Police pension contributions in England and Wales are 12.88%, 13.88% or 14.22% of pensionable pay from 1 April 2026, set by a three-tier table.
Every serving officer in England and Wales now pays into the 2015 scheme, and what comes out of pay each month depends on which of three bands the officer's earnings fall in. The rates went up on 1 April 2026 and the band boundaries moved with them. Setting the new rate against a mortgage, other savings and a retirement date takes an FCA-authorised adviser's eye, and a free call-back from one is a short form on this page away. Scotland has its own scheme with a different system, covered further down.
How much do police officers pay into their pension?
The Home Office's report to Parliament on the change sets the current table for the 2015 scheme. It applies to each scheme year starting on or after 1 April 2026:
| Relevant pay | Full member rate | Reduced member rate |
|---|---|---|
| £37,035 or less | 12.88% | 10.38% |
| More than £37,035 but less than £79,588 | 13.88% | 11.38% |
| £79,588 or more | 14.22% | 11.72% |
The same table is in the Police Pensions (Member Contributions) (Amendment and Transitional Provisions) (England and Wales) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/267), which came into force on 1 April 2026 and extend to England and Wales only. The reduced column is a separate case, explained further down.
So the answer, as a percentage, is one of three numbers, and the officer's own number comes from the pay band, not from rank or length of service. Higher earners pay a higher percentage than lower earners, which is how the Home Office describes tiered contributions. Because the rate is a percentage of pay, a promotion or a pay award can move the monthly figure even when the band stays the same.
Behind the table sits a target: the scheme is meant to collect an average of 13.7% of pay from members across the whole workforce. The section on why the rates have risen explains how that target drives the bands.
What changed on 1 April 2026
Before that date the table, which the report says applied to each scheme year starting on or after 1 April 2015, read:
| Annualised pensionable earnings | Full rate | Reduced rate |
|---|---|---|
| £27,000 or less | 12.44% | 9.94% |
| More than £27,000 but less than £60,000 | 13.44% | 10.94% |
| £60,000 or more | 13.78% | 11.28% |
Two things moved at once. Each full rate went up by 0.44 percentage points (12.44% to 12.88%, 13.44% to 13.88% and 13.78% to 14.22%). And the band edges rose, so some officers now sit in a lower band than before. The report says "the lowest-paid members will now contribute at a lower rate than under the previous structure", which is the effect of the first band's ceiling rising from £27,000 to £37,035.
Two worked sums show how this can pull in opposite directions. They are illustrations on round pay figures, before any tax relief, and not a statement of what any officer pays:
- At £40,000 the officer was in the middle band paying 13.44%, which is £5,376 a year, and is still in the middle band paying 13.88%, which is £5,552 a year: £176 a year more.
- At £30,000 the officer was in the middle band paying 13.44%, which is £4,032 a year, and now falls in the lowest band paying 12.88%, which is £3,864 a year: £168 a year less.
The regulations say the amendments do not apply to any payment for a pay period that began before 1 April 2026, so the new rates start with the first pay period beginning on or after that date. The force's payroll team can confirm the rate it is applying. For an adviser's view of what a higher deduction means for the household budget, send the enquiry form here and a free call-back follows.
Why have police pension contributions risen?
The Home Office consultation that opened on 20 November 2024 explains that "HM Treasury has recently instructed all schemes to adjust member contributions as needed to meet the yield, as agreed when the reformed schemes were established." The yields are set out in the Reform Design Framework for the police scheme, a policy from the 2011 Budget.
The sums that triggered the 2026 change are in the report to Parliament. The scheme must deliver an average member yield of 13.7%. The old structure was projected to generate 13.48%, so the report says amendments were "necessary to ensure the scheme continues to operate on a sustainable basis". The new table is the Home Office's answer to that gap.
The band edges are the second reason. The thresholds in the old table had not changed since the scheme began in 2015, while officers' salaries rose, so that by March 2026 "tier 1 currently contains no members". Raising the thresholds brings that first tier back into use.
Officers sometimes ask why contributions feel so high. Three facts help put the figure in context. The Home Office's 2021 member guide says the force, as employer, pays roughly double the officer's contribution to cover the rest of the cost of the benefits. It also says contributions come out of pay before tax. And the amount paid in does not directly decide the pension, which is built from a share of pensionable earnings each year; that is covered on how much police pension you get. Whether the scheme is good value is argued on is a police pension good, not here.
Which band applies: actual pay, part-timers and new joiners
Before April 2026 the member's rate depended on full-time equivalent pay: the consultation says "The member pays a contribution rate based on their Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) pay." A part-time officer on a half-time wage was therefore placed in a band as if working full time.
