This website gets better every day. Click to see the latest updates.
  • Upload your W-2s and the calculator reads your earnings, LODI pay and one-time bonuses straight from them.
  • Fixed: Box 5 on your W-2 and ESS leaves out LODI pay, which counts toward your pension, and includes the COVID healthcare worker bonus, which doesn't. You can now add LODI back and take the bonus out.
  • Fixed: your date of birth and appointment date now stay saved when you close the site and come back.
  • Equated dates, for bought-back military, prior EMS or a retroactive hire date.
  • Fixed: Tier 2 final average salary now uses the higher of your last 12 months or your best 3 years, with the 20% limit on both (Chapter 540 of 2021).

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For FDNY Tier 3 members

Learn about your pension.

Everything you need to know, and what you'll collect in retirement.

Tier 3 means you were appointed on or after July 1, 2009. Appointed before that? Use the Tier 2 calculator.

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HomePension basics

Pension basics

How your Tier 3 pension works, in plain English. Tap any question to open it.

50%of your final average salary once you have 20 years
Best 3years in a row of pay, overtime included, set your final average salary
23 yearsgets full escalation, so your whole pension keeps up with inflation
$12,000a year from the VSF, on top of your pension
Am I in Tier 3?

Yes, if you were appointed to the FDNY as a uniformed member on or after July 1, 2009.

If you were appointed before that, you're most likely in Tier 2. Tier 2 has different rules, so the numbers on this page won't match your pension: use the Tier 2 calculator.

When can I retire, and how much do I get?

Once you have 20 years on the job, you can retire and collect 50% of your final average salary for the rest of your life. That comes from S4727, signed into law as Chapter 692 of the Laws of 2025.

The 50% doesn't go up if you stay longer. (A bill in Albany, S5058A, would add 1/40th of your final average salary for each year past 20. It hasn't passed. See Bills in Albany.) Staying can still raise your pension in three ways: your final average salary is usually higher, your pension can grow with inflation (escalation), and you bank extra VSF payments.

FDNY members must retire by age 62.

What is an equated date?

It’s the date the Pension Fund counts your service from, and for some members it’s earlier than their appointment date. You can buy up to 3 years of military service once you have 5 years in (Chapter 548 of the Laws of 2000). Uniformed service right before the FDNY, like EMS, police or Correction, can count too, and it can be much longer than 3 years. And if you were legally entitled to be hired earlier than you were, you may have been given an earlier date. Any of these gives you an earlier equated date, which moves your 20-year date, the 23-year date for full escalation, the banked variable and the 25-year longevity bonus.

Appointed in May 2012 with 3 years of military bought back? Your equated date is May 2009, so you hit 20 years in May 2029, at 17 years on the job.

On the personal numbers page, check “Do you have a different equated date?” in step 1 and enter your equated date. Your pay still counts from your appointment. Confirm your equated date with the Pension Fund.

What is my final average salary?

It's the average of your best 3 calendar years in a row, overtime included.

There's one limit: a year only counts up to 10% more than the average of the 2 years before it. Anything above that is cut.

Example: you made $100,000 and then $110,000. Their average is $105,000, so the next year counts only up to $115,500. If you made $130,000 that year, $14,500 of it doesn't count.

Does longevity pay count?

Yes, but only up to a set level:

  • 20 to just under 25 years: your pension counts the 10-year longevity amount.
  • 25 years or more: it counts the 20-year longevity amount.

So if you retire with, say, 22 years while getting 20-year longevity, the extra above the 10-year amount doesn’t count toward your pension.

The calculators use your full pay from your W-2, so between 20 and 25 years their numbers can run a little high. Your Fund estimate will show the exact figure.

I was out on LODI. Does that pay count?

Yes. Pay while you're out on a line-of-duty injury counts toward your pension: payroll takes your pension contribution out of it like any other pay. You don't earn overtime or night differential while you're out, though, so a long LODI can still lower that year.

But LODI pay is tax-free, so it's left out of box 5 (Medicare wages) on your W-2, and out of the NYCAPS Tax Summary the calculators import. The easiest fix: on the personal numbers page, choose Upload your W-2s in step 2, and the page reads LODI from box 14 for you. If you type in your years instead, find LODI in box 14 of each year's W-2 and add it to that year's amount.

