Both Police Officers
Divorcing: Two Pensions
When a police couple separates there are two police pensions to value, sometimes in different schemes, two sets of shifts to fit the children around and, sometimes, one force to share. This guide covers what is different when you are both officers, for each of you.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 19 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
Each of you gets your own CETV (one free each in 12 months) and both pensions go into the settlement. A pension you receive from your ex is a separate pension credit, paid at 60, 65 or State Pension age depending on the scheme, not at your own police pension age, and with no survivor pension. Because the two CETVs can rest on different schemes, ages and McCloud rules, it is worth looking at netting off (one order for the difference) before cross-sharing both ways. Get advice on which fits your figures.
Two officers, two pensions: what is different
Most police divorce guides assume one officer and one partner who is not in the police. When you are both officers, the general rules still apply: in England and Wales, the court must have regard to pension benefits (Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, s.25B), and a pension sharing order gives the other spouse a percentage of the cash equivalent of the pension (Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999, s.29). What changes is that there are two pensions, and each of you can be both the one giving and the one receiving.
- Two valuations. Each of you asks your own administrator for a CETV. Each is free once in 12 months.
- Possibly different schemes. One of you may have a 1987 or 2006 part plus McCloud remedy service; the other may be in the 2015 scheme only.
- A credit is not your own pension. If you receive a share of your ex's police pension, it is paid at the credit member's age for that scheme, with no survivor pension, even if you are still serving.
- Netting off or cross-sharing. Sharing both ways doubles the fees and turns more pension into credit form. One order for the difference is often considered first.
- Work life. The same force, possibly the same station, two shift patterns, vetting and conduct rules that apply to both of you.
Both of you, whether you are serving, retired or one of each. It also applies to former officers with deferred police pensions. Scotland values pensions differently (only the marriage period counts), so read police divorce in Scotland alongside this page if that applies.
Two police pensions, possibly in different schemes
Police officers in England and Wales have built up pension in one or more of three schemes: the 1987 scheme (PPS), the 2006 scheme (NPPS) and the 2015 career average scheme. Everyone serving has been in the 2015 scheme since 1 April 2022. Which parts you each have depends on when you joined and whether you have McCloud remedy service. Two officers married to each other can easily have quite different mixtures.
| Your two pension histories | What each of you has | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Both joined after 31 March 2012 (2015 scheme only) | Two 2015 career average pensions. Unreduced at 60 for each of you as members, 55 with an early payment reduction | The simplest case. CETVs are on the same basis, but a pension credit either of you receives is paid from State Pension age, not 60 |
| One legacy (1987 or 2006) plus remedy service, one 2015 only | One officer has a 1987 or 2006 part, McCloud remedy service (1 April 2015 to 31 March 2022) and a 2015 part. The other has a 2015 part only | The two CETVs rest on different pension ages and lump sum rules. The legacy officer's remedy service is valued at the greater of the two options (SI 2023/831 reg 24) |
| Both legacy, different schemes (one 1987, one 2006) | Two legacy parts with different ages and lump sums, plus remedy service and 2015 parts for both | Four or more sets of rights between you. The 1987 service thresholds (25 and 30 years) can make one CETV jump while the other does not |
| Both legacy, same scheme | Similar rights, but service length, rank, age and remedy choices still differ | Do not assume equal CETVs mean equal pensions. Ages and service thresholds still matter |
| One serving, one retired or deferred | One active member and one pensioner or deferred member | A pensioner's CETV is a different calculation and can be charged for. A 1987 pensioner's own pension is cut as soon as a share is implemented |
Before you compare anything, write down for each of you: which schemes you have rights in, your service dates, whether you have remedy service, your age and your rank and pay. The how much will my police pension be guide and the police pension calculator help each of you see your own pension before you look at the divorce figures.
PAG2, the Pension Advisory Group's guide used by family lawyers, notes that each public sector scheme has its own rules on whether different sets of benefits have to be shared in the same percentage (Appendix I, para I.7). It gives examples from the NHS and Armed Forces schemes, not the police. We could not confirm the police rule, so if anyone suggests sharing a legacy part and a 2015 part at different percentages, ask the administrator whether it can implement that.
