NJC Firefighter Pay Scales 2025/26
Wholetime Annual Basic Pay (NJC Grey Book)
| Role | Development | Competent / A | Competent B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firefighter | £30,384 | £38,881 | — |
| Crew Manager | £41,322 | £43,104 | — |
| Watch Manager | £44,038 | £45,260 | £48,202 |
| Station Manager | £50,135 | £51,642 | £55,301 |
| Group Manager | £57,743 | £59,476 | £64,013 |
| Area Manager | £67,792 | £69,823 | £74,360 |
2026 pay award — 3.8% offer, pending FBU ballot
The NJC employers have offered a 3.8% increase on all basic pay rates and CPD payments, effective 1 July 2026. The Fire Brigades Union is balloting members with a recommendation to accept. The table below shows what the offer would mean for key rates — indicative only until the ballot concludes and the final NJC circular confirms rounding.
| Rate | Current (1 Jul 2025) | Offered (1 Jul 2026, +3.8%) |
|---|---|---|
| Firefighter — Development | £30,384 | ~£31,539 |
| Firefighter — Competent | £38,881 | ~£40,359 |
| Crew Manager — Competent | £43,104 | ~£44,742 |
| Watch Manager — Competent B | £48,202 | ~£50,034 |
| Station Manager — Competent B | £55,301 | ~£57,402 |
| Area Manager — Competent B | £74,360 | ~£77,186 |
| CPD (Wholetime, NJC default) | £425 | ~£441 |
| LFB Firefighter — Competent | £44,800 | ~£46,502 |
RDS retainers (15% / ~5% of wholetime basic) rise proportionately. This page will be updated with the confirmed table when the award is settled; the calculator runs on the current confirmed rates until then.
The NJC Grey Book sets national firefighter pay for England, Wales and Northern Ireland through the National Joint Council for Local Authority Fire and Rescue Services. Scotland uses the parallel SJC (Scottish Joint Council) framework, which has its own slightly different rates.
The figures above are Wholetime annual basic salaries effective 1 July 2025. Each role has 1–3 pay points reflecting progression: Development (in training / pre-confirmation), Competent / Competent A (entry to substantive grade), and Competent B (after further service, on roles that have it).
On top of basic, firefighters receive: CPD £425/year (Competent grades), PAO at 1.5× basic hourly (up to Station Manager), and FDS at 20% of basic (Station Manager and above on the on-call rota). LSI was removed in 2007 and is no longer paid.
Retained Duty System (RDS / On-Call)
RDS firefighters receive an annual retainer (15% of wholetime basic for full 120+ hr/wk cover, ~5% for partial cover), £5.12 per turnout/drill, and the same hourly rate as wholetime for operational time at incidents.