UK police officers have three pension scheme options depending on when they joined service:
- PPS 2015 (CARE) — current scheme. All active officers from April 2022 onward accrue here, following the McCloud remedy. Career Average Revalued Earnings, with employee contributions tiered by pensionable pay.
- NPPS 2006 — closed to new entrants since April 2015. Final salary scheme; officers with pre-2022 service in this scheme retain protected benefits.
- PPS 1987 (Old Scheme) — closed to new entrants since April 2006. Final salary scheme; officers with pre-2022 service in this scheme retain protected benefits. The 1987 scheme contributions are flat, not tiered.
Following the McCloud judgement and remedy, members of the legacy 1987 and 2006 schemes had their pre-2022 service "remediated" — they receive a choice at retirement of which scheme rules apply for the period 2015–2022. All new accrual from April 2022 is in PPS 2015 regardless of original scheme.
Sources: PPS 1987 standard 11% and NPPS 2006 standard 9.5% are from the official PPS / NPPS Members' Guides (Home Office). Note that the 2012-2014 public-sector pension reforms staged uplifts on top of these original rates, so the practical current contribution may be slightly higher — verify against your current force payroll if relevant. PPS 2015 CARE tiered rates (12.44% / 13.44% / 13.78%) are well-documented across multiple sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which police pension scheme am I in?
Officers who joined service after April 2015 are in PPS 2015 (CARE). Officers who joined April 2006 to March 2015 are in NPPS 2006 (with pre-April 2022 service in NPPS, post-April 2022 in PPS 2015). Officers who joined before April 2006 are in PPS 1987 (with pre-April 2022 service in PPS 1987, post-April 2022 in PPS 2015).
What is the McCloud remedy?
Following a 2018 court ruling that the 2015 pension reforms unlawfully discriminated against younger officers, all active officers were placed into PPS 2015 from 1 April 2022. Officers with service in 1987 / 2006 schemes between 2015 and 2022 will be given a choice at retirement of which rules apply for that period.
Are PPS 2015 contributions taken before tax?
Yes — police pension contributions are deducted from gross pay before income tax is calculated. So a 13.44% pension contribution effectively only "costs" you around 10.75% net (the rest is offset by tax relief).
What's the difference between PPS 1987 and PPS 2015?
PPS 1987 is a final salary scheme — benefits are based on final pensionable pay × accrual rate × years of service, with a standard 11% employee contribution. PPS 2015 is a Career Average Revalued Earnings (CARE) scheme — each year you build up 1/55.3rd of that year's pensionable pay, revalued annually, with tiered 12.44–13.78% employee contributions. PPS 2015 also has a later normal pension age tied to State Pension Age.
What is the reduced contribution rate?
Officers who are ineligible for ill-health benefits pay a reduced contribution rate: 7.5% under PPS 1987 (instead of the standard 11%), and 6% under NPPS 2006 (instead of 9.5%). This applies in a small number of cases — for example officers in transitional arrangements or with specific medical exclusions. PPS 2015 doesn't have a separate reduced rate.
Can I make additional voluntary contributions?
Yes — most forces offer an Additional Voluntary Contribution (AVC) scheme run by an external provider. AVCs are made on top of your standard scheme contribution and receive the same tax relief.