Getting two CETVs: one free each in any 12 months
A CETV (cash equivalent transfer value) is the figure the scheme gives for divorce. Each of you requests your own, from your own administrator (if you are in the same force, it may be the same one). The rules apply to each member separately:
- Free once in 12 months. A scheme cannot charge for a cash equivalent unless, among other exceptions, one was provided in the previous 12 months or the member is not entitled to a cash equivalent, for example a pensioner (Charging Regulations 2000, reg 3). So each active or deferred officer gets one free.
- Say it is for divorce. The scheme has 3 months to provide a valuation, or 6 weeks if you tell it on the request that it is needed for divorce proceedings (Provision of Information Regulations 2000, reg 2).
- Request them at the same time. CETVs move with age, service and the factors in force, so two figures dated months apart are harder to compare.
- Check the date against 19 May 2026. HM Treasury raised the SCAPE discount rate from CPI + 1.7% to CPI + 2.0% on that date and GAD issued new factors; police CETVs fell as a result. A figure from before the change and one from after are not on the same basis.
- Ask for the detail behind the total. The split by scheme, the remedy service position, the service dates and the pension figures used. PAG2 notes that DB schemes often do not give the basis of a CE and are not legally required to (para 10.7).
If one of you is already retired, that officer's figure is a pensioner cash equivalent, which can be charged for. The Met's 2023 schedule charged £1,360 for one. See divorce after police retirement. How a CETV is calculated is covered in the pension settlement guide.
Run the pension divorce calculator for each of you
Run the calculator twice, once with each officer's details. It shows what each pension is worth, the part built up during the marriage and what a share does to each of you. Put the two results side by side, then check them against the administrators' CETVs when they arrive.
The paid Police Divorce Pension Report (£49.99) adds, for the pension you enter, the pension and lump sum at retirement before and after the share, an estimated cash equivalent by part, the credit pension the other spouse would get and the share that gives equal pensions, with a PDF. A police couple would run it for each pension. It is a planning aid for your own negotiation, not a court expert report.
Why two police CETVs cannot simply be compared
It is natural to put the two CETVs side by side, subtract one from the other and share half the difference. Sometimes that ends up close to the right answer. It can also be far off, because a police CETV is a snapshot built on assumptions that may fit one of you and not the other. PAG2 says that where one party has a uniformed service pension such as the police, "equal division of CE can lead to very unexpected outcomes" and such cases will require expert input (Case 2). With two police pensions, those effects can happen on both sides.
| Feature | Why it skews a side-by-side CETV comparison | Source |
|---|---|---|
| The CETV assumes the officer leaves today | An active member's divorce CETV is worked out as if service ended the day before. A serving officer's real pension will usually be paid at a different age | WRPA 1999 s.29(8); GAD guidance; PAG2 I.15 |
| Deferred pension age thresholds (1987) | PAG2's example: at 24 years' service a 1987 deferred pension is payable at 60, at 25 years at 50. The CETV the day after reaching 25 years is much higher. If one of you has just crossed a threshold and the other has not, the two figures are not like for like | PAG2 Appendix I paras I.8 to I.10 |
| Serving past the point of entitlement | If an officer can already take an immediate pension, the CETV assumes immediate payment. If they serve on, the debit has to be recovered over a shorter period and grows. PAG2 says this is a feature of the Police Pension Scheme | PAG2 I.15 to I.18; GAD 1987 guidance |
| Mixed 1987 and 2015 rights | PAG2 says the value of the 1987 benefits can fall as the officer works past 30 years because of how debits are adjusted, while the 2015 part is reduced if taken before 60 | PAG2 I.11 to I.12 |
| Different lump sum rules | 1987: commutation of up to a quarter. 2006: an automatic lump sum of four times the pension. 2015: £12 for each £1 of pension given up. A CETV is a single figure and does not show how much comes as cash | Police pension regulations; GAD guidance |
| Remedy service valued at the higher option | For a legacy officer, remedy service in a new divorce CETV is valued at the greater of the legacy and 2015 values, whatever that officer later chooses. A 2015-only officer has no remedy service | SI 2023/831 reg 24 |
| Valuation dates either side of 19 May 2026 | The SCAPE discount rate changed from CPI + 1.7% to CPI + 2.0% on 19 May 2026, which lowered CETVs. One CETV from before that date and one from after are on different bases | GAD news, 16 June 2026; GAD factor workbook |
The deferred pension age trap in practice. Suppose one of you is a 1987 member a few months short of 25 years' service and the other is just past it. PAG2's example (para I.9) shows the first officer's CETV is based on a pension payable at 60, the second's at 50. The first officer's figure will be much higher a few months later, and comparing the two today understates it. The same logic, a CETV based on a later deferred age, applies to the 2006 scheme (where the debit is set on payment at 65 unless an immediate pension is due) and the 2015 scheme (State Pension age), but we have not seen GAD or PAG2 describe the size of that effect for those schemes in terms.
