Working After
Police Retirement
Whether your police pension can be reduced if you work again, scheme by scheme: rejoining as an officer, retire and rejoin policies, police staff and civilian jobs, ill-health and injury pensions, tax and the State Pension. Written from the regulations, with the gaps marked.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 1 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
Only serving again as a police officer can trigger abatement. If you rejoin any force, the authority may withdraw all or part of a 1987 or 2006 scheme pension while you serve (1987 reg K4, 2006 reg 52). The 2015 scheme has no such rule. Civilian jobs, police staff roles and self-employment do not reduce your pension, but ill-health and injury pensions can be reviewed.
Abatement at a glance: what each scheme says
"Abatement" means a pension is reduced or withdrawn for a time because the pensioner is working again. Many public service schemes have a version of it. In the police schemes in England and Wales it is narrower than most people expect: the power is about serving again as a police officer, not about working in general. Most retired officers are now in more than one scheme, so check each part of your pension separately.
| 1987 scheme (PPS) | 2006 scheme (NPPS) | 2015 scheme (CARE) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rule on serving again as a police officer | Regulation K4: the police authority paying the pension may withdraw the whole or any part of it for any period you serve as a regular policeman in any police force | Regulation 52: the same power, for any period you serve as a regular police officer in any police force | No equivalent power. We found no regulation in SI 2015/445 that withdraws or reduces a 2015 pension in payment because you serve again |
| Is it automatic? | No. It is a discretion ("may, in their discretion") | No. A discretion | Not applicable |
| Pensions it does not apply to | A pension allocated under reg B9(7)(b); the Home Office guide adds adult survivors' pensions and pension credits on divorce | Survivors' pensions (reg 39) and pension credits (reg 61), reg 52(2) | Not applicable |
| Civilian work, police staff, self-employment | Not caught: K4 is about service as a regular policeman | Not caught: reg 52 is about service as a regular police officer | Not caught |
| What the Home Office and administrators say | Guide (2006): authorities may abate; the recommended method keeps pension plus new pay at or below your pay before retirement | LPPA: abatement applies on re-employment in police service | Home Office 2015 guide and LPPA: abatement does not apply to the 2015 scheme |
Two things often get mixed up with abatement. The first is the review of ill-health and injury pensions, which can change or end those pensions whether or not you work. The second is tax: a second income can push more of your pension into a higher tax band, which feels like a reduction but is not abatement. Both are covered below. For the wider picture of life on a pension, see the police retirement hub.
1987 scheme: regulation K4, withdrawal while you serve as an officer
The 1987 rule is in Part K of the Police Pensions Regulations 1987, which deals with revision, withdrawal and forfeiture of awards. Regulation K4 says a police authority paying a pension under Part B (your own ordinary, short service or ill-health pension) "may, in their discretion, withdraw the whole or any part of the pension for any period during which the pensioner is serving as a regular policeman in any police force". Once it has done so it has no liability for the amount withdrawn for that period. Regulation K5, next to it, is a different thing: forfeiture after certain convictions, covered in our guide to what happens to your pension if dismissed.
- What counts. Service as a "regular policeman", which the regulations define as a member of a home police force (not an auxiliary), certain overseas officers who keep a link to a home force, inspectors of constabulary and central police officers. A police staff job is not service as a regular policeman.
- It is a discretion. Nothing happens automatically. The paying authority decides whether to withdraw any of the pension and how much.
- How much. The regulation gives no formula. The Home Office's 1987 members' guide recommends withdrawing enough of your pension that your pension and your pay on rejoining together do not exceed your pay before retirement. It says that if your new pay at least equals your old pay, your pension is likely to be wholly withdrawn while you serve, but you keep your lump sum and your new salary is not affected.
- Final retirement. The same guide says your pension entitlement on final retirement is not affected. The withdrawal covers only the period you serve.
- What it does not touch. K4 does not apply to a pension allocated to someone else under regulation B9(7)(b). The guide adds that abatement does not apply to an adult survivor's pension and that pension credit benefits from a divorce pension share cannot be abated.
legislation.gov.uk does not hold the 1987 regulations in fully revised form, so its K4 page may not show every later amendment. We found nothing in the Home Office's 2006 guide, the 2015 members' guide or the LPPA administrator guidance suggesting the 1987 abatement power has been removed; the 2015 members' guide still describes 1987 benefits as "subject to abatement rules for that scheme". Your administrator's written answer is what counts for your own pension.
