Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body: Fiftieth Report 2021 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The 2021 Report by the Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body (AFPRB) has been published. The Government values the independent expertise and insight of the AFPRB and takes on board the useful advice and principles set out in response to the Government’s evidence outlined in the report.
The Government accepts the AFPRB’s recommendations on accommodation charges and recruitment and retention payments in full, but does not agree with the AFPRB that the low earner salary calculation, for those earning below £24,000, excludes X-Factor. Instead, the Government will implement a £250 pay uplift for all regular and full-time reserve Service Personnel earning less than the equivalent of £24,000 per year inclusive of X-Factor, which is a component of the overall military salary. Part-time volunteer reserves will receive a pro rata uplift in line with any rise given to their full-time Regular equivalent.
All other rates of pay, allowance, RRP, and reservist bounty remain unchanged.
All pay rises will be implemented in November 2021 salaries, and be backdated to 1 April 2021. All increases to accommodation charges will also be implemented from 1 November 2021 but not backdated. The recommended change in RRP(Diving) entitlement for the Army will be implemented from 1 October 2022.
The AFPRB have recommended the following:
- a £250 uplift for all members of the Armed Forces earning less than £24,000, where X-Factor is excluded from this salary calculation, backdated to 1 April 2021;
- an increase in SFA accommodation charges of 1.7% in line with the increase in the actual rents for housing component of CPI, not to be backdated;
- tiered increases in SLA accommodation charges ranging from no increase for Grade 4 to 1.7% for Grade 1, again not to be backdated; and
- for the Army only, RRP(Diving) be paid in future on a Non-Continuous Basis instead of a Career Continuous Basis.