Capital or income. PAG2 says that in needs cases with a significant defined benefit pension the analysis will often divide the pensions "based on an equalisation of incomes approach", often needing a pension on divorce expert (para 1.17). Equal income at a chosen age and equal CETVs are different targets and give different percentages. Which one fits is fact specific and, if contested, for the judge.
PAG2 also warns against comparing public sector CEs with private sector ones (para I.33). That matters if either of you has a private pension or a workplace pension from a previous job alongside the police pension.
A pension credit is not the same as your own police pension
This is the point police couples most often miss. If you receive a share of your ex's police pension, you become a pension credit member of their scheme for that share. You already are, or were, a member in your own right. The two sets of rights sit side by side but follow different rules.
| Your own police pension (as a member) | A pension credit you receive from your ex (as a credit member) | |
|---|---|---|
| Unreduced payment age | 1987: after 25 years' service (not before 50 with under 30 years) or 30 years at any age. 2006: 55. 2015: 60 (from 55 with a reduction) | 1987 credit: 60. 2006 credit: 65. 2015 credit: State Pension age, with a reduced pension possible from 55 (2015 regs 126 and 50(1)(c)) |
| Lump sum | By scheme: 1987 commutation, 2006 automatic four times pension, 2015 £12 per £1 | 1987: optional, capped at 2.25 times the annual pension. 2006: four times the pension at 65 unless the credit came from a pension already in payment. 2015: £12 per £1, within tax limits |
| Ill-health early payment | Yes, under your scheme's ill-health rules | No. The only exception is a serious ill-health (terminal illness) commutation |
| Survivor pension for a future spouse or partner | Yes, under scheme rules (reduced by a survivor debit if you are the officer whose pension was shared) | No. No dependant's benefits are payable on a credit member's death |
| Transfer out | Under the scheme's transfer rules | Not allowed. A credit stays in the police scheme (1987 reg F10A, 2006 reg 79, 2015 reg 180(3)) |
| Combined with the other? | Your own service counts towards your own thresholds | 2015: credit benefits may not be aggregated with any other benefit you have under the scheme (reg 130(2)), and you are paid in each capacity (reg 130(3)) |
If you are still serving. The 2015 regulations deal with this directly. A pension credit member who is also an active, deferred or pensioner member is a "dual capacity member" (reg 199(1)(b)). Credit benefits "may not be aggregated with any other benefit" you have under the scheme, and benefits are payable in each capacity (reg 130(2) and (3)). So a 2015 credit does not lift your own pension or change your own retirement age, and it is paid on its own terms. Regulation 126 sets the conditions for paying a 2015 credit as reaching normal minimum pension age, the order having taken effect and a claim; it does not mention leaving service, but we could not confirm how administrators handle a claim from a serving officer.
For a credit from a 1987 or 2006 pension, the credit ages (60 and 65) and the ban on transferring it out are in the regulations, but we did not find a provision on serving officers who are also credit members. Treat it as separate rights and ask the administrator in writing how it will be recorded and paid.
A police officer can often take their own pension earlier than a credit member can take a credit. For example, a 2015 officer's own pension is unreduced at 60, but a 2015 credit is unreduced only at State Pension age. So £1 a year of pension moved from your ex's membership into your credit may be worth less to you than the same £1 would be to them, and the other way round. That is the main reason to look at netting off first.
Cross-sharing orders or netting off
There are two broad ways to share two pensions:
- Cross-sharing. Two pension sharing orders: a share of A's pension to B and a share of B's to A.
- Netting off. One order, from the officer with the larger pension, for enough to reach the agreed result. The smaller pension is left alone.
Either can be combined with offsetting against the house or savings. The law does not choose for you: the court looks at all the circumstances, and an agreement is turned into a consent order.