2006 scheme: regulation 52, the same power
The 2006 scheme copies the 1987 rule. Regulation 52 of the Police Pensions Regulations 2006 lets the police authority paying a pension under Part 4 withdraw the whole or any part of it, in its discretion, for any period during which the pensioner is serving as a regular police officer in any police force. Regulation 52(2) says it does not apply to survivors' pensions (regulation 39) or pension credits (regulation 61). As with the 1987 scheme, regulation 55 next to it is forfeiture, not abatement.
The 2006 regulations define a "regular police officer" as a member of a home police force, the Commissioner and an Assistant Commissioner of the City of London Police, an inspector of constabulary or an officer on relevant service. Again, a police staff or civilian job is outside it.
The scheme sets no formula. LPPA's guidance for members says that as a general rule, if your new salary and pension together do not exceed your former salary, your pension would not be affected. That is the same idea as the Home Office's 1987 recommendation. Your force's policy is what decides the detail.
2015 scheme: no abatement, and a rejoiner builds new pension
We searched the Police Pensions Regulations 2015 for any provision on abatement, re-employment or withdrawal of pension during service and found none. The only provisions that stop a 2015 pension in payment because of police service relate to ill-health pensions (below). The Home Office's 2015 members' guide says the abatement rules of the 1987 scheme do not apply to the 2015 scheme, and LPPA says abatement does not apply if you are a member of the 2015 scheme.
Regulation 21 makes any member of a police force in England and Wales eligible to be an active member, so a retired officer who rejoins is enrolled into the 2015 scheme and builds a new pension. The Police Federation's June 2022 circular on compulsory retirement ages says there is no upper limit on 2015 scheme accrual, so "retired officers who re-join service can accrue further benefit in the 2015 CARE Scheme". West Midlands Police's policy says a returning officer is automatically enrolled and can opt out.
Most officers retiring now have a 1987 or 2006 pension as well as a 2015 one. If you rejoin, the legacy part can still be abated under K4 or regulation 52 even though the 2015 part cannot. Service from 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2022 for McCloud remedy members was moved back into the legacy schemes, with a choice at retirement to take 2015 scheme benefits for it instead (see the McCloud remedy explained). We could not confirm how forces treat remedy period benefits for abatement, so ask your administrator which parts of your pension they consider at risk.
Retire and rejoin: how forces run it
"Retire and rejoin" (some forces say "retire and return") is when an officer takes their pension and lump sum and then comes back as an officer. Forces run it under their own policies, inside national rules:
- Appointment. Regulation 10B of the Police Regulations 2003 applies to a person appointed to a force who previously served, completed probation and then resigned or retired, and who was not a member of a police force immediately before the appointment. The appointing chief officer decides the rank, and the rejoiner serves a probation period set by Home Office determination: at least 6 months where the gap is under 12 months and 12 months otherwise, as set out in our resigning guide.
- No compulsory retirement age. The 1987 and 2006 schemes had compulsory retirement ages (1987 reg A18, 2006 reg 19). The Police Federation's circular says the 2015 scheme contains no power to retire an officer on age and that forces should stop applying the old ages from 1 April 2022; it says the NPCC agreed.
- One force's policy, as an example. West Midlands Police's Retire and Rejoin policy (version 1.1, effective 8 April 2026) applies to former 1987 members with 30 years' service, or 25 years and age 50, and to former 2006 members who retired at 55 or over. It requires a break of at least one month before rejoining, except for rejoiners aged 55 or over, "to ensure there are no additional tax liabilities". It says applications are assessed case by case and a pension "will only remain unabated in exceptional circumstances"; abatement ends and the pension is restored when the rejoiner leaves; commutation lump sums already paid are kept; there is no part abatement for part-time hours; and officers who retired on ill-health grounds are excluded.
- Other forces differ. West Midlands says its policy draws on NPCC retirement and rejoiner guidance, which we have not read. Ask the force you want to join for its own written policy before you apply.
For pay and rank on rejoining see our rejoiner jobs page. If you are still serving and weighing up whether to retire and rejoin, the decision is about your lump sum, your legacy pension and possible abatement together.
Before you retire with a plan to rejoin, use our free pension calculator to estimate your legacy and 2015 pensions and lump sum by scheme. It shows what is at stake if your legacy pension is withdrawn while you serve; your administrator's quote is the figure to rely on.
