Petition · past parliament

Make the uk armed forces pensions tax free.

Closed 18,676 signatures

What the petition asks

The current U.K. Armed forces pensions, is taxable, other services are non taxable, this should be addressed and made fair across the public sector.

Government response · 5 November 2018

All pensions in payment are taxed as income at the relevant rate, including the Armed Forces Pension Scheme and other public sector pension schemes.

The Armed Forces Pension Scheme is a defined benefit public service pension scheme. The Armed Forces Pension Scheme is non-contributory, meaning members pay no pension contributions, with the costs of the scheme met through employer contributions paid by the Ministry of Defence.

The Government wishes to encourage pension saving, to help ensure that people have an income, or funds on which they can draw, throughout retirement. This is why, for the majority of savers, pension contributions are tax-free. Furthermore, investment growth of assets in a pension scheme is not subject to tax. When an individual takes his or her pension, up to 25% of the pension benefits can be taken tax-free. After this, payments of pensions are subject to income tax at the relevant rate, to reflect the fact that these are a form of deferred income and have not been previously taxed. It would therefore be unfair to give pensions a beneficial and tax-free status above all other forms of taxable income.

HM Treasury

Timeline

19 Apr 2018 Petition opened for signatures
12 Oct 2018 Passed 10,000 signatures, requiring a government response
19 Oct 2018 Closed to new signatures
5 Nov 2018 Government responded

Key facts

Signatures 18,676
Status Closed
Opened 19 Apr 2018
Closed 19 Oct 2018
Response 5 Nov 2018

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.