Illustration: two officers, cross-shared or netted off
To keep the arithmetic visible, this illustration values only pension already built up, as 2015 career average pension in today's money, using the site's pension engine on the pay scales from 1 September 2026. It is not a CETV, and a real order is a percentage of a CETV, not of an annual pension. Officer A is a sergeant on £58,175 with 11 years; Officer B is a constable on £52,015 with 7 years.
- A's pension built up so far: about £12,780 a year.
- B's pension built up so far: about £7,023 a year.
- Together: £19,802. Half each: £9,901.
| Cross-sharing (50% each way) | Netting off (one order from A) | |
|---|---|---|
| A keeps of own pension | £6,390 | £9,901 |
| A receives as a credit (paid from State Pension age) | £3,511 | £0 |
| B keeps of own pension | £3,511 | £7,023 |
| B receives as a credit (paid from State Pension age) | £6,390 | £2,878 |
| Total pension turned into credit form | £9,901 | £2,878 |
| Number of orders | 2 | 1 |
| Implementation fees at the Met's 2023 rate (£4,070 each) | £8,140 | £4,070 |
Both routes leave each of you with pension worth £9,901 a year in this simplified sum. The difference is the form. Cross-sharing turns £9,901 of pension into credits that are paid from State Pension age, with no survivor pension and no ill-health early payment. Netting off turns £2,878 into a credit (about 22.5% of A's built-up pension in this illustration) and leaves the rest as each officer's own pension, payable on their own scheme's terms. It also needs one implementation fee instead of two: at SPPA's Scottish standard rate the second order would add another £4,320.
With a legacy part on one side, different ages, a target of equal income rather than equal pension, or a house to offset, the percentage that achieves your aim can be very different from this sum. Sometimes sharing the other way, or sharing a particular part, works better. That is the work a pension on divorce expert does, and PAG2 says uniformed service cases need that input. See do you need a PODE? and offsetting vs sharing.
McCloud on both sides
Remedy service is pensionable service from 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2022 for an officer who was in a police scheme on or before 31 March 2012 and on or after 1 April 2015 with no gap of more than 5 years. In a police couple it is common for one of you to have it and the other not, or for both to have it with different legacy schemes.
- New divorce CETVs (information given on or after 1 October 2023). For an officer who has not yet taken benefits, the scheme values remedy service both as legacy and as 2015 benefits and must use "the greater of" the two (SI 2023/831 reg 24). This applies separately to each of you.
- The choice comes later. GAD's prospective guidance records both a legacy and a reformed debit, and the debit follows the choice the officer makes at retirement. Your CETV does not depend on which choice you expect to make.
- Older orders. Orders where the information was given before 1 October 2023 have their own recalculation rules (regs 18 to 22). If either of you had a previous divorce with a pension sharing order, ask that administrator about it.
So where only one of you has remedy service, that officer's CETV includes a "higher of the two" valuation and the other officer's does not. That is another reason the two figures are not directly comparable. The detail is in McCloud remedy and divorce and the general McCloud remedy guide.
If one of you has already retired
Police couples are often different ages or joined at different times, so one may be drawing a police pension while the other is still serving. That changes the picture on both sides.
- The retired officer's pension is cut when the share is implemented. A debit applies immediately to a pension in payment (GAD 1987 guidance, para 3.58). SPPA, which runs the Scottish police scheme, says the pension continues at the full rate until the share is implemented, then the reduction is backdated and the overpayment recovered. PAG2 calls this kind of recovery a clawback (Appendix F).
- The serving officer waits for the credit. A credit from a 1987 pension is paid at 60, from a 2006 pension at 65 and from a 2015 pension at State Pension age. PAG2 (para I.24) describes this income gap: the pension in payment drops straight away, but the credit member may wait years.
- No automatic 2006 lump sum on a credit from a pension in payment. A credit created from a pension already in payment is a "disqualifying pension credit" for tax purposes, and the 2006 scheme's automatic lump sum does not apply to it (2006 reg 61(4); HMRC PTM063230).
- The pensioner's CETV is a different calculation and can be charged for. For an officer who retired on ill-health grounds, it uses different mortality tables and is lower; see ill-health pension and divorce.
PAG2 sets out ways of dealing with an income gap (Part 10), including offsetting and spousal maintenance to bridge it. Which works depends on both of your ages and needs. The full detail is in divorce after police retirement.