Retired before 55 from the 1987 scheme? The HMRC protected pension age rules
Many 1987 scheme members could retire before 55 (with 30 years' service, or 25 years and age 50). HMRC treats a pension paid before the normal minimum pension age (55 at present) as authorised only if you have a "protected pension age". HMRC's Pensions Tax Manual (PTM062230) says that for protected pension ages of 50 to 54 the protection can be lost if, after taking benefits, you are employed by an employer that employed you in the 6 months before your benefits started and was a sponsoring employer of the scheme, or by someone connected with it. If that happens, payments before you reach the normal minimum pension age become unauthorised payments.
HMRC lists re-employment conditions that keep the protection. The ones relevant to police are:
- a break in employment of at least 6 months after your benefits start; or
- a break of at least one month, and your scheme pension is liable to be reduced by abatement (HMRC says it does not have to be actually reduced, just liable to it); or
- a break of at least one month, and the new employment is materially different in nature (different duties or level of responsibility; a simple change in hours is not enough).
This is why force policies insist on a break before rejoining. HMRC also says the protection is lost if a main purpose of taking benefits early was to avoid tax or National Insurance, and that once you reach the normal minimum pension age the employment condition falls away. The rules depend on who employs you, not your job title, so the same question arises if you take a police staff job with your old force soon after retiring. Ask your administrator before you accept, and keep their answer in writing.
Police staff, other public service, self-employment and working abroad
Outside police officer service, the police pension regulations do not reduce your pension because you work. This table sets out the main kinds of work and what to check instead.
| Kind of work | Police pension abated? | What else to check |
|---|---|---|
| Police officer again (any force in England and Wales) | 1987 and 2006 pensions: may be withdrawn in whole or part while you serve. 2015 pension: no abatement rule | Force retire and rejoin policy; probation under reg 10B; protected pension age if you retired before 55 |
| Police staff (civilian) role, including at your old force | No. K4 and reg 52 apply only to service as a regular police officer, and police staff are not members of a police force | Police staff normally join the Local Government Pension Scheme, which has its own rules. If you retired before 55 on a 1987 protected pension age, read the HMRC section below before taking a job with your old employer |
| Other public service (civil service, local government, NHS, education) | Not under the police regulations | The Home Office 1987 guide mentions "inter-service abatement" of the new salary in some public appointments; ask the new employer |
| Private sector employment | No | Tax code and National Insurance on the new earnings |
| Self-employment or consultancy | No | Self Assessment; the pension stays on PAYE |
| Working abroad | No, unless the role makes you a regular officer of a home force (for example a secondment that keeps you a member) | Where you are tax resident; double taxation agreements; tell the administrator about an overseas address |
| Any work while on an ill-health or injury pension | Not abatement, but those pensions can be reviewed | See the ill-health and injury sections below |
- Police staff. LPPA puts it simply: if you return to work in a different role which gives you access to a different pension scheme, your pension will not be affected. Investigator, call handler, trainer or intelligence roles are staff jobs, and the abatement rules in K4 and regulation 52 do not reach them.
- Inter-service abatement. The Home Office 1987 guide (2006) says there is no provision to abate your police pension if you take a job outside the police service, but that your new salary may be subject to "inter-service abatement" in a public sector appointment limited to people with public service experience, or made without general advertisement and competition. We could not find current guidance on whether or how that is applied today, so ask the new employer.
- Self-employment. No police scheme rule affects your pension. You report the business income through Self Assessment; tax on the pension is still taken through PAYE.
- Working abroad. Your pension is still paid. GOV.UK says you pay UK tax on a pension from a UK provider, you may also be taxed where you live, and a double taxation agreement may stop you paying twice. Tell HMRC if you move abroad and give your administrator your overseas address.
For ideas on the work itself, see jobs for ex-police officers and transferable skills.
