Guaranteed income payment calculator: AFCS GIP and survivors' GIP
Last updated · By Mustafa Bilgic · Rules from the Armed Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation Scheme) Order 2011 and JSP 765, the Ministry of Defence statement of policy
This page explains the four GIP bands, the age factors, how two injuries from one incident change the band, which pensions reduce the payment, and the survivors' GIP and child payments after a death caused by service. The calculator works out the payment from your salary, age and tariff level, and reproduces the Ministry of Defence's own worked examples.
GIP bands
The band depends on the tariff level of your most serious injury, which reflects how much the injury is expected to affect your future earnings:
| Band | Tariff levels | Share of the base figure | What the band assumes |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1 to 4 | 100% | You are unlikely to be able to work again, so all future salary and pension income is replaced |
| B | 5 and 6 | 75% | You can work, but at a significantly reduced earning capacity |
| C | 7 and 8 | 50% | You can work, but your earning capacity is reduced by around half |
| D | 9 to 11 | 30% | You can work, but at a lower level of earnings |
| None | 12 to 15 | No GIP | Future civilian earning capacity is not affected |
AFCS guaranteed income payment calculator
GIP or survivors' GIP and child payments
Other pensions counted at 75% are an Armed Forces pension or Early Departure Payment not paid for the same injury, and for reservists a civilian pension for the same injury. Use gross amounts, before any lump sum.
How the GIP is worked out
Article 24 of the 2011 Order sets the yearly amount in two steps. First, the base figure is your relevant salary multiplied by the factor for your age in Schedule 4. Second, the GIP is the relevant percentage of that base figure: the band percentage above. JSP 765 explains that the calculation uses your age and basic salary at the time you leave service, with a set of assumptions, to estimate the salary and pension you are likely to lose over your lifetime because of the injury.
- Salary means basic pay at the rate for your substantive rank, or acting rank, and seniority. It does not include allowances or extra pay for particular qualifications, duties, location or conditions of service. Flexible service counts as if you had served full time.
- Age is your age at your last birthday on the day your service ends. If you claim after leaving, it is your age on the date of claim, and your salary on the day you left is increased for inflation to that date.
- Acting rank: if you held acting rank on the day of the incident, the higher of your salary on that day and your salary when service ends is used.
GIP age factors
The factor falls with age, from 1.205 at 16 to 0.705 at 55 and over. At 37 it is exactly 1.000, so the base figure equals the salary.
| Age | GIP factor | Age | GIP factor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 1.205 | 37 | 1.000 |
| 17 | 1.202 | 38 | 0.986 |
| 18 | 1.199 | 39 | 0.972 |
| 19 | 1.196 | 40 | 0.957 |
| 20 | 1.192 | 41 | 0.943 |
| 21 | 1.189 | 42 | 0.928 |
| 22 | 1.185 | 43 | 0.913 |
| 23 | 1.182 | 44 | 0.897 |
| 24 | 1.170 | 45 | 0.882 |
| 25 | 1.157 | 46 | 0.866 |
| 26 | 1.145 | 47 | 0.849 |
| 27 | 1.132 | 48 | 0.833 |
| 28 | 1.120 | 49 | 0.816 |
| 29 | 1.107 | 50 | 0.799 |
| 30 | 1.094 | 51 | 0.781 |
| 31 | 1.081 | 52 | 0.763 |
| 32 | 1.068 | 53 | 0.744 |
| 33 | 1.055 | 54 | 0.724 |
| 34 | 1.041 | 55 | 0.705 |
| 35 | 1.028 | Over 55 | 0.705 |
| 36 | 1.014 |
Two or more injuries
Only one GIP is paid, however many injuries you have. If injuries come from separate incidents, the highest GIP awarded is paid. If more than one injury comes from the same incident, the band is set by the two injuries at the highest tariff levels: if both are in the same band, you move up to the band above (band A stays at 100%); if they are in different bands, the band of the more serious injury applies. JSP 765 gives the example of two injuries at tariff level 7, which bring a 75% GIP where a single level 7 injury brings 50%.
Pensions that reduce the GIP
Because the GIP replaces lost salary and pension, article 39 adjusts it for Armed Forces pension payments made for the same period:
- An Armed Forces Pension Scheme ill-health pension, or an Early Departure Payment, paid for the same injury as the GIP is deducted in full.
- An Armed Forces pension or Early Departure Payment not paid for that injury is deducted at 75%. JSP 765 explains that such payments are taxable, so the 75% deduction means the GIP is enhanced by 25% of the taxable income.
- The gross pension is used, before any part is exchanged for a lump sum.
For reservists, the salary includes the reservist's award they are entitled to on the day they leave, and a civilian occupational or personal pension paid for the same injury is also deducted at 75%.
When it is paid and how it rises
The GIP is not payable until the day after your service ends. For a medical discharge, JSP 765 says the date of claim is treated as the day after discharge, although the first payment can take time because your Armed Forces pension has to be worked out first. If you claim after leaving, the GIP is payable from the date of claim. The GIP is tax free and paid for life. It is increased every April in line with the Consumer Prices Index for the previous September. A GIP of 50% or more also makes you eligible for the Armed Forces Independence Payment.
