NI firefighter contribution rates change 1 May 2026
If you’re a firefighter in Northern Ireland, a quiet but important change lands on Friday 1 May 2026. The Department of Health has made new regulations that update how much you pay into the 2015 Firefighters’ Pension Scheme and how your pay is banded. These rules are SR 2026/73 and were laid at the Assembly on 2 April 2026 under the negative procedure. (niassembly.gov.uk)
Here’s the simple version of the new banding. From 1 May 2026 there are five contribution rates tied to your actual annual pensionable pay: up to £36,130.99 you pay 11.71%; £36,131 to £45,407.99 you pay 13.21%; £45,408 to £66,908.99 you pay 14.71%; £66,909 to £190,691.99 you pay 16.21%; £190,692 or more you pay 17.71%. These figures appear in the draft rule placed before the Assembly and carried forward into the final SR. (niassembly.gov.uk)
What changes for part‑time and retained members is clarity. Until 30 April 2026, banding for retained/volunteer firefighters used “reference pay” and for part‑time regulars it used a whole‑time comparator. From 1 May 2026, your band is set using your actual annual pensionable pay, period. That brings everyone onto the same basis and removes guesswork about comparators. (niassembly.gov.uk)
There’s also a built‑in protection against “fiscal drag” from 2027/28. Each April (the start of the scheme year), the pound values of the bands will be increased if the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) for the previous September has gone up. The uplift is applied to each threshold and rounded up to the nearest pound. The Department also retains the option to use another UK price index if needed. (niassembly.gov.uk)
Why is this happening? The Department’s explanatory memorandum says the scheme must, on average, collect 13.2% of pensionable pay from members (the “yield”). Government Actuary’s Department modelling on the old four‑tier structure suggested a 13.0% average for the 2024‑27 valuation period, so the structure needed a tune‑up. Northern Ireland is aligning broadly with similar reforms in England. (niassembly.gov.uk)
Quick example for whole‑time pay. If your actual annual pensionable pay is £40,000, you sit in the second band. Your annual contribution is 13.21% of £40,000, which is £5,284. Split across 12 months, that’s about £440 a month before tax relief. Use this to sense‑check your May payslip. (niassembly.gov.uk)
Example for part‑time regulars. Say your actual annual pensionable pay is £28,000. From 1 May 2026 your band is the first tier at 11.71%, so around £3,279 a year, or £273 a month. Under the old approach, if your whole‑time comparator sat at £37,000 you could have been placed in the 13.21% band, paying roughly £308 a month. The switch to actual pay saves about £35 a month in this scenario. (niassembly.gov.uk)
Example for retained or volunteer firefighters. Imagine your actual pensionable pay over a year is £19,500. You’d be in the first tier at 11.71%, so roughly £2,283 a year (about £190 a month on average). If your annualised pay later rises above £36,131, your administrator may re‑check your band and adjust contributions going forward. Always use the figure your employer confirms for “actual annual pensionable pay.” (niassembly.gov.uk)
What happens to the thresholds next year? From the 2027/28 scheme year, the band limits move with inflation as measured by CPI in the previous September. For learning purposes, assume a 3% CPI rise: the top of the first band (£36,130.99) would move to roughly £37,215 after rounding up. This is an illustration only-the real uplift will use the actual September CPI. The wider public‑service revaluation framework for 2026 has also been set via the Department of Finance. (thegazette.co.uk)
What you should do now. We recommend you check which band your actual annual pensionable pay falls into, run the quick sums above, and compare them with your May payslip. If you think your band is off, speak to payroll or NIFRS Pensions and ask how they calculated your annual pensionable pay for banding. Keep an eye out each spring from 2027/28 for CPI‑linked changes to the thresholds so you’re not caught out by pay rises crossing a band boundary. For key details, the NI Assembly SR 2026/73 page and the Department’s explanatory papers are the authoritative sources. (niassembly.gov.uk)