Pensions in payment · April 2027
Police pension increase April 2027
Police pensions in payment, and deferred pensions, rise every April in line with CPI inflation for the 12 months to the previous September. The April 2027 increase is set by CPI for September 2026.
April 2027 increase: to be confirmed on 21 October 2026, when the ONS publishes CPI for September 2026. We will update this page that morning. April 2026 was 3.8%.
What the increase adds to your pension
The gross annual amount on your pension statement or P60.
The April 2027 rate is not known yet: it will be the CPI rate for September 2026. Prefilled with the latest published CPI rate (August 2026: 3.1%) for illustration only.
Illustration at 3.1%, not the official rate
Gross amounts, before income tax. A pension that started during the past year gets a part-year increase, and increases are generally held back until age 55 (see below).
April 2027 at a glance
| What | April 2027 | April 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Pensions in payment and deferred pensions (all police schemes) | CPI to September 2026, due 21 October 2026 | 3.8% |
| CARE revaluation, active PPS 2015 members | September CPI + 1.25% | 5.05% |
April 2026: The Pensions Increase (Review) Order 2026 (S.I. 2026/256), in force 6 April 2026; SPPA Police Pension Schemes circular 2026/02 for the 5.05% revaluation. Sources at the foot of the page.
How the April increase is set
Police pensions are public service pensions covered by the Pensions Increase Act 1971. Each year the percentage is fixed by a Pensions Increase (Review) Order, made under section 59 of the Social Security Pensions Act 1975 (Northern Ireland has its own equivalent Order). In practice the increase follows the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) for the 12 months to the previous September: CPI was 3.8% in the year to September 2025, and pensions rose by 3.8% from 6 April 2026.
So the April 2027 figure depends on one number: CPI for the 12 months to September 2026, which the Office for National Statistics publishes on 21 October 2026. The Order giving it legal effect comes later (the 2026 Order was made on 9 March 2026).
Two different increases: retired officers and serving officers
(a) Pensions in payment and deferred pensions. If you have retired, or left with a deferred pension, your pension goes up by the pensions increase: CPI to September, nothing more. This applies to every police scheme: PPS 1987, NPPS 2006 and PPS 2015.
(b) CARE revaluation for serving officers. If you are still serving in the Police Pension Scheme 2015, the pension you have built up is revalued each year by CPI plus 1.25%, using the same September CPI figure. For 2025/26 that was 5.05% (3.8% + 1.25%). The next one will be CPI for September 2026 plus 1.25%. Once you leave or retire, the extra 1.25% stops and your pension moves to the ordinary pensions increase. The police pension calculator models this revaluation over a career.
Who gets the full increase
- Part-year pensions. A pension that started during the year before the increase gets a proportion of it. In April 2026, the full 3.8% went to pensions that began before 7 April 2025, and later pensions got a reduced percentage month by month.
- Under 55.Under section 3 of the Pensions Increase Act 1971, a pension based on your own service is generally not increased until you reach 55, unless you retired because of ill health, are disabled, or meet the conditions for having a dependant. Survivors' and injury pensions are increased regardless.
- Scotland and Northern Ireland. Police Scotland pensions, administered by SPPA, rose by the same 3.8% in April 2026, and Northern Ireland applied 3.8% through the Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 2026.
CPI inflation so far
Only the September 2026 figure sets the April 2027 increase. The monthly rates below show where inflation has been running; they are not a forecast. Latest published: 3.1% for August 2026.
| Month | CPI, 12-month rate |
|---|---|
| September 2025 (set April 2026) | 3.8% |
| October 2025 | 3.6% |
| November 2025 | 3.2% |
| December 2025 | 3.4% |
| January 2026 | 3% |
| February 2026 | 3% |
| March 2026 | 3.3% |
| April 2026 | 2.8% |
| May 2026 | 2.8% |
| June 2026 | 2.6% |
| July 2026 | 2.9% |
| August 2026 | 3.1% |
| September 2026 (sets April 2027) | published 21 October 2026 |
Source: ONS, CPI annual rate (series D7G7), release of 16 September 2026.
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Police pension increase: frequently asked questions
How much will police pensions go up in April 2027?
The rate is not known yet. Police pensions in payment and deferred pensions rise each April by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rate for the 12 months to the previous September. The ONS is scheduled to publish CPI for September 2026 on 21 October 2026, and this page will be updated with the confirmed figure that day. For reference, the April 2026 increase was 3.8%.
What was the police pension increase in April 2026?
3.8%, from 6 April 2026, for pensions that began before 7 April 2025. It matched CPI for the 12 months to September 2025 (3.8%) and was set by The Pensions Increase (Review) Order 2026 (S.I. 2026/256). Northern Ireland applied the same 3.8% through its own Order. Pensions that began later in that year received a part-year increase.
Do serving officers get the pension increase?
Not the same one. While you are still serving and paying into the Police Pension Scheme 2015, your built-up CARE pension is revalued each year by CPI plus 1.25% instead. For 2025/26 that revaluation was 5.05% (3.8% CPI plus 1.25%). The pensions increase applies once the pension is in payment or deferred.
I retired before 55. Do I get the increase?
Usually not yet. Under section 3 of the Pensions Increase Act 1971, a pension based on your own service is generally not increased until you reach 55, unless you retired because of ill health, are disabled, or meet the conditions for having a dependant. Survivors’ and injury pensions are not affected by the age 55 rule. Check the position with your scheme administrator.
Does the increase apply to the 1987 and 2006 police pension schemes?
Yes. The annual pensions increase applies to police pensions in payment and deferred pensions whichever scheme they come from (PPS 1987, NPPS 2006 or PPS 2015), in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The CPI plus 1.25% revaluation applies only to active members of the 2015 scheme.
Sources
Official sources, checked on 12 October 2026.
- legislation.gov.uk: The Pensions Increase (Review) Order 2026, S.I. 2026/256 (3.8%, in force 6 April 2026)
- Department of Finance (NI): The Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 2026, S.R. 2026 No. 64 (3.8%)
- Scottish Public Pensions Agency: Police Pension Schemes circular 2026/02: Public Service Pensions Indexation and CARE Scheme Revaluation (3.8% increase, 5.05% CARE revaluation)
- Scottish Public Pensions Agency: Annual pension increase (police pensioners, age 55 rule)
- Home Office, GOV.UK: Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the Police Pension Scheme 2015 career average revalued earnings (consultation, CPI + 1.25% in service)
- Office for National Statistics: CPI annual rate 00: all items (series D7G7), release of 16 September 2026
- Office for National Statistics: Release calendar: Consumer price inflation, UK: September 2026 (21 October 2026, 7am)
- legislation.gov.uk: Pensions Increase Act 1971, section 3 (no increase before age 55, with exceptions)
- legislation.gov.uk: Pensions Increase Act 1971, Schedule 2 (official pensions, including police)