The opposite goes for one-time bonuses, like the 2023 healthcare worker bonus (HWB in box 14): it's in box 5 but doesn't count toward your pension. Upload your W-2s and the page takes it out for you; if you type in your years, subtract it from that year.

This works with imported numbers too; you don't need to start over. Your Fund estimate will show the exact figure.

I was on unpaid leave (LWOP). Does that time count?

No. Time on leave without pay, like the LWOP during the 2021–22 COVID vaccine mandate, doesn't count as service. If you were out 3 months, you reach 20, 23 and 25 years 3 months later than your appointment date says.

The calculators count from your appointment date and don't know about the leave, so move the slider ahead by the time you were out.

It won't drag down your salary average, though. If unpaid leave falls in the years your pension is figured on, up to 12 months of it is left out and the same stretch just before those years is used instead. The calculators don't make this swap.

Confirm your service dates with the Pension Fund.

Does my pension go up after I retire?

It depends on how many years you have when you retire:

  • 23 years or more: full escalation. Your whole pension goes up with inflation every year, up to 3% a year. If inflation runs higher than 3% in a year, the extra is saved and added in a later year when inflation is lower. The calculators assume the same inflation every year, so they don't show this.
  • Between 20 and 23 years: partial escalation. You get 1/36 of full escalation for each month past 20 years.
  • 20 years: no escalation. You only get a small COLA: half of inflation (between 1% and 3%) on the first $18,000 of your pension, about $270 a year when inflation is 3%. It starts at age 62 once you've been retired 5 years, or at 55 once you've been retired 10 years.

This changed in the 2026 state budget, signed May 27, 2026. Before that, full escalation took 25 years. Another bill (S9203) would move it to 20 years; it hasn't passed. See Bills in Albany.

Why do 23 and 25 years matter?

23 years gets you full escalation. Your pension grows every year and each raise builds on the last.

Example: a $90,000 pension that grows 3% a year is about $162,500 after 20 years. Without escalation, the same pension stays close to $90,000.

25 years starts the longevity bonus, which raises the salary your pension is figured on.

What is the longevity bonus?

If you retire with 25 years or more, part of your rank's top pay is added to your final average salary: 5% at 25 years, plus 1% for each year after, up to 15% at 35. It became law in the 2026 state budget, signed May 27, 2026, and it applies to any uniformed rank.

Example: a firefighter retiring at 28 years gets 8% of the top firefighter pay ($109,352), which is $8,748. That's added to their final average salary, so their pension goes up about $4,374 a year.

It doesn't apply to a 3/4s disability pension in these calculators.

What are the VSF and the banked variable?

The VSF (Variable Supplements Fund) pays $12,000 a year to members who retire for service with 20 or more years. It's paid around December 15 for UFA members and around January 31 for UFOA members.

The banked variable: for each full year you work past 20, one $12,000 payment is banked. You get it as a lump sum when you retire. For example, 5 extra years means $60,000.

Until you turn 62, any COLA you get is taken out of your VSF.

What happens to my pension at 62?

At 62, your pension goes down by half of your Social Security benefit. This is called the Social Security offset. Only your earnings from public service in New York count toward it.

Example: if your Social Security is $2,400 a month, your pension drops by $1,200 a month at 62.

Social Security itself is paid separately, by the federal government.

What if I'm hurt on the job? (3/4s)

An accident disability retirement (a "three-quarters") pays 75% of your final average salary, at any length of service, and it's generally not taxed.

  • No escalation, VSF or banked variable.
  • No Social Security offset at 62.
  • After 5 years retired, at any age, you get the COLA on the first $18,000.
  • You keep health insurance no matter how many years you have.

It must be approved by the Pension Fund's Medical Board and Board of Trustees.

Does Tier 3 have the “death gamble”?

No. In Tier 2, if you die on the job with 20 or more years (not line of duty), your family gets the reserve for your pension: the lump sum it would take to pay it for the rest of your life. That's the "death gamble." The Fund's Tier 3 plan description has no such benefit.