Working on an ill-health pension: the review rules by scheme
Ill-health pensions are not abated, but they are paid on a medical basis that can be reviewed. None of the three schemes sets an earnings limit or bans work. What a job can change is the evidence about what you are able to do. The 2006 and 2015 regulations define "regular employment" as employment for an annual average of at least 30 hours a week; the higher tier in each scheme is paid because you are permanently unable to engage in any regular employment.
| 1987 scheme | 2006 scheme | 2015 scheme | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who can be reviewed | Ill-health pensioners who would not have reached 25 years' service and could not yet have been compulsorily retired on age (reg K1(1)) | Standard ill-health pension until 55; enhanced top-up, and deferred pensions paid early on health grounds, until 65 (reg 51(1)-(2)) | Lower tier until normal pension age 60 (reg 110); enhanced upper tier until State Pension age, at intervals of no less than 5 years (reg 114); early health-ground deferred pensions until State Pension age (reg 116) |
| The question asked | Whether the disability has ceased | Whether disablement has ceased, significantly worsened or significantly improved | Whether medical unfitness has ceased, or (lower tier) significantly worsened |
| If you are found fit for police duties | Offer to rejoin at a rank not lower than before; the unsecured part of the ill-health pension ends whether or not you rejoin (reg K1(2)-(4)) | Offer to rejoin; the pension ends when you rejoin or at the end of the notice period (reg 51(3)-(6)) | Notice that you may rejoin within 3 months; the lower tier pension ends on rejoining or at the end of the 3 months (reg 111) |
| If you are no longer unfit for any regular employment | Not a separate tier in this scheme | Enhanced top-up ends; standard pension continues (reg 51(8)) | Enhanced upper tier ends 3 months after the report, or earlier if you return to police service; lower tier continues (reg 114(5)-(7)) |
| Rejoining a police force | Ask your administrator | Joining any police force ends an ill-health pension (reg 51(5)) | Upper tier ends on return to eligible service (reg 114(6)(b)) |
The 1987 members' guide says that if your disablement is found to have ceased and you decline to rejoin, your ill-health pension reverts to a deferred pension, not paid until 60, and that once you reach the age at which you could have retired, your ill-health pension cannot be cancelled. Reviews are decided on a selected medical practitioner's report, with appeal rights. Our ill-health retirement guide explains the tiers.
If you receive an enhanced (2006) or upper tier (2015) ill-health pension, tell your administrator before you start regular work and ask how it could affect a future review. We are not saying a job will end your pension; the question is medical. But a job of 30 hours or more a week on average sits close to the definition the higher tier is built on, and it is better to know the position before you sign a contract.
Injury pensions and work
An injury pension under the Police (Injury Benefit) Regulations 2006 is banded by how far your earning capacity has been affected by the duty injury. Regulation 37 requires the police authority to consider, at suitable intervals, whether your degree of disablement has substantially altered, and to revise the pension if it has. Work you have done, hours you can manage and new skills can all be evidence in a review. Regulation 39 also gives the authority a discretion to withdraw an injury pension while you serve as a regular police officer again.
We cover reviews in depth, including the case law on earning capacity and what counts as a change, in injury award reviews and reductions explained. Read that before you change jobs if you have an injury award.
Tax, National Insurance and the State Pension with two incomes
A police pension is taxable income, and so are your new earnings. GOV.UK says you get a tax code for each employment or pension you have, and HMRC decides how your Personal Allowance is split between them. If the codes are wrong you can pay too much or too little until HMRC corrects them, so check both once the new job starts. Our sibling guide on tax on your police pension covers codes, P60s and refunds.
A retired officer in England has a police pension of £24,000 a year and takes a civilian job paying £20,000. Total income is £44,000. After the £12,570 Personal Allowance, £31,430 is taxable, all within the basic rate band, so Income Tax for the year is about £6,286 whichever source the allowance is set against. The pension is not reduced; the job simply uses up the allowance and band that the pension would otherwise have had to itself. Scottish rates and bands are different.
- National Insurance. GOV.UK describes National Insurance as paid by employees on earnings over the threshold and by the self-employed on profits; it does not list pension income. Employees stop paying Class 1 at State Pension age, and the self-employed stop paying Class 4 from the 6 April after it. So a job before State Pension age means National Insurance on the wages, not on the pension.
- State Pension. Working does not reduce your State Pension. GOV.UK says you can claim it while working once you reach State Pension age, and that if you defer it you get larger weekly payments when you claim.
- Higher-rate tax. Two incomes can take part of your income over £50,270 (outside Scotland), where the rate is 40%. That is the most common reason retired officers feel "worse off" after taking a job, and it is a tax effect, not abatement.
How your pension fits with the State Pension, and the years before it starts, is covered in police retirement income and the State Pension gap.
