Officers and staff in Northern Ireland who were previously told they could not retire on ill‑health grounds under the 2015 police pension scheme will get a fresh, time‑limited choice from 1 February 2026. New regulations made by the Department of Justice create a three‑month election window and were sealed by Justice Minister Naomi Long on 27 November and by the Department of Finance the following day. The rule comes into operation on 1 February 2026, with some provisions taking effect retrospectively.

The option is aimed at people who, at any point between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2024, were active members of the 2015 Northern Ireland police pension scheme and were deemed ineligible for ill‑health benefits under regulation 33(5). Those already retired under the 2015 scheme, and those in the older “existing police pension scheme”, are out of scope.

How it works is set out plainly. Within two weeks of the window opening, the scheme manager must provide eligible members with information and invite an election. Members then have three months from 1 February 2026 to submit a written application confirming they wish to elect for ill‑health benefits and that they agree to pay any revised contributions. Applications received after the deadline must be rejected.

Revised contributions are calculated for each scheme year in the 2015–2024 period as the difference between what the member paid at the reduced rate and what would have been due at the full member rate. For those years, the full rates used in police pension schemes were 12.44% (up to £27,000), 13.44% (£27,000–£60,000) and 13.78% (over £60,000). Members can pay in instalments, but everything must be settled within five years of receiving the terms; otherwise the election lapses and any money paid is returned.

A previous refusal to undergo a medical examination will not block access to this one‑off option. The regulations make clear that a determination under regulation 33(5) - the provision used to deem some members ineligible on cost grounds - does not prevent an election under the new Chapter 4A.

If a member meets the new Chapter 4A requirements, they become eligible for ill‑health benefits on the same terms as someone approved where the likely cost was not judged “disproportionately high”. Only one election is allowed, and the usual transitional provisions do not apply to this Chapter.

A quick clarification on contribution rates today: from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2027, the 2015 NI scheme’s member rates are 13.66% for earnings under £60,000 and 14.00% at £60,000 and above. Those current rates do not change how revised contributions are worked out for this exercise, which only covers 2015–2024.

Stormont departments ran a formal consultation on the draft rules from 27 June to 2 October 2025 before finalising the text, and the Department of Finance consented to the change as required under the 2014 Act. This is a Belfast‑led policy step with direct impact on PSNI members, not a London‑set tweak.

For serving and deferred members across the PSNI family, the practical message is simple: watch for correspondence from the scheme manager by mid‑February, gather medical evidence, and be ready to make a yes‑or‑no call within the three‑month window. Miss the deadline and it’s treated as a decision not to elect.

Officials say no separate business impact assessment was needed and none is expected for the voluntary sector. For a workforce managing trauma, family pressures and the realities of front‑line service, this targeted options exercise is about putting a clear route on the table - with costs and timelines spelled out from the start.