member, opted in or out
A transition member draws £22,000 a year, of which £7,000 is 2015 scheme pension and the rest 1987 scheme pension. They rejoin full time at the top of the constable scale (£52,015) after more than 28 days, live in England and are under State Pension age. Their force abates the 1987 part in full; the 2015 part keeps being paid because it cannot be abated.
| A year | Retire fully | Rejoin, stay in the 2015 scheme | Rejoin, opt out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Police pay | £0 | £52,015 | £52,015 |
| Pension paid while serving | £22,000 | £7,000 | £7,000 |
| 2015 contributions | £0 | £7,220 | £0 |
| Income tax | £1,886 | £8,150 | £11,038 |
| National Insurance | £0 | £3,051 | £3,051 |
| Take-home | £20,114 | £40,594 | £44,926 |
| New 2015 pension built | £0 | £941 | £0 |
In this example opting out adds about £4,332 a year to take-home pay and gives up about £941 a year of new 2015 pension (before revaluation) for each year back. The £7,000 of 2015 pension is paid in both rejoin columns because the 2015 scheme has no abatement. Run your own figures, with your own 2015 part, in the retire and rejoin calculator.
If you are only in the 2015 scheme
Force schemes are often written around legacy members. Cambridgeshire's Retire and Rehire policy is open to Federated and superintending ranks with full legacy scheme membership who retired within the last 2 years, so officers who are only in the 2015 scheme cannot apply. The force's own equality assessment notes that this affects women and minority groups more. West Midlands' eligibility is also framed around 1987 members (30 years, or 25 years and aged 50 or over) and 2006 members who retired at 55 or over.
Regulation 10B itself is not limited by scheme: any former officer who completed probation and resigned or retired can be re-appointed at the chief officer's discretion. A 2015-only officer who wants to come back may therefore have to apply as an ordinary rejoiner rather than through a force's retire and rejoin scheme. Our rejoining the police guide covers that route and the force tracker shows each published policy's eligibility.
Step by step for a 2015 pensioner
- Find out what you hold. Your retirement statement shows any 1987 or 2006 pension, the 2015 pension and any remedy period choice.
- Read the force policy. Check eligibility (some schemes exclude 2015-only officers), the break and the abatement approach for any legacy part.
- Fix your dates. Write down your last day of service and the earliest date that is more than 28 days later. Ask the administrator to confirm it.
- Decide on the 2015 scheme. Stay in (automatic) or opt out. If you plan to opt out to come back sooner, get the administrator's written view on regulation 100 first.
- Ask about regulations 60 and 67. Especially if you have deferred 2015 benefits from the pension trap.
- Check the take-home. Use the calculator with your legacy and 2015 parts entered separately.
- Keep the paperwork. Retirement letter, last day of service, appointment letter and every written answer.
- After you start. Check both tax codes and your first payslip and watch for a pension savings statement if your new accrual is large.
Questions to put to your administrator
| Question | Why |
|---|---|
| If I re-enter the 2015 scheme on [date], is that within 28 days of my last day of service? | Regulation 100 is measured from your last day of service |
| If I opt out of the 2015 scheme on rejoining, does regulation 100 still apply to me? | We could not confirm this |
| What happens to my earlier 2015 benefits under regulations 60 and 67 if I re-enter? | The effect on deferred pension trap benefits is unconfirmed |
| Which parts of my pension would be abated, including remedy period benefits? | Only legacy benefits can be abated; remedy treatment is unconfirmed |
| What contribution rate will I pay and how is my relevant pay set? | Rates depend on pensionable earnings |
| How will my pension savings statement treat the new accrual? | New benefits count towards the annual allowance |
Force HR answers questions about re-appointment, rank, pay point and probation; our rejoining guide covers those for any rejoiner. The force tracker lists published policies. The Police Federation, the Superintendents' Association and NARPO can help you frame the questions.
Myths and facts
What we could not verify and how we handled it
- Regulation 100 for a rejoiner who opts out. Unconfirmed; worded as a question for your administrator.