Illustrative example: how the recommended abatement method works
A 1987 scheme member retired with pensionable pay of £52,000 and now draws a pension of £26,000 a year after commutation. They rejoin a force on pay of £34,000. Pension plus new pay is £60,000, which is £8,000 more than their pay before retirement. Using the method the Home Office's 1987 guide recommends, the force would withdraw £8,000 a year of pension while they serve, paying £18,000.
If the same person rejoined on pay of £52,000, equal to their old pay, the whole pension would be withdrawn under that method and £0 paid while they serve. In both cases the lump sum already paid is kept and the full pension resumes when they leave.
This shows the arithmetic only. The regulations leave the amount to the paying authority, and force policies differ: West Midlands, for example, says a pension stays unabated only in exceptional circumstances and does not part-abate for part-time hours. We could not confirm whether forces compare against pay at retirement or pay uprated to today, or whether the comparison uses the pension before or after pensions increases. Ask for the force's method in writing.
Before you start work: step by step
- Identify each part of your pension. Your annual statement or retirement letter shows whether you have 1987, 2006 and 2015 scheme pensions, and any injury award. Only the 1987 and 2006 parts can be abated, and only for police officer service.
- Decide what kind of work it is. Officer, police staff, other public service, private, self-employed or abroad. Use the table above to see which rules apply.
- If it is officer service, get the force's policy. Ask for its retire and rejoin or abatement policy and the break it requires. Ask the administrator for a written estimate of what would be withdrawn.
- If you retired before 55 from the 1987 scheme, check timing. Any job with your former employer within 6 months raises HMRC's protected pension age question. Get the administrator's view before you accept.
- If you have an ill-health or injury pension, ask about reviews. Tell the administrator what the job involves and ask how it could affect a review. Keep a copy of what you send.
- Tell HMRC and check your tax codes. Give the new employer your details, then check both codes in your HMRC online account once the first payslip arrives.
- Keep records. Contracts, hours, pay and correspondence with the administrator. If you later need to show that a job was materially different, or what hours you worked, you will need them.
What to ask, and who to tell
Your pension administrator (your force, or a provider such as LPPA, XPS or a county council pensions team) holds the pension answers. HR answers rejoining questions, HMRC answers tax codes, and the new employer answers questions about its own scheme.
| Ask | Who | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Which of my pensions (1987, 2006, 2015, McCloud remedy service) could be abated if I rejoin as an officer, and by how much | Pension administrator | Only legacy pensions are covered by K4 and reg 52, and the amount is a discretion |
| The force's written policy on abatement and on retire and rejoin | Force HR or the rejoiner team | Policies differ; West Midlands, for example, says a pension stays unabated only in exceptional circumstances |
| What pay figure the abatement test uses, and whether it is uprated | Administrator or HR | The Home Office recommendation compares pension plus new pay with pay before retirement |
| Whether a break in service is needed, and how long | Administrator and HR | HMRC's protected pension age rules can bite on a quick return for 1987 members who retired before 55 |
| Whether my ill-health or injury pension could be reviewed if I take this job | Administrator | Reviews are medical questions, but a new job is information the authority may ask about |
| How my pension and new salary will be taxed, and my tax codes | HMRC | Each employment or pension has its own code; HMRC decides how the Personal Allowance is used |
| Whether a new public sector salary is subject to any abatement on their side | The new employer | The Home Office 1987 guide mentions inter-service abatement of salary in some public appointments |
| How to report a change of address if I work abroad | Administrator | Overseas payment arrangements and tax residency checks differ by administrator |
Who can help: NARPO and the Police Federation for retired and serving members respectively; an FCA-authorised financial adviser if you are deciding whether to retire and rejoin with large sums involved; and MoneyHelper for free, impartial pensions guidance. Pension Wise is for defined contribution pensions only, so it does not cover a police pension.
What people get wrong about working after police retirement
What we could not verify, and how we handled it
- A fully revised 1987 text. legislation.gov.uk does not hold the 1987 regulations fully revised. We rely on K4 as published, the Home Office 2006 guide and the 2015 members' guide, which still refers to 1987 abatement. Ask your administrator to confirm.
- Current Home Office guidance on abatement. We found no Home Office circular more recent than the 2006 guide setting out how abatement should be calculated. We describe the guide's recommendation and one force policy, and say force policies differ.
