Profession · 2026/27
Firefighter Salary 2026/27: Take-Home + Pension
UK Firefighters operate on the NJC Firefighter pay structure. 2026/27 rates (post April 2026 NJC agreement): Trainee £29,200, Development £33,700, Competent £39,000, Crew Manager £43,500. Plus London/SE area allowance and on-call retainer for Retained Duty System firefighters.
Typical pay & take-home
- Median gross
- £36,350
- Typical range
- £29,200–£43,500
- Take-home at median
- £29,692
England, no pension applied — use the salary calculator for your scheme.
At the median for this profession, you earn 3% below the UK full-time median (£37,430), placing you in the bottom 47% of UK earners.
What influences firefighter pay
Wholetime Firefighter base pay sits in the 20% basic-rate band at trainee through competent grades. Crew Manager / Watch Manager at £43,500+ approaches the £50,270 higher-rate threshold. London Fire Brigade firefighters add ~£4,800 inner London allowance.
Firefighters Pension Scheme 2015 (FPS 2015) employee contribution 11-14.5% banded. The CARE scheme accrues 1/59.7th of pensionable earnings with normal pension age 60. Critical: FPS 2006 (closed to new entrants) had earlier retirement age 55 - newer firefighters lose this benefit.
Retained Duty System (RDS) firefighters work part-time on-call. Annual retainer £3,500-£8,500 plus £15-£25/hour drill + incident pay. RDS earnings are pensionable. Total annual gross for active RDS often £8,000-£15,000 alongside another job.
Career progression
- Trainee Firefighter: £29,200 (2026/27).
- Development Firefighter (year 1): £33,700.
- Competent Firefighter (year 4): £39,000.
- Crew Manager: £43,500.
- Watch Manager: £47,000-£50,500.
- Station Manager: £52,000-£58,000.
Frequently asked questions
- What is take-home for a Competent Firefighter?
- On £39,000 gross with 13% FPS 2015 pension, take-home is approximately £25,800-£26,400 a year after Income Tax (20% basic), NI and pension. London Fire Brigade Competent at £43,800 (with allowance) takes home around £28,700.
- Why is the FPS pension contribution so high (11-14.5%)?
- Firefighter pension build-up rate is one of the most generous in the UK: 1/59.7th annual accrual + normal pension age 60 (vs 67 for State Pension). The high contribution reflects the early access age + CPI-indexed payments + survivor benefits. Implicit MoD-equivalent employer cost ~35% of salary.
- How does Retained Duty System pay work tax-wise?
- RDS firefighters are employees of the fire service via a part-time contract. Annual retainer + drill/incident pay are paid through PAYE alongside their main employer. Total income from both employers stacks for IT and NI purposes - if total exceeds £50,270 the higher-rate threshold applies. RDS-only income builds pension under FPS 2015.