Working in the same force after you separate
Some police couples still share a force, a station or even a team after they separate. Separating does not change your duties, but it does bring some rules into sharper focus. These apply to both of you equally.
| Rule or guidance | What it says (summarised) | What it means after a separation |
|---|---|---|
| Standards of Professional Behaviour: Confidentiality | Officers access or disclose information only in the proper course of police duties | Never look up your ex, their new partner or their address on police systems, however tempting it is. It is a conduct matter |
| Standards of Professional Behaviour: Honesty and Integrity; Discreditable Conduct | Officers do not compromise or abuse their position, and do not behave in a way that discredits the police service, on or off duty | Arguments at work, on social media or in front of colleagues can become a conduct issue for either or both of you |
| Standards of Professional Behaviour: Challenging and Reporting Improper Conduct | Officers report, challenge or take action against colleagues' conduct that falls below the Standards | Colleagues caught in the middle have duties too. Keep them out of it |
| Police Regulations 2003, Schedule 1 para 1 | Officers abstain from any activity likely to interfere with the impartial discharge of their duties, or to give that impression | A clear reason to raise any line management or shared-team overlap with the force early |
| Police Regulations 2003, Schedule 1 para 2 | An officer may live only at premises approved by the chief officer | Whoever moves out needs the new address approved under force procedure |
| Vetting Code of Practice (July 2023), paras 5.7 and 5.9 | Forces must have a clear process for timely reporting of changes in circumstances, and must review vetting after a material change in someone's personal circumstances | Report the separation and any new address or partner through your force's procedure. Both of you are covered |
Line management and shared teams. We found no national regulation that deals with spouses or former spouses in the same chain of command, and we could not read the College of Policing's guidance on this (its website refused our checks on 19 October 2026). Forces generally handle it under their own policies on conflicts of interest and relationships at work. Ask HR or your professional standards department for your force's policy, and raise any overlap early, before it becomes a complaint.
Vetting. The Vetting Code of Practice says forces must have a clear process for the timely reporting of changes in circumstances and must review vetting if there is a material change in an individual's personal circumstances (paras 5.7 and 5.9). It does not list examples. Your force's vetting policy says what to report. A separation, a new address and a new partner are all things to check. For how associates are looked at in vetting generally, see associates checks explained.
Federation and solicitors. If you are both Federation members, you may both be offered the same branch legal scheme. A solicitor must not act where there is a conflict of interest or a significant risk of one, unless narrow conditions are met (SRA Code of Conduct, para 6.2). In a divorce, each of you needs your own lawyer. The Federation family law offers page lists what each branch publishes.
Domestic abuse is one of the exemptions from the requirement to attend a mediation information meeting before applying to court for a financial order. If your ex is a colleague and you are worried about reporting within your own force, get advice before you act. The police welfare hub lists support routes for officers.
Two shift patterns, the children and child maintenance
Two officers on rotating shifts face a problem most separating parents do not: neither of you can promise the same evenings or weekends every week. A child arrangements plan built around the shift pattern, rather than fixed weekdays, usually works better. The child arrangements on police shifts guide covers rota-based plans, what courts look at and how to handle late changes and call-outs.
Practical points that are specific to two officers:
- Share each rota as soon as it is published and agree how swaps are offered first to the other parent.
- Agree in writing what happens when one of you is held on, called out or sent on mutual aid.
- If you ask your force for a fixed pattern or reduced hours, the request is yours to make under force policy; there is no rule that the force must accommodate both of you.
Child maintenance when you both earn overtime
Through the Child Maintenance Service, the formula in Schedule 1 to the Child Support Act 1991 is applied to the paying parent's gross weekly income. The receiving parent's income is not part of the calculation, so it does not matter that the receiving parent is also an officer with overtime. What matters:
- The paying parent's taxable earnings, including overtime and allowances, as HMRC holds them for the latest tax year, or current income if it differs by 25% or more (Calculation Regulations 2012, Part 4).
- Police pension contributions are taken before tax, so the HMRC figure is already net of them.
- Nights the children spend with the paying parent reduce the amount, from one-seventh at 52 nights a year to a half at 175 or more.
- If care is split exactly equally, the CMS has rules on who is treated as the paying parent. Check with the CMS before relying on a figure.
Use the police child maintenance calculator and see child maintenance and police overtime for how overtime swings change the figure.
