Sector Guides

Firefighter Payslip Explained

A complete guide to understanding your Grey Book pay, pension contributions, shift allowances, and retained duty payments.

Grey Book Pay Scales

The vast majority of local authority firefighters in the UK are paid according to the National Joint Council (NJC) "Grey Book" agreement. Pay rates are reviewed annually.

Your basic pay depends on your role and competence level:

  • Trainee: Your pay while undergoing initial training.
  • Development: The pay rate while you are working towards full competence.
  • Competent: The top basic pay rate for your role (e.g., Firefighter, Crew Manager, Watch Manager).

Check your take-home pay

Use our main calculator to see exactly how your firefighter salary breaks down into Tax, National Insurance, and Pension deductions.

Calculate Take-Home Pay →

The Firefighters' Pension Scheme (FPS 2015)

Most serving firefighters are now members of the FPS 2015, which is a Career Average Revalued Earnings (CARE) scheme. Because firefighters can retire earlier than the state pension age, the scheme requires high contribution rates.

Contributions are tiered based on your pensionable earnings, typically ranging from 11% to 14.5%. Like other public sector pensions, these contributions are taken from your gross pay before tax, giving you automatic tax relief.

The McCloud Remedy

In 2015, the government moved public sector workers to new pension schemes. The courts later ruled that the way older workers were protected from this change was age discrimination (known as the McCloud judgment).

If you were serving on or before 31 March 2012, your pension records for the period between 2015 and 2022 will be rolled back to your legacy scheme (e.g., FPS 1992 or 2006). You may see arrears or adjustments on your payslip as a result of this remedy.

Retained (On-Call) Firefighter Pay

If you serve as an on-call firefighter, your payslip will look completely different to a wholetime firefighter. Your pay is made up of several parts:

  • Retaining Fee: A flat annual fee (paid monthly) simply for being available for a set number of hours per week.
  • Turnout / Attendance Fee: An hourly rate paid when you respond to an emergency call.
  • Drill Night Pay: Payment for your weekly training night.
  • Other duties: Payments for community fire safety work or equipment maintenance.

Tax Warning for On-Call Firefighters: If you have a primary day job, your retained firefighter pay will likely be treated as a second income. This means your basic Personal Allowance (£12,570) will be used up by your main job, and your fire service pay will likely be taxed at the basic rate (20%) using a BR tax code.

Additional Allowances

Depending on your brigade and role, you may also see:

  • Continual Professional Development (CPD): An annual payment (usually paid monthly) for maintaining high professional standards.
  • Flexible Duty System (FDS): An allowance (usually 20%) paid to officers who provide flexible cover on a rota basis.
  • London Weighting: A pensionable addition to basic pay for firefighters working in London.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Firefighters' Pension Scheme contribution rate?
Under the FPS 2015, most firefighters pay between 11% and 14.5% of their pensionable pay. These contributions are deducted before tax, so you receive tax relief on them.
How are retained (on-call) firefighters paid?
Retained firefighters receive an annual retaining fee (usually paid monthly), plus hourly payments for turning out to incidents, attending drill nights, and completing training. All of these payments are subject to standard Income Tax and National Insurance.
What is the McCloud remedy on my payslip?
The McCloud remedy addresses age discrimination when older pension schemes were closed. You may see adjustments on your payslip if you are having your pension records rolled back to your legacy scheme for the period between 2015 and 2022.