The new rule uses actual pay. The report says the revised structure bases the rates on a member's actual pensionable pay from the previous scheme year, and calls that fairer for part-time officers. In practice a band reflects what the officer was paid in the scheme year before, so a pay rise shows up in the band the following scheme year.
There are two exceptions in the same report. A member who joined since the start of the previous scheme year, or came back from a long period of unpaid leave, is placed using their annual rate of pay at joining or returning, until a full scheme year of service is complete. For anyone returning from leave, the force's pension administrator can say which rule it is applying.
The reduced rate for officers not eligible for ill-health benefits
The third column of the table is not a discount for low pay. Regulation 38 of the Police Pensions Regulations 2015 says: "A reduced member contributions rate applies to an active member of this scheme who is ineligible under this scheme for payment of ill-health benefits." The reduced rate stops applying from the date the scheme manager decides the member is eligible for ill-health benefits.
The reduced figures are 10.38%, 11.38% and 11.72%, in the same three bands. Whether an individual officer is in that position is for the scheme manager to decide.
Police pension contribution rates in the 1987 and 2006 schemes
No one builds up new pension in the older schemes. The consultation says that since 1 April 2022 the 1987 and 2006 schemes "are closed to future accrual", so current officers pay the 2015 rates above. The legacy figures matter for people looking back at their own history, and for anyone comparing old payslips.
For England and Wales, the Home Office's 2015 member guide, written while those schemes were still open (the GOV.UK page was last updated on 10 November 2017), gave ranges: "Currently 14.25% to 15.05% (1987 Scheme)" and "Currently 11.0% to 12.75% (2006 Scheme)". The 2021 guide describes the gap against the 2015 rates in another way: 2006-scheme contributions "are between 1% and 1.5% lower" and 1987-scheme ones "between 2.2% and 3.25% higher". Which exact figure applied to a given officer in a given year depended on the band; lining those older years up against later ones is a point the adviser who rings back can go through free of charge, after you send the quick form here.
The Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA) prints this table of the earlier Scottish rates:
| Pensionable earnings | 2006 scheme | 1987 scheme |
|---|---|---|
| Up to £27,000 | 11% | 12.50% |
| £27,001 to £60,000 | 12.05% | 14.25% |
| Over £60,000 | 12.75% | 15.05% |
Officers who served before and after 2015 may have records in more than one scheme. The police pension remedy page covers the remedy and the contribution adjustments that go with it.
Police pension contributions in Scotland
The tiers above are England and Wales rules. SPPA says that "Members of the Scottish Police Pension Scheme 2015 currently pay a flat rate of 13.7% into the scheme regardless of their pensionable earnings." Its page also says Scottish employers contribute 38.7% of pensionable pay. Both figures are as SPPA printed them when read in October 2026; SPPA can confirm the rate in force. Northern Ireland has a police scheme of its own, not covered here.
Tax relief, and how other public schemes compare
The Home Office's 2021 guide says "Your contributions are deducted from your pay before tax is applied - meaning you get income tax relief on your contributions." SPPA says the same for Scottish officers. So the pay-slip cost of a contribution is lower than the headline percentage once income tax is taken into account, by an amount that depends on the officer's own tax rate. The general mechanics are on pension tax relief, and police tax rules on is a police pension taxable.
If you are comparing what you pay with other public schemes, the equivalents are NHS pension rates, Teachers' Pension rates and civil service pension rates.
Contribution queries from serving police officers
Do police officers have to pay into the pension?
Officers can opt out, and the Home Office's 2024 consultation lists reducing opt-outs among the aims of the new structure. What leaving would mean for benefits already built up is a question for the force's pension administrator.
Can I work out my police pension contribution myself?
The sum is the rate in the table times the pay it applies to, before tax relief: a rate of 13.88% on £40,000 is £5,552 a year, as above. Payslips show the actual deduction, and the force's payroll team can say which pay figure and band it is using.
Will police pension contributions change again?
Possibly. The consultation paper said the suitability of the structure "will be subject to ongoing review and may therefore change again in future years". It also called meeting the yield in each valuation period a vital part of the scheme's design.
Do police staff pay the same rates?
The tiers on this page are set in the Police Pensions Regulations 2015, the scheme for police officers. What civilian staff pay depends on the pension scheme their employer offers, and the force's HR or pensions team can say which applies. The Local Government Pension Scheme contribution rates page covers one scheme that some employers use.
Does age or length of service change the rate?
No. Under the 2015 regulations, as amended from April 2026, the rate comes from the relevant pay band alone, with the lower column for members not eligible for ill-health benefits. When the pension itself can be drawn is a separate matter, set out on police pension age.
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