The house, moving out and transferring forces
Two police salaries usually bought the home; one has to keep it, or each of you has to rehouse. Lenders look at each of you separately, and some count only part of overtime. Run your own figures in the divorce budget calculator and read police divorce and housing.
Moving out. Schedule 1 to the Police Regulations 2003 (para 2) says an officer may live only at premises approved by the chief officer. Whoever moves, even temporarily to family or friends, should follow the force's procedure for a change of address.
Transferring to another force. One of you may want distance, or a fresh start near family. There is no right to transfer: you apply through the receiving force's transferee process and it decides on its own vacancies, vetting and requirements. Police pension membership is national, so a transfer does not normally mean losing pension service, but allowances and pay point treatment can change. See the police transfer FAQ and transfer pay and pension.
If the plan depends on one of you transferring, a change of shift pattern or a posting nearer the children, agree what happens if it does not come through. A settlement built on an assumed move can be hard to change later.
Step by step for a police couple
| Step | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Each of you asks your own administrator for a CETV, saying it is for divorce proceedings | 6 weeks instead of 3 months, and the first one in 12 months is free |
| 2 | Ask each administrator for a split by scheme, the remedy service position and the service dates used | You need the pension ages behind each figure, not just the total |
| 3 | Check both CETVs are dated after 19 May 2026 | Older figures are on the previous SCAPE basis |
| 4 | Disclose both pensions in full (Form E and Form P) | The court must have regard to both |
| 5 | Decide with your advisers whether to net off or cross-share, and on what basis (equal income or equal capital) | This is the decision that most changes the outcome |
| 6 | Consider a joint PODE report | PAG2 says uniformed service pensions need PODE input when equal division of CE is being considered |
| 7 | Agree who pays each scheme's implementation fee and put it in the order | Fees run into thousands per order |
| 8 | Tell each force's HR or vetting unit about the change of circumstances and any new address | Vetting Code of Practice and Schedule 1 para 2 |
| 9 | Update death grant nominations and expression of wish forms | See the death in service guide: the spouse can still benefit until the final order |
The full process, from separation to the final order, is in the police divorce checklist and timeline. Do not apply for the final order before the financial order is sealed: a pension sharing order cannot take effect until the divorce is final, and survivor rights can be lost if the order comes too early. For how each of you fills in the pension and pay sections, see Form E for police officers. For who gets the death grant while you are separated, see death in service and divorce.
Myths and facts for police couples
| Myth | Fact |
|---|---|
| "We both have police pensions, so they cancel out." | Only if they are worth the same, payable at the same ages and in the same form. Different schemes, service and ages usually mean they are not |
| "Equal CETVs mean equal pensions." | A CETV assumes the officer leaves today. Two officers with the same CETV can have very different pensions at different ages (PAG2 Appendix I) |
| "If I get a share of my ex's pension, it is added to mine and paid at my pension age." | No. A credit is separate and paid at the credit member ages (60, 65 or State Pension age). In the 2015 scheme it may not be aggregated with your own benefits (reg 130(2)) |
| "Sharing both ways is the fair, neat answer." | Cross-orders mean two implementation fees and move more pension into later-payable credit form. Netting off is worth looking at first, but the right answer is fact specific |
| "The Federation's solicitor can act for both of us." | A solicitor cannot act where there is a conflict of interest, except in narrow cases (SRA Code para 6.2). In a contested divorce you each need your own |
| "Only the officer with the bigger pension needs advice." | Both of you are giving up and receiving rights. Both should understand the credit rules before agreeing |
| "Our force will move one of us if we ask." | There is no right to a move or a transfer. Postings are for the force, and transfers go through the receiving force's process |
Who can help, and what we could not verify
Who can help. Each of you needs your own family solicitor. A pension on divorce expert (PODE) can be instructed jointly to model both pensions on the same basis. Your administrators provide the CETVs and answer scheme questions. HR, professional standards and your vetting unit deal with the work side. Your Federation branch may have a family law arrangement and welfare support. MoneyHelper offers free guidance on pensions and divorce.
What we could not verify. We say this plainly rather than guess:
- How administrators record and pay a 1987 or 2006 pension credit to someone who is also a serving officer. The 2015 regulations deal with it (regs 130 and 199); for the older schemes, ask.
- Whether police legacy and 2015 rights can be shared at different percentages in one order (PAG2 says each scheme has its own rule but gives no police example).