In Tier 3, if you die before you retire (not line of duty), your beneficiary gets the ordinary death benefit at any length of service: 3 times your last 12 months' pay (rounded up to the next $1,000), plus your contributions back with interest. It doesn't change at 20 years, so staying on the job longer doesn't add protection for your family the way it does in Tier 2.

  • After you retire: what your family gets depends on the option you pick when you retire. With the maximum pension (no option), payments stop when you die. Options lower your pension to leave something to a beneficiary.
  • Line of duty: a separate benefit: a pension for your spouse of 50% of your final average salary, plus a state benefit that brings the total, with Social Security, up to your last year's pay.
  • Life insurance: $8,500, tax-free, from the Fire Department Life Insurance Fund while you're active; $7,500 after you retire.

This is from the Fund's Tier 3 plan description, revised December 2019. A later law could change it, so check with the Fund.

Do I pay taxes on my pension?

A service pension is subject to federal income tax but not New York State or New York City income tax.

An accident disability (3/4s) pension is generally not taxed. If you move out of state, check that state's rules or ask a tax professional.

Do I keep my health insurance?

Health benefits come with collecting a pension, and they're only available while you're actually collecting one. Accident disability retirees get health insurance regardless of years of service.

For details, call Employee Health Benefits at the NYC Office of Labor Relations: 212-306-7390.

Where do I get my official numbers?

From the NYC Fire Pension Fund: 929-436-0099. This site is an unofficial planning tool. It isn't affiliated with the FDNY or the Pension Fund, and your actual numbers may vary. Confirm with the Fund before you make retirement decisions.

Is anything I type saved or sent anywhere?

Your numbers are saved only on your own phone or computer, so they're still there next time. To erase them, tap "Clear my numbers" at the bottom of the personal numbers page. It clears both the Tier 2 and Tier 3 calculators.

The fine print: how the calculators work

Pension: 50% of final average salary at 20+ years of service, under S4727 (Chapter 692 of the Laws of 2025, signed Dec. 19, 2025). Tier 3 is capped at 50%.

Equated date: if you bought back military time, have prior uniformed service that counts, or were given an earlier date because you were entitled to be hired sooner, the personal numbers page counts years of service from the equated date you enter, which moves the 20-year date, escalation at 23 years, the banked variable and the longevity bonus. Earnings still count from your appointment date. The quick calculator's years are years of service, so count bought-back time there. Source: the Fund’s Tier 3 Summary Plan Description (Dec. 2019).

Final average salary: the highest average of 3 consecutive calendar years. Any year more than 10% above the average of the 2 years before it counts only up to that line. The personal numbers page uses full calendar years before the year you retire. Unpaid leave (for example, a suspension) inside the period is swapped for earlier time; the calculator doesn't model that.

Longevity: with 20 to under 25 years, the pension counts longevity pay only at the 10-year level; at 25 or more years, at the 20-year level (the Fund’s Tier 3 Summary Plan Description). The calculators don’t adjust for this yet; they use full W-2 pay, so results between 20 and 25 years can be a little high.

Your earnings: imported numbers come from the Medicare Wages column of your NYCAPS Tax Summary: all taxable pay, overtime included, without the Social Security cap. That's close to what the Pension Fund counts, with two exceptions: it leaves out pay while on LODI (tax-free, but pensionable: payroll takes the pension contribution from it, and box 14 of the W-2 shows it as LODI), and it includes one-time bonuses the Fund doesn't count, such as the 2023 healthcare worker bonus (HWB). The personal numbers page fixes both: upload your W-2s and it reads box 5 and box 14 for you (the PDF or picture is read on your device; box 5 is found by checking it against the Medicare tax in box 6), or, if you type in your years, add LODI and subtract one-time bonuses yourself. Uniform allowance is in neither. Future years repeat your last known year unless you choose a yearly raise.

Escalation: the lesser of inflation or 3%, applied to the whole pension each year and compounding. Full escalation requires retiring at 23 years or more (FY2027 state budget, signed May 27, 2026: S9008-C/A10008-C, Part ZZ, amending Retirement and Social Security Law § 510; before that it was 25). The rate is cut by 1/36 for each month short of 23 years, so 20 years gets none. The calculators assume payments start when you retire.

