NI firefighters pension bands change 1 May 2026
If you are a firefighter in Northern Ireland, your pension contributions are changing. New regulations made on 1 April 2026 come into force on 1 May 2026, updating the contribution bands, switching retained and part‑time members to actual annual pensionable pay for banding, and building in future inflation uplifts. This is Statutory Rule 2026 No. 73, confirmed by the Department of Health with Department of Finance consent. (niassembly.gov.uk)
From 1 May 2026, the member contribution bands for the Firefighters’ Pension Scheme (Northern Ireland) 2015 are set as follows: up to £36,130.99 you pay 11.71%; £36,131.00–£45,407.99 you pay 13.21%; £45,408.00–£66,908.99 you pay 14.71%; £66,909.00–£190,691.99 you pay 16.21%; £190,692.00 or more you pay 17.71%. Your band is based on your actual annual pensionable pay. (niassembly.gov.uk)
If you are a retained or volunteer firefighter, the band used to be worked out using ‘reference pay’ up to 30 April 2026. From 1 May 2026, it is instead based on your actual annual pensionable pay, so the percentage you pay better reflects what you actually earn in the scheme. (niassembly.gov.uk)
If you are a part‑time regular firefighter, the band used to be based on the whole‑time equivalent for your role and service up to 30 April 2026. From 1 May 2026, your band is set using your own actual annual pensionable pay. That brings part‑time and retained members onto the same footing for banding as whole‑time staff. (niassembly.gov.uk)
From the scheme year 2027/28 onward, the pay figures that define each band will be increased at the start of each year by the percentage change in the Consumer Prices Index for the previous September, rounded up to the nearest £1. The Department may choose a different UK price index in future if it decides. (niassembly.gov.uk)
What this means for you is straightforward: bands will rise each year with inflation from April 2027, helping to avoid ‘bracket creep’ where ordinary pay awards push members into a higher band in cash terms even when take‑home pay isn’t rising in real terms. For retained and part‑time colleagues, using actual pay should feel fairer and easier to understand.
How to read your payslip against these rules. Pensionable pay is the part of your earnings that counts for the scheme; your employer applies the correct percentage to that figure. If your on‑call or variable hours pay changes during the year, ask payroll to confirm the annualised pensionable pay they’re using for your band and when they would review it.
Two quick examples to test the new bands. Example A: a retained firefighter with actual annual pensionable pay of £24,000 from 1 May 2026 will fall in the first band and contribute 11.71%. Example B: a part‑time regular with actual annual pensionable pay of £40,000 will fall in the second band and contribute 13.21%. These percentages apply to pensionable pay, not overtime or allowances that the scheme excludes. (niassembly.gov.uk)
For students of public policy, this is a good case study in secondary legislation. The rule was made on 1 April 2026 and took effect on 1 May 2026 under the Assembly’s negative resolution procedure, with an Explanatory Note stating no impact on private or voluntary sectors. It amends regulation 118 of the 2015 scheme regulations. (niassembly.gov.uk)
The recap: new contribution bands start on 1 May 2026; retained and part‑time members are banded on actual annual pensionable pay from that date; and from 2027/28 the band thresholds will move each April in line with the previous September’s CPI, rounded to the nearest pound. If anything on your payslip looks out of step with this, raise it with your employer’s pensions team so it can be corrected promptly. (niassembly.gov.uk)