- NPCC retire and rejoin guidance. Referred to in the West Midlands policy; we have not read it and do not quote it.
- McCloud remedy service. We could not confirm how forces treat remedy period benefits for abatement. Ask which parts of your pension could be withdrawn.
- How the pay comparison is done. Whether forces use pay at retirement or uprated pay, and pension before or after increases, is not in the regulations. Ask for the method in writing.
- Inter-service abatement today. The 2006 guide mentions it; we found no current rule to describe. Ask the new employer.
- A 1987 ill-health pensioner rejoining outside a review. K1 deals with rejoining after a review; we found no 1987 equivalent of the 2006 rule that ends the pension on joining any force. Ask your administrator.
- Scotland and Northern Ireland. Police pensions there are under separate regulations and administrators; this page is for England and Wales.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my police pension stop if I get a job?
Not for an ordinary job. The only abatement rules in the police pension schemes are for serving again as a police officer: regulation K4 of the 1987 regulations and regulation 52 of the 2006 regulations let the authority withdraw all or part of the pension while you serve. A civilian job, police staff role or self-employment does not trigger them. Ill-health and injury pensions have separate reviews.
What is police pension abatement?
Abatement is the temporary reduction or withdrawal of a pension while a pensioner serves again. In the police schemes it applies to 1987 and 2006 scheme pensions when you serve as a regular police officer in any force. It is discretionary, it stops when you leave again, and the Home Office 1987 guide says your pension entitlement on final retirement is not affected.
Can a retired police officer rejoin the police?
Yes. Regulation 10B of the Police Regulations 2003 covers people who completed probation and then resigned or retired. The appointing chief officer decides the rank and a shorter rejoiner probation applies. There has been no compulsory retirement age for serving officers since 1 April 2022, according to the Police Federation. Each force runs its own retire and rejoin policy.
Does retire and rejoin affect my police pension?
It can. If you draw a 1987 or 2006 scheme pension, your force may withdraw all or part of it while you serve (1987 reg K4, 2006 reg 52). West Midlands Police's 2026 policy, for example, says a pension will stay unabated only in exceptional circumstances, and is restored when you leave. A 2015 scheme pension has no abatement rule.
Is a 2015 scheme police pension abated if I rejoin?
We found no abatement provision in the Police Pensions Regulations 2015, and the Home Office's 2015 members' guide and LPPA both say abatement does not apply to the 2015 scheme. If you also have 1987 or 2006 benefits, those legacy benefits can still be abated. A rejoiner builds new pension in the 2015 scheme.
Can I work as police staff after retiring as an officer?
Yes, and your police pension is not abated, because K4 and regulation 52 only cover service as a regular police officer. You would normally join the Local Government Pension Scheme for the staff job. If you retired before 55 from the 1987 scheme, check HMRC's protected pension age rules first: they look at the employer, not the role.
How is police pension abatement calculated?
The regulations only say the authority may withdraw the whole or any part. The Home Office 1987 members' guide recommends withdrawing enough that your pension plus your new pay does not exceed your pay before retirement, so if your new pay at least equals your old pay the pension is likely to be withdrawn in full. Force policies set the detail.
Do I keep my lump sum if my pension is abated?
Yes. The Home Office 1987 guide says you keep your lump sum and your new salary is not affected, and West Midlands Police's policy says rejoiners do not lose any commutation lump sum already paid. Abatement affects the pension instalments while you serve, and the pension is restored when you leave.
Can I work if I retired on ill-health grounds?
The regulations do not ban work or set an earnings limit, but ill-health pensions can be reviewed. In the 2006 and 2015 schemes the higher tier is paid because you are unfit for any regular employment, defined as an annual average of at least 30 hours a week. Tell your administrator before starting regular work and ask how it could affect a review.
Will working affect my police injury pension?
It can be relevant. An injury pension is banded by loss of earning capacity and the authority must consider at suitable intervals whether your degree of disablement has substantially altered (Police (Injury Benefit) Regulations 2006, reg 37). New skills and jobs can be evidence in a review. Regulation 39 also lets an injury pension be withdrawn while you serve as a police officer again.
Does working after retirement affect my State Pension?
No. Earnings do not reduce State Pension entitlement, and GOV.UK says you can claim your State Pension while working once you reach State Pension age. GOV.UK says employees stop paying Class 1 National Insurance at State Pension age, and the self-employed stop paying Class 4 from the next 6 April. National Insurance is charged on earnings and profits; GOV.UK's guidance does not list pension income as something you pay it on.
