Increasing your Benefits
If you are an active member of the FPS 1992 and will not be able to count 30 years' pensionable service by normal pension age (55), you can elect to buy additional service.
The additional service would count not only in the assessment of your own pension, but in the assessment of widow(er)'s, civil partner's and children's benefits. They would not be taken into account for assessing entitlement to benefits e.g. you cannot count them towards the 25 years' pensionable service needed for retirement at age 50 and before 55, or towards service used for assessing entitlement to an ill-health pension.
To buy the additional service, you would pay additional contributions. The amount of additional contributions will depend upon your age at the birthday following your election to make the payments, and how much additional service you wish to purchase.
An election to pay additional contributions must be made at least 2 years before Normal Pension Age (55) and may only be made by a person who had not attained age 46 when last becoming a firefighter and who is not under notice to retire on health or efficiency grounds.
Please Note
The Government's Actuary provides factors from which the Fire & Rescue Service (FRS) will determine the cost.