Firefighter Pay UK 2026/27
Firefighter earnings are set through national NJC agreements, with London and overtime patterns creating sizeable uplifts above base pay. Retained firefighters are paid through a different fee-plus-activity model rather than a standard salary.
At a Glance
- Trainee / Development Firefighter£2,186 / moof £31,539 gross a year
- Competent Firefighter£2,715 / moof £40,358 gross a year
- Crew Manager / Watch Manager£2,978 / moof £44,742 gross a year
Firefighter pay is set via the NJC for Fire and Rescue Services, and the 3.8% award from 1 July 2026 placed competent firefighter basic salary at £40,358 nationally.
The London Fire Brigade pays its own higher scale with London weighting built into basic pay, and overtime or unsocial-hours enhancements often add £5,000–£8,000 to wholetime annual earnings.
Retained (on-call) firefighters, who make up most operational cover outside major cities, are paid through retaining fees and incident activity payments rather than full-time salary structures.
Firefighter Salary Breakdown UK 2026/27
The table below shows typical firefighter salaries across experience levels and regions, alongside estimated take-home pay after income tax and National Insurance. Click any gross salary figure to open it in the calculator.
Income Tax and National Insurance in 2026/27
Like all UK workers, firefighters salaries are subject to income tax and National Insurance (NI) contributions. In the 2026/27 tax year:
| Up to £12,570 | 0% (Personal Allowance) |
| £12,571 – £50,270 | 20% (Basic Rate) |
| £50,271 – £125,140 | 40% (Higher Rate) |
| Above £125,140 | 45% (Additional Rate) |
| Up to £12,570 | 0% |
| £12,570 – £50,270 | 8% |
| Above £50,270 | 2% |
| - | - |
Use the calculator above to see your exact take-home pay after all deductions, including pension contributions and student loan repayments if applicable.
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Pension, region, student loan, State Pension age
Explore your finances
Model your expenses, project your wealth, and find your path to financial independence, using the pay figures above.
Financial independence
- In today's money, you'll have at least £21,600 / year (£1,800 / month) when you stop working at 66 - just from your savings
- In real terms, that's £38,340 / year (£3,195 / month)
- That means all your outgoings are covered without having to make any further contributions!
- You may be able to retire earlier - try adjusting the retirement age field
Where your £3,363 a month goes
- Essentials£1,750
- Everything else£500
- Tax and NI£601
- Pension£168
- Left to invest in your ISA£344
Projected wealth
Estimated income over 50 years, in today's money, with a 5% annual return and 0.35% yearly platform and fund fees.
Projected pension
Your pension pot over 31 years at three growth rates, after 0.35% fees, in today's money.
Calculations
- FI Target = Annual outgoings (£21,600) * Years needed for 4.00% SWR (25.00) = £540,000
- Invested annual pension = £3,229
- Invested annual surplus = £4,126
- Inflation of 2.5% / year
- Assumes New State Pension, payments increasing with inflation (2.5% / year)
- Assumes student loans last 30 years max
- Assumes a flex-drawdown pension for illustration purposes
- Assumes you draw down pension up to the higher rate bracket (£50,270), then draw down your S&S ISA
- Pension lump sums are not included