Pensioners

Retired Firefighters

If you are an active member of the NIFRS pension scheme and wish to begin the retirement process contact your HR department in the first instance via email to est@nifrs.org.

If you are an active firefighter and wish to request an estimate of benefits and you are within one year of your retirement date, you can do so by emailing nifrsqueries@hscni.net

You can find your Pension Payment dates below under the ‘How and when will I be paid‘ tab.

• How and when will I be paid?

  Your pension is paid directly into your bank account, using the banks automated clearing system (BACS). Your pension will be paid on a monthly basis and is taxable. Below are the pay dates for 2024.​

  Pension Payment Dates 2024
  Thursday 1st February 2024
  Friday 1st March 2024
  Wednesday 1st May 2024
  Friday 31st May 2024
  Monday 1st July 2024
  Thursday 1st August 2024
  Friday 30th August 2024
  Tuesday 1st October 2024
  Friday 1st November 2024
  Friday 29th November 2024
  Tuesday 31st December 2024

   

• Will I pay tax?

  Although lump sums are paid tax free, your monthly pension payments are taxable. When you first start to receive your pension, your tax deduction will depend on whether we have been provided with your P45. If we have the relevant parts we will use the tax code specified. If we do not have your P45 then a basic rate tax code will be applied (currently 20% for normal rate tax payers).

  The code specified on your P45 will be used until HMRC notify us of the tax code you should be on, which we will apply to your monthly pension.

  Until we receive the tax code notification it may take a little while for your pension to settle into a fixed regular amount. If when we receive the tax code notification, you have underpaid or overpaid tax, your pension will be adjusted accordingly and any under or over-payment will be rectified as long as it is within the same financial year.

  ​If you have any questions about your tax code or how much tax you are paying HSC Pensions will not be able to help you, you should contact HMRC directly.

• What if I move abroad?

  If you move abroad your pension can be paid into your overseas account through Western Union. You will need to complete a Mandate Form for this to be set up, and you can request this from your payroll department in the first instance at: wages@nifrs.org.
  ​
  Your pension will be paid directly into your overseas bank account and will be converted into the currency of that country. The amount of pension you’ll receive each month will depend on the exchange rate at the time of payment.

• Will my Pension increase?

  Your pension will increase each April, if

  • You are aged 55 or over
  • You are retired on the grounds of ill health (at any age)
  • You are receiving a widow’s, widower’s, civil partner’s or nominated cohabiting partner’s pension
  • You are receiving a child’s pension

  ​Your pension will increase each April in line with the consumer prices index.  We will write to you every April with details of the increase.

  The previous years rise in inflation (from 30 September to 30 September) is used to calculate the rate of the increase applied to your pension.

  Year	% Increase
  April 2023	10.1%
  April 2022	3.1%
  April 2021	0.5%
  April 2020	1.7%
  April 2019	2.4%
  April 2018	3.0%
  April 2017	1.0%

  If you have only started to receive your pension within the last 12 months, you will not receive a full years increase, you will receive a proportion.

• What if I take up employment after retirement? (Abatement)

  What is abatement?

  If you have a Firefighter pension and subsequently take a job with a UK Fire & Rescue Service (FRS), you may not earn more, by way of ‘re-employed’ salary and pension, than you were earning before you retired. Where your new salary and pension exceed your previous salary within NIFRS, we deduct the excess from your pension. This is known as ‘abatement’.

  The rules vary from scheme to scheme.

  Scheme	When does abatement apply?
  FPS	Re-employment with a UK FRS in any capacity
  FCS	Re-employment with a UK FRS as a firefighter
  NFPS	Re-employment with a UK FRS as a firefighter
  CARE	Abatement is not applied.

  How is abatement worked out?

  Step 1
  We take the salary of reference that was used to work out your pension when you retired and apply cost of living increases1 where appropriate.
  Step 2
  We add your new salary and your pension together.
  Step 3
  If the sum in Step 2 is greater than the sum in Step 1, we will reduce the pension by the difference.

  If you are currently retired and are applying for work with a UK Fire & Rescue Service, you can contact HSC Pension Service for an estimate showing the potential effect of any abatement. You can then take this into account when deciding whether to accept the job.

  What is the process for applying abatement to my pension?

  If you are re-employed by NIFRS or any other UK Fire & Rescue Service, then you should notify HSC Pension Service.

  *Please note, the National Fraud initiative monitors re-employment. 

  If abatement applies, we will reduce your pension from the start date of your new job. Please note that this can be earlier than the first available pay day on which we can actually apply abatement.

  Therefore, it can result in an overpayment of pension which you will have to pay back.

  Is the amount of abatement fixed?

  The level may alter if:

  • you receive a pay rise
  • you are promoted (whether temporarily or permanently)
  • your working hours change
  • you benefit from a retrospective pay rise that changes either the salary that was used to work out your pension before you retired, or changes the salary that was used in your new post when we initially worked out the abatement
  • you become entitled to a new allowance (whether temporary or permanent)
  • You divorce and a pension sharing order is implemented.

  If any of the above apply to you, it is important that you contact us as a revision of your abatement may be required.

  We do not increase the level of abatement if you work overtime.

  For more information on abatement and FAQ’s, please access this document.

• Notifying us of a members death:

  If your spouse/partner/relative has been receiving a Firefighters’ pension and they die then you need to notify HSC Pensions, to ensure that benefits and any death grant are paid correctly.

  Please let us know the following details:

  • Their name
  • Their National insurance number
  • Details of their spouse/partner/next of kin
  • Contact details for those dealing with their estate

  ​It is important that HSC Pensions is notified as the member’s estate will be liable for any overpayments made.

  HSC Pension Fund can be contacted by calling 028 71 319 111

• Sports and Athletics and Firefighters Charity

  If you wish to remain a member of the Sports and Athletics Club or wish to continue paying towards the Firefighters Charity, you can do so by downloading and filling in the forms below and forwarding them to Phil Walker via email at the below address:

  Email:
  Phil26w@gmail.com

  Sports and Athletics Club and Firefighters Charity Form