British Armed Forces — Pension Tool
AFPS 15 Pension Calculator
Estimate your Armed Forces pension under the current AFPS 15 scheme — and see how it compares to the legacy AFPS 05 terms that most serving personnel are vaguely aware were better, but couldn’t tell you exactly why.
iScheme rules from Veterans UK / MOD (GOV.UK). Figures are estimates — the AFPS 15 CARE scheme revalues accruals annually by CPI, which this calculator cannot model precisely. Use the official Veterans UK pension calculator at gov.uk for personalised figures.
Your Details
CARE scheme. All service from April 2015.
Basic pay. Use JSP 754 figures for your rank/increment.
2 yrs40 yrs
Need 20 qualifying years for EDP. Currently: 12 yrs.
Early Departure Payment (EDP) — Not Eligible
EDP requires leaving at age 40 or over with at least 20 qualifying years. Currently: age 40, 12 yrs. Need 8 more qualifying years. Pension is preserved at NPA 60.
Why AFPS 15 is worse than the legacy schemes
What the briefing often leaves out
Most personnel joining after April 2015 understand they’re on “a new pension scheme.” Fewer understand exactly what changed — and why it matters primarily if they intend to serve 20+ years.
1. The accrual rate is lower
AFPS 15 accrues at 1/47th per year. AFPS 75 — the scheme most long-service veterans describe — accrued at 1/45th, and AFPS 05 at 1/70th but with far more favourable early access terms. For a 22-year career, the difference in annual pension can be several thousand pounds per year.
2. Normal Pension Age moved from 55 to 60
Under AFPS 75 and AFPS 05, an immediate pension was accessible at age 55 with sufficient years. AFPS 15 shifts this to NPA 60. If you leave at 40 with 20 years and qualify for EDP, you get a reduced immediate payment — but the full pension doesn't start until you're 60.
3. Career Average vs Final Salary
AFPS 15 is a Career Average Revalued Earnings (CARE) scheme. Your pension reflects average career earnings (revalued by CPI each year), not final salary. For most military careers — where late promotion leads to significant pay jumps at the end — final salary schemes typically produce a higher pension than career average at equivalent service lengths.
4. EDP is not the same as an immediate pension
The EDP is often described as compensating for the loss of the age-55 immediate pension. It does provide earlier access to some pension value — but at a reduced rate, and the remainder is still deferred to NPA 60. It is not a full replacement for the AFPS 75/05 immediate pension terms.
5. The change was politically contentious — for good reason
The Public Service Pension Schemes Act 2013 moved all public sector workers to career average schemes. A subsequent Supreme Court ruling (2019) found the transitional protections unlawfully discriminated against younger workers — which led to the McCloud remedy, reintroducing legacy scheme access for some period of service. The rules remain complex for anyone who joined before 2015.
AFPS 15 vs AFPS 05 — at a glance
Disclaimer: These are estimates based on published scheme rules. The AFPS 15 CARE scheme revalues each year’s accrual by CPI annually, which cannot be modelled precisely without year-by-year salary history. Actual EDP amounts depend on published actuarial factors. For your personal forecast, use the Veterans UK pension calculator on GOV.UK, or contact the Veterans UK helpline: 0808 1914 218.