Can I work abroad after police retirement?
Yes. Working abroad does not trigger abatement unless you are serving as a regular officer of a home police force. Your pension is still paid, but where you pay tax depends on your residence and any double taxation agreement. Tell your administrator about an overseas address and tell HMRC if you move abroad.
Is there a compulsory retirement age if I rejoin the police?
The Police Federation's June 2022 circular says the 2015 scheme contains no power to retire officers compulsorily on age, that forces should no longer apply the old compulsory retirement ages from 1 April 2022, and that retired officers who rejoin can build further benefit in the 2015 scheme. The NPCC issued an advice note agreeing.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 1 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 1987 (SI 1987/257), regulation K4, legislation.gov.uk (not held in fully revised form) — discretion to withdraw the whole or part of a pension while the pensioner serves as a regular policeman in any police force; allocation excluded (accessed 1 October 2026)
- Police Pensions Regulations 1987, regulation K1 (cancellation of ill-health pensions) — review of whether disability has ceased, offer to rejoin, termination of the unsecured portion (accessed 1 October 2026)
- Police Pensions Regulations 2006 (SI 2006/3415), regulation 52 — withdrawal of pension during service as a regular police officer; survivors' pensions and pension credits excluded (accessed 1 October 2026)
- Police Pensions Regulations 2006, regulation 51, and regulation 2 definitions — review and cancellation of ill-health pensions; pension ends on joining a police force; "regular employment" is an annual average of at least 30 hours a week (accessed 1 October 2026)
- Police Pensions Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/445), regulations 21 and 110 to 116, latest version — any member of a police force is in eligible service; reviews of lower and upper tier ill-health pensions; no abatement provision found (accessed 1 October 2026)
- Police (Injury Benefit) Regulations 2006 (SI 2006/932), regulations 37 and 39 — reassessment of injury pensions; discretion to withdraw an injury pension during service as a regular police officer (accessed 1 October 2026)
- Police Regulations 2003, regulation 10B (rejoiners), latest version — rank decided by the appointing chief officer; probation set by Home Office determination (accessed 1 October 2026)
- Home Office: The Police Pension Scheme 1987 members' guide (October 2006) — sections 6.4 and 10: review of ill-health pensions, abatement, the recommended method, lump sum kept, inter-service abatement (accessed 1 October 2026)
- Home Office: The Police Pensions Scheme 2015 members' guide (updated 10 November 2017) — 1987 benefits for transition members subject to that scheme's abatement rules; abatement does not apply to the 2015 scheme (accessed 1 October 2026)
- LPPA: Returning to work after retirement (11 May 2023) — administrator's summary: abatement on re-employment in police service, not for 2015 scheme members; tell the administrator (accessed 1 October 2026)
- HMRC Pensions Tax Manual PTM062230: loss of a protected pension age due to employment — protected pension ages 50 to 54: re-employment conditions (6 months' break; 1 month plus abatement; 1 month plus materially different employment) (accessed 1 October 2026)
- West Midlands Police: Retire and Rejoin policy v1.1, effective 8 April 2026 (FOI publication) — one force's policy: eligibility, break in service, abatement, lump sum kept, 2015 auto-enrolment, ill-health retirees excluded (accessed 1 October 2026)
- Police Federation of England and Wales: BB Circular 007-2022, Compulsory retirement ages (14 June 2022) — no compulsory retirement age from 1 April 2022; retired officers who rejoin can accrue 2015 scheme benefit; NPCC advice note (accessed 1 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Working after State Pension age — claim State Pension while working; no National Insurance on earnings after State Pension age (accessed 1 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances (2026/27) — £12,570 Personal Allowance; 20% to £50,270; 40% to £125,140; 45% above; Scotland differs (accessed 1 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: National Insurance, introduction and how much you pay (2026/27) — who pays: employees above £242 a week and the self-employed; Class 1 stops at State Pension age, Class 4 from the next 6 April (accessed 1 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Tax codes — a tax code for each employment or pension you have (accessed 1 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Tax when you get a pension, tax when you live abroad — UK tax on a pension from a UK provider; double taxation agreements; tell HMRC if you move abroad (accessed 1 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 1 October 2026.