London Fire Brigade (LFB) Salary
The short answer
A London Fire Brigade firefighter takes home £25,055 to £31,153 a year — £2,087.92 to £2,596.06 a month — after income tax, National Insurance and pension contributions.
LFB vs National NJC Pay (Wholetime annual basic)
| Role | National NJC | LFB | LFB uplift |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firefighter — Development | £30,384 | £34,914 | +£4,530 |
| Firefighter — Competent | £38,881 | £44,800 | +£5,919 |
| Crew Manager — Competent | £43,104 | £48,891 | +£5,787 |
| Watch Manager — Competent A/B | £45,260 – £48,202 | £51,138 | +£2,936 to +£5,878 |
| Station Manager — Competent A/B | £51,642 – £55,301 | £53,831 – £55,301 | +£2,189 to £0 |
| Group Manager | £57,743 – £64,013 | £57,743 – £64,013 | parity |
| Area Manager | £67,792 – £74,360 | £67,792 – £74,360 | parity |
Take-Home Pay After Tax, NI and Pension
| Pay Point | Gross | Pension | Tax | NI | Net | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Development | £34,914 | £4,504 | £3,568 | £1,787 | £25,055 | £2,087.92 |
| Competent | £44,800 | £5,779 | £5,290 | £2,578 | £31,153 | £2,596.06 |
LFB pay is consolidated rather than a national rate plus an allowance, which is why these figures are higher than the NJC scale throughout. LFB also pays CPD at £1,181 a year against the £425 national default, and that is not included here, so a competent LFB firefighter's actual take-home is somewhat higher than shown.
Check your own figure
The London Fire Brigade pays meaningfully above national NJC rates at the federated ranks because London Weighting was consolidated into LFB basic pay in October 2019 — it's not a separate allowance; the LFB pay table simply has higher figures. A Competent Firefighter earns £44,800 at LFB vs £38,881 nationally (+£5,919), and because it's basic pay, the whole uplift is pensionable and flows into overtime rates.
The uplift tapers with seniority: Crew and Watch level keep a substantial gap, Station Manager narrows, and Group/Area Manager are at national parity. LFB also pays the network's highest CPD rate — £1,181/year (vs the £425 NJC default) once Competent.
Terminology: LFB uses role titles of its own — you'll see Leading Firefighter (≈ Crew Manager), Sub Officer, Watch Commander (≈ Watch Manager) and Station Commander (≈ Station Manager) in LFB job adverts and rank structures. Pay maps to the NJC role equivalents shown above.
No Retained Duty System operates within Greater London — LFB is wholetime (plus control staff on separate scales). The 2026 pay award (3.8% offer on all basic + CPD from 1 July 2026, pending FBU ballot) would apply to LFB rates too — Competent would rise to around £46,502. Select "London Fire Brigade" as your service in the calculator for exact take-home including LFB CPD.