COLA: without full escalation, the pension gets the greater of escalation or the COLA: half of inflation (1% to 3%) on the first $18,000 only, starting at age 62 after 5 years retired, or age 55 after 10 years retired. The COLA reduces the VSF until 62.

VSF and banked variable: service retirees with 20+ years get the VSF, $12,000 a year. Each year worked past 20 banks one VSF payment, paid as a lump sum at retirement.

Social Security offset: at 62 the pension drops by 50% of your primary Social Security benefit.

3/4s disability: 75% of final average salary with no minimum service, generally not taxable, with no escalation, VSF, banked variable, longevity bonus or Social Security offset. The COLA starts after 5 years retired, regardless of age. Source: the Fire Pension Fund's Tier 3 Enhanced Summary Plan Description.

Longevity bonus: at 25+ years of service, part of the top base pay for your rank is added to final average salary: 5% at 25 years plus 1% for each year after, up to 15% at 35 (FY2027 state budget, signed May 27, 2026; S9008-C/A10008-C, Part AAA, adding Administrative Code § 15-110.1; originally S9202/A10392). It is added straight to final average salary, as the bill's fiscal note does for Tier 3. Rank pay is the top-step annual base salary from the UFA schedule effective Aug. 1, 2024 (firefighter) and the UFOA schedule effective July 31, 2025 (lieutenant, captain, battalion chief), with no longevity, night differential or overtime. The law says "highest grade of pay" without defining it, so the figure used could end up higher than base salary.

Proposed bills: S9203/A10254 would move full escalation to 20 years. S5058A would add 1/40th of final average salary for each year of service past 20 (the calculators figure it on your final average salary without the longevity bonus, prorated by month; the Fund's actuary read "final salary" as the last 12 months). You can switch either on to see what it would mean "if it passes".

Taxes: the “Don’t forget about taxes” box is a rough 2026 federal figure on the first-year pension plus VSF, for a married couple filing jointly with no other income (single shown as a percent). It leaves out the banked variable lump sum and isn’t tax advice.

Not included: retirement options that reduce the pension for a survivor, ordinary (non-line-of-duty) disability, and Tier 2 rules.

Your personal numbers

Your real earnings, your real numbers.

Quick calculator

Your monthly pension in seconds.
HomeBills in Albany

Bills in Albany

Changes to Tier 3 pensions that are being proposed, voted on, or recently passed. A bill becomes law only after the Senate and the Assembly pass it and the governor signs it.

Status last checked Oct. 4, 2026.

Being considered

Signed into law

Unofficial summaries. Read the full bills on nysenate.gov, and confirm anything that affects your retirement with the Pension Fund.

HomeQuick calculator

Quick calculator

Enter your final average salary and your years on the job. That's it.

$
The average of your best 3 years in a row, overtime included. Not sure? A guess is fine, or use the personal numbers page.
HomeYour personal numbers

Your personal numbers

Use your real earnings to see what you'll collect, when, and how it grows. Your numbers stay on this device.

1

About you

Date of birth
Appointment date
Current rank Your rank at retirement starts out the same. Change it if you expect a promotion.
2

Your earnings

Your final average salary comes from what you earn each year. Pick one way to give us your numbers.

Type what you earned in each year below. Your W-2 (box 5, Medicare wages) is a good place to look. If you were out on LODI, that pay isn’t in box 5, so add it to that year’s amount. You’ll find it as LODI in box 14 of your W-2.
YearEarningsCounts
3

Your retirement

$/month
$2,400 is only an example. Put in yours from ssa.gov/myaccount. Half of this comes off your pension at 62.
More options
%
Used for escalation and the COLA. 3% is a common assumption.

Compare 20, 23 and 25 years

Retiring later means fewer years collecting, so the total through 85 can come out lower even when each check is bigger. It doesn’t count the pay you earn while you keep working.

The power of escalation

Yearly pension plus VSF by age. Tap the chart to compare. The dip at 62 is the Social Security offset.