- Regulations 60 and 67 and pension trap deferred benefits. Unconfirmed; not stated as fact.
- Remedy period benefits and abatement. Unconfirmed.
- How the 28 days are counted in practice. The regulation counts from the last day of service; ask your administrator to confirm your dates.
- Scotland and Northern Ireland. Their 2015 schemes are made under separate regulations; this page is for England and Wales.
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
Is a 2015 scheme police pension abated if I rejoin?
No. The Police Pensions Regulations 2015 contain no abatement provision and the NPCC and LPPA both say abatement does not apply to the 2015 scheme. If you also have a 1987 or 2006 pension, that legacy part can still be abated while you serve.
What is the 28-day rule in the police pension scheme?
Regulation 100 of the Police Pensions Regulations 2015. If you re-enter pensionable service in the 2015 scheme within 28 days of your last day of service, your 2015 pension stops, any pension or lump sum paid can be recovered and your active account is treated as never having closed.
Can I draw my 2015 police pension while still serving?
No. Regulation 90(1)(c) requires you to have left service before a retirement pension is paid. There is no drawdown, phased, partial or flexible retirement in the police schemes, which is why retire and rejoin exists.
Do I join the 2015 scheme when I rejoin?
Yes, automatically. 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 policies say rejoiners can opt out.
Does the 28-day rule apply if I opt out of the 2015 scheme?
We could not confirm it. Regulation 100 is about re-entering pensionable service in the scheme, but how administrators apply it to a rejoiner who opts out is not something we found stated. Check with your administrator before you rely on opting out.
What is the police pension trap?
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 and all found no viable legal challenge.
Does retire and rejoin solve the pension trap?
Partly. It lets an officer draw the 1987 pension and keep working, which is one reason NPCC Guidance Note 8 gives for retire and rejoin. What happens to the deferred 2015 benefits when you re-enter the scheme (regulations 60 and 67) is something we could not confirm, so ask your administrator.
Does new pension built after rejoining count towards the annual allowance?
Yes. A rejoiner in the 2015 scheme builds new benefits that count towards the £60,000 annual allowance, which is tapered for high incomes and has three years' carry forward. For most rejoiners on federated pay a year of new accrual alone is well inside it.
Is there an age limit on building 2015 pension after rejoining?
Compulsory retirement ages ended on 1 April 2022 because the 2015 scheme cannot set one, according to the Police Federation's circular, so a retired officer who rejoins can build further 2015 benefits. Forces still decide whom to appoint.
Can I retire and rejoin if I am only in the 2015 scheme?
Regulation 10B allows any former officer who completed probation and resigned or retired to be re-appointed, but some force schemes exclude 2015-only officers. Cambridgeshire's policy is open only to officers with full legacy scheme membership and its own equality assessment notes this affects women and minority groups more.
Should I opt out of the 2015 scheme when I rejoin?
It is a personal choice. Opting out raises take-home pay but you build no new 2015 pension while you serve. Before you rely on opting out to come back within 28 days, get your administrator's written view on whether regulation 100 still applies.
Will my legacy pension be abated if I am a transition member?
It can be. Abatement still applies to the legacy (pre-2015 final salary) part of a transition member's pension, at the authority's discretion. How remedy period benefits are treated is unconfirmed, so ask which parts your administrator considers at risk.
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 Pensions Regulations 2015, regulation 90 : a retirement pension needs the member to have left eligible service (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 67 (and regulation 60) : active account re-established for a deferred or pensioner member who re-enters pensionable service (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Police Pensions Regulations 2015, regulation 60 : re-established active account for a deferred or pensioner member who re-enters pensionable service (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)
- 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 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- GOV.UK: Tax on your private pension, annual allowance : £60,000; tapering; three years' carry forward (accessed 21 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Tax on your private pension, lump sum allowance : lifetime allowance abolished 6 April 2024; £268,275 and £1,073,100 allowances (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Police Pensions (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/267) : 2015 scheme member contribution rates from 1 April 2026 (accessed 21 October 2026)
On this topic elsewhere
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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.