- How administrators price a reduced 2015 credit taken between 55 and State Pension age.
- National College of Policing guidance on relationships at work and line management of partners. Ask your force for its policy.
- The Met's 2026 schedule of divorce charges. The figure above is from its 2023 schedule, which it uprates each April.
You can also send a short enquiry to PolicePay from the calculator above. It goes to PolicePay (Andrew Thomas), not to a law firm, and it is not a promise of a free call or of advice.
Free: the police divorce checklist (PDF)
The documents to gather, the pension steps from CETV to pension sharing order, and the questions to ask a solicitor, written for police officers and their partners. Enter your email to download it. We will also send occasional police divorce and pension updates; unsubscribe any time.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What happens to the pensions when both police officers divorce?
Each of you has your own police pension, and each is disclosed and valued separately with its own CETV. The court can share either or both by a pension sharing order, offset them against other assets, or a mix. Because the two pensions may be in different schemes with different ages and lump sums, comparing the two CETVs is only a starting point.
Do we both need a CETV?
Yes. Each officer asks their own administrator. The first divorce CETV in any 12 months is free for an active or deferred member, and if you say it is for divorce proceedings the scheme has 6 weeks to provide it instead of 3 months (Pensions on Divorce Provision of Information and Charging Regulations 2000).
Can we just swap a share of each other's police pension?
Two cross-sharing orders are possible in principle, but each is a separate order with its own implementation fee, and every pound of pension shared becomes a pension credit, which is paid at 60, 65 or State Pension age depending on the scheme, with no survivor pension. It is worth looking at netting off first: one order from the larger pension for the difference. Which is right depends on your figures, so get advice.
If I am still a serving officer, is a pension credit paid when I retire?
Not automatically. A credit has its own payment age: 60 for a 1987 credit, 65 for a 2006 credit and State Pension age for a 2015 credit (a reduced pension from 55 is possible in the 2015 scheme). The 2015 regulations make a credit member who is also a member a dual capacity member, paid in each capacity, and credit benefits may not be aggregated with other benefits (regs 199 and 130). For a 1987 or 2006 credit, ask the administrator.
Why are our two CETVs so different when we have similar service?
A CETV assumes the officer leaves on the valuation date. Different schemes, deferred pension ages, service thresholds (in the 1987 scheme, 25 and 30 years), whether one of you can already take an immediate pension, McCloud remedy service and the valuation date (before or after the 19 May 2026 SCAPE change) all move the figure.
Does the McCloud remedy apply to both of us?
Only to an officer who was in a police scheme on or before 31 March 2012 and on or after 1 April 2015 with no gap of more than 5 years. For a new divorce CETV, that officer's remedy service is valued at the greater of the legacy and 2015 values (SI 2023/831 reg 24). An officer who joined after March 2012 has no remedy service.
Can we both use the same solicitor through the Federation?
A solicitor must not act where there is a conflict of interest or a significant risk of one, apart from narrow exceptions (SRA Code of Conduct, para 6.2). In practice divorcing spouses each instruct their own solicitor. If you are both Federation members, check your branch's arrangement for how it handles two members on opposite sides.
Do we have to tell our force we are separating?
The Vetting Code of Practice requires forces to have a process for reporting changes in circumstances and to review vetting after a material change in personal circumstances. Your force's procedure sets out what to report and to whom. A new address also needs approval under Schedule 1 to the Police Regulations 2003.
What if we work in the same team or one manages the other?
We found no national rule that names this situation, but Schedule 1 to the Police Regulations 2003 requires officers to avoid anything likely to interfere with impartial duty, and the Standards of Professional Behaviour apply on and off duty. Raise it early with HR or your line manager so the force can manage it under its own policy.
How is child maintenance worked out if we both earn overtime?
The Child Maintenance Service formula looks at the paying parent's income only. The receiving parent's pay, overtime included, does not change the figure. The paying parent's taxable overtime and allowances are included, and shared care nights reduce the amount.
Can one of us transfer to another force to get away?
There is no right to transfer. You apply through the receiving force's transferee process and it decides. Your police pension membership is national, so a transfer does not normally mean losing pension service, but check the details before agreeing anything that depends on a move.
Who pays the pension sharing fees if both pensions are shared?