Survivors' GIP and child payments
If a service person or veteran dies because of service, an eligible partner gets a survivors' GIP of 60% of the base figure, worked out from the salary on the date of death, or for a former member the salary on leaving increased for inflation, and the age at death. It is paid monthly for life, and unlike the injured person's GIP it is taxable. A surviving adult dependant must have been in an exclusive relationship with the deceased, financially dependent or interdependent, and not prevented from marrying or forming a civil partnership. GOV.UK says these benefits are usually paid only where death occurred in service or within 7 years of service ending.
Each eligible child gets a child payment worked out from the same base figure:
- With a surviving partner: 15% each for the first two children and 10% for the third; with more than three children, 40% of the base figure shared equally.
- Without a surviving partner: 25% each for up to four children; with more than four, the whole base figure shared equally.
An eligible child is a child of the deceased, an adopted child or another child who was financially dependent on them and under 18 at the time of death, or under 23 and in full-time education or vocational training. Survivors' GIP and child payments are reduced by 75% of any Armed Forces pension paid to the same person.
Worked examples
| Example | Figures | Paid by the AFCS a year |
|---|---|---|
| Annex A, example 1 | Aged 23, salary £20,000, tariff level 8 (band C). Base figure £20,000 x 1.182 = £23,640; GIP 50% = £11,820; less an AFPS ill-health pension of £3,619 for the same injury | £8,201 |
| Annex A, example 2 | Aged 36, salary £35,000, tariff level 5 (band B). Base figure £35,490; GIP 75% = £26,617.50 (JSP £26,618); less an AFPS ill-health pension of £13,750 | £12,867.50 (JSP £12,868) |
| Annex A, example 3 | Reservist aged 25, salary with reservist award £27,000, tariff level 8. Base figure £31,239; GIP 50% = £15,619.50; less 75% of a £4,500 occupational pension (£3,375) | £12,244.50 (JSP £12,245) |
| Annex A, example 4 | Reservist aged 37, salary with award £42,000, tariff level 6. Base figure £42,000; GIP 75% = £31,500; less 75% of a £25,500 civilian pension (£19,125) | £12,375 |
| Annex B, example 1 | Married service person aged 24, salary £21,441, died because of service. Survivors' GIP £21,441 x 1.170 x 0.6 = £15,051.58; less 75% of a £4,178 AFPS pension | £11,918.08 (JSP £11,918) |
| Annex B, example 2 | Aged 31, salary £32,000, three children. Survivors' GIP £20,755.20 less 75% of £12,500; child payments 15%, 15% and 10% of £34,592, each less 75% of a £571 AFPS pension | Partner £11,380.20; children £4,760.55, £4,760.55 and £3,030.95 |
The calculator gives the same figures to the penny, and to the pound where JSP 765 rounds.
Claiming and other schemes
The AFCS covers injury, illness or death caused by service on or after 6 April 2005; the lump sum for each tariff level is on our AFCS tariff table. For injuries caused by service before 6 April 2005, veterans claim under the War Pension Scheme instead, which pays a pension by percentage of disablement (see our War Pension rates). The AFCS does not affect your right to make a civil claim if you think your injury was caused by negligence.
Sources and methodology
The calculator applies articles 24, 34, 36 and 39 of the 2011 Order and the Schedule 4 factors, keeps pence, and treats ages over 55 as 55. It reproduces all six JSP 765 worked examples. It does not work out inflation increases for a late claim, acting rank, additional GIP awards or the Armed Forces Independence Payment.
- Armed Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation Scheme) Order 2011, articles 4, 16, 24, 34, 36, 39, 72 and 73, Schedule 2 and Schedule 4, on legislation.gov.uk.
- JSP 765: Armed Forces Compensation Scheme Statement of Policy, Ministry of Defence, chapter 3 and Annexes A to C, on GOV.UK.
- Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) and Support after the death of a service person or veteran, Veterans UK on GOV.UK.
Frequently asked questions
What is a guaranteed income payment?
A guaranteed income payment (GIP) is a tax free, index-linked monthly payment from the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, paid for life on top of the lump sum when a service-caused injury is at tariff levels 1 to 11. It starts the day after service ends.
How is the AFCS GIP calculated?
Your basic salary when service ends is multiplied by the factor for your age at your last birthday to give the base figure. You get 100% of it for tariff levels 1 to 4, 75% for levels 5 and 6, 50% for levels 7 and 8 and 30% for levels 9 to 11. For example, aged 23 with a salary of £20,000 and a level 8 injury: £20,000 x 1.182 = £23,640, and 50% of that is £11,820 a year.
What are the AFCS GIP bands?
Band A (tariff levels 1 to 4) pays 100% of the base figure, band B (levels 5 and 6) 75%, band C (levels 7 and 8) 50% and band D (levels 9 to 11) 30%. Levels 12 to 15 bring no GIP. Two injuries in the same band from one incident move you up a band.
Does my Armed Forces pension reduce the GIP?
Yes. An ill-health pension or Early Departure Payment paid for the same injury is deducted in full. Other Armed Forces pensions and payments are deducted at 75%. The gross pension is used, before any lump sum.
What is the survivors' guaranteed income payment?
If death is caused by service, an eligible partner gets 60% of the base figure worked out from the deceased's salary and age at death. It is paid monthly for life, is taxable and rises each year with the Consumer Prices Index.
Is the GIP taxable?
No. The injured person's GIP is tax free. Survivors' GIP and child payments are taxable.