Each scheme charges for implementing its order, and the order should say who pays. The Met's 2023 schedule charges £4,070 for an active or deferred member; SPPA's standard charge in Scotland from April 2026 is £4,320 including VAT. Two orders mean two fees.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 19 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.
- Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999, section 29 (legislation.gov.uk) : debit and credit; percentage of the cash equivalent; active member valued as if service ended (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, section 24B : pension sharing orders and when they take effect (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Pensions on Divorce etc. (Provision of Information) Regulations 2000, regulation 2 : 3 months, or 6 weeks if needed for divorce proceedings (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Pensions on Divorce etc. (Charging) Regulations 2000, regulation 3 : a cash equivalent is free unless one was provided in the previous 12 months (and other exceptions) (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Pensions Regulations 2015, Part 8 (pension credit members) : reg 126 entitlement from normal minimum pension age; reg 130(2) and (3) no aggregation, paid in each capacity (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Pensions Regulations 2015, regulation 199 : a pension credit member who is also an active, deferred or pensioner member is a dual capacity member (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Pensions (Pension Sharing) Regulations 2002 (SI 2002/3202) : 1987 scheme Part M: credit payable at 60; lump sum; no transfer of credit (F10A) (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Pensions Regulations 2006 (SI 2006/3415), as made : Part 6: credit payable at 65 (reg 61); reg 79 no transfer of credit (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Government Actuary's Department: Police (England and Wales) guidance notes, including transfer values and pension sharing on divorce for the 1987, 2006 and 2015 schemes (10 December 2020) : how CETVs and debits are worked out; credit ages; debit adjustments (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Pensions (Remediable Service) Regulations 2023 (SI 2023/831), regulation 24 : divorce cash equivalent for remedy service: the greater of the legacy and reformed values (accessed 19 October 2026)
- HMRC Pensions Tax Manual PTM063230: disqualifying pension credits : no tax-free lump sum from a credit created from a pension in payment (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Government Actuary's Department: Public service pension schemes, new CETV factors (GOV.UK, 16 June 2026) : SCAPE change on 19 May 2026 and new factors (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Pension Advisory Group: A Guide to the Treatment of Pensions on Divorce, 2nd edition (Nuffield Foundation, 2024, CC BY 4.0) : para 1.17 equal incomes; Case 2 uniformed services; para 10.7; Appendix I paras I.7 to I.18 and I.32 to I.33 (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Metropolitan Police pensions on divorce or dissolution: schedule of charges v30 (dated 26 April 2023) : PSO implementation £4,070 active or deferred; uprated each April, 2026 figure not confirmed (accessed 19 October 2026)
- SPPA: Pensions on Divorce, Police and Fire (1 April 2026) : standard PSO implementation £3,600 plus VAT (£4,320); credit is non-transferable (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police (Conduct) Regulations 2020, Schedule 2: Standards of Professional Behaviour : confidentiality; honesty and integrity; discreditable conduct; challenging and reporting (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Regulations 2003, Schedule 1: restrictions on the private life of members of police forces : para 1 impartiality; para 2 residence approved by the chief officer (accessed 19 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Vetting Code of Practice (July 2023, on GOV.UK) : paras 5.7 and 5.9: review after a material change in personal circumstances; process for reporting changes (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Solicitors Regulation Authority: Code of Conduct for Solicitors, paragraph 6.2 : conflicts of interest and the narrow exceptions (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Child Support Act 1991, Schedule 1 : rates applied to the paying parent's gross weekly income; shared care (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Child Support Maintenance Calculation Regulations 2012, Part 4 : historic and current income; taxable earnings include overtime (accessed 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: How the child maintenance rate is worked out : shared care reductions (accessed 19 October 2026)
- MoneyHelper: pensions and divorce appointment : free guidance appointment (secondary; not police-specific) (accessed 19 October 2026)
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Disclaimer
PolicePay.co.uk is an independent reference site. It is not a law firm or a financial adviser, is not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority or authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority, and this page is general information, not legal, financial or pension advice. Every divorce settlement depends on the facts, and pension sharing is decided by agreement or by a court. Figures from our calculators are estimates on stated assumptions: the scheme administrator's cash equivalent and the court order are what count. For decisions about your settlement, speak to a family solicitor and, where the pension is a large part of the money, a pension on divorce expert. Details apply to England and Wales unless stated. Details are as checked on 19 October 2026.