Updated October 8, 2026. Quick answer: The Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension Fund covers City police officers and firefighters hired before October 1, 2017; it is closed to newer hires. A member can retire after 20 years of service at any age, with a minimum of 60% of average salary, and the normal form is a 75% joint and survivor option. Members in DROP choose a lump sum, rollover, partial lump sum or monthly payout. Leaving with 5 years of service allows a vested pension or a 100% refund of contributions without interest, and 20% federal withholding applies to a taxable refund unless it is rolled over.
Who this page covers
This page works from two documents: the Fund’s own Summary Plan Description for 2025 and the Summary of Plan Provisions inside the Fund’s revised actuarial valuation as of October 1, 2025, dated May 14, 2026. Both describe the Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension Fund (PFPF). It is a different plan from the one on Jacksonville General Employees pension decisions.
The covered group is police officers and firefighters of the City. The Summary Plan Description says “Participation in the Plan is mandatory for all classified and certified Police Officers and Firefighters of the City of Jacksonville hired before October 1, 2017”. It also says “The Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension Fund is closed to new entrants”, and the valuation lists the same cutoff. So the figures below apply to the one membership group the documents describe, members who entered before that date, and not to any later hire.
A caution from the Fund itself: “Please be advised that this document does not constitute a contract or promise of benefits”. Where a figure matters to a real decision, the Pension Office is the place to confirm it. State tax questions are on Florida retirement taxes and does Florida tax pensions.
When a pension can start and what it pays
There is no age test. The Summary Plan Description says “There is no fixed or mandatory retirement age for the Plan”. It then says “Members of the Plan may retire after twenty (20) years of credited service, regardless of age”, with a “minimum benefit of sixty percent (60%) of the average salary received for the 52 pay periods (two years) preceding retirement”.
The valuation states the formula as a percentage per year: “3.0% for each year of Credited Service for the first 20 years of service”, and “2.0% for each year of Credited Service for years in excess of 20 years of service”. On the cap it says “The maximum benefit is 80% of AFC”. The base is a two-year average: “The average of Compensation shall be the final two years of Credited Service immediately preceding the time of retirement”.
A computed example from an assumed $6,000 monthly average final compensation, not a PFPF figure: 3% for each of 20 years is 60%, and 60% of $6,000 is a computed $3,600 a month. With 25 years, the formula is 3% for 20 years plus 2% for 5 years, which is 70%, and 70% of $6,000 is a computed $4,200 a month. The actual figure depends on the member’s own average final compensation as the Fund defines it.
To start, “Contact the Pension Office to set up an appointment to come in and complete your retirement application and supporting documents”.
The election: the normal form and who it protects
The documents read describe one normal form of benefit for a time service retirement, vested termination or disability retirement: “75% Joint and Survivor option”. They do not describe a menu of reduced options, a single-life choice or a percentage reduction for a spouse. For the general trade-off in a survivor election see single-life versus joint-and-survivor pension.
| Choice | What it pays | What a survivor receives |
|---|---|---|
| Time service retirement (20 years of service) | A monthly pension of at least 60% of average salary, up to a maximum of 80%; the normal form is a 75% joint and survivor option | 75% of the amount the pensioner was drawing, for life, to a legal spouse living with the pensioner at death |
| DROP (deferred retirement option) | The monthly pension is calculated on credited service and average final compensation frozen at entry; the DROP balance is paid as a lump sum, direct rollover, partial lump sum with rollover, or monthly distribution | The accumulated value of the DROP account |
| Vested termination (5 years of service) | A deferred pension that starts when the member would have reached 20 years of service | Survivor benefits begin only after the first pension check is drawn |
| Refund | A 100% refund of the member’s own contributions, without interest | Not applicable after a refund |
The survivor benefit has conditions. The Summary Plan Description says “The surviving spouse of a retired member will receive benefits equivalent to seventy-five percent (75%) of the amount the pensioner was drawing, if she or he is the legal spouse and was living with the pensioner at the time of death”. It states that “a former spouse cannot be a surviving spouse for purpose of the Plan”, and that “If a pensioner marries after retirement, the new spouse will be entitled to surviving spouse benefits from the Plan”. The payment is lifelong: “The benefits that are payable to the surviving spouse are payable for life upon the death of the member”.
What cannot be changed, and who cannot be named
On naming a beneficiary, the Summary Plan Description says: “Members are not permitted to designate a beneficiary for the receipt of pension benefits or the refund of pension contributions”. A benefit is payable to a spouse or to eligible children, and “In the absence of an eligible spouse or child, member contributions or a DROP balance may be payable to the member’s estate”.
The pages read do not describe a spousal consent form or a waiver of the survivor benefit, and they do not say whether the 75% survivor benefit can be changed to another percentage at retirement. The general rules for waivers are on survivor benefit with a government pension; confirm any PFPF specifics with the Pension Office.
A computed survivor example
A computed example from an assumed $3,600 monthly pension, not a PFPF figure: a surviving legal spouse living with the pensioner at death receives 75% of the amount the pensioner was drawing. 75% of $3,600 is a computed $2,700 a month, payable for life. The Summary Plan Description also allows an increase for children: “The amount paid to the surviving spouse may be increased by two hundred ($200.00) dollars a month for each unmarried child under eighteen years of age”. With one unmarried child under 18, the arithmetic would be a computed $2,900 a month before the cap. The cap reads: “the total benefit of the survivors (surviving spouse and minor children) cannot exceed 100% of the benefit the employee would have received had he or she retired on a time service pension”. The $200 is a PFPF figure; the $3,600 is invented.
If a member dies before retiring
For an active member, the Summary Plan Description says “The surviving spouse of an active employee, with less than twenty (20) years of service, will receive benefits equivalent to seventy-five percent (75%) of the amount the employee would have received had he or she retired with 20 years of service”. If the member had no spouse or eligible child, “100% of the member’s contributions to the Plan (without interest) shall be paid to the estate of such deceased employee”. “Survivors are entitled to receive the accumulated value of a DROP account if the member participated in DROP”.
DROP: how it works
“The Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP), effective January 9, 1999, is a Program that provides an alternative method for the payment of retirement benefits for eligible members of the Police and Fire Pension Fund”.
The valuation states the mechanics: “The member’s Credited Service and AFC are frozen upon entry into the DROP”. The Summary Plan Description adds that “For all non-pension benefits, you will continue to be treated as an active Police Officer or Firefighter”.
The time in DROP is limited by service at the election. The valuation sets the maximum by years of credited service at election: “20 but less than 30 years” allows up to 130 biweekly pay periods, or 60 months; “30 but less than 31 years” allows up to 78 biweekly pay periods, or 36 months; and “31 but less than 32 years” allows up to 52 biweekly pay periods, or 24 months. The pages read do not state the limit at 32 or more years of service.
While in DROP, the member’s own contribution changes. The valuation lists “10% of Compensation; 2% of Compensation for members in the DROP”. It also states the interest rate on the account: “An annual rate of return of 8.40%”. The Summary Plan Description gives no rate, so confirm with the Fund what applies to a particular account. On the annual bonus paid to retirees, it says “This is not a vested benefit nor is it payable to members while in the DROP”.
The DROP payout: lump sum, rollover or monthly
The valuation lists the forms in which DROP is paid: “Lump Sum, Direct Rollover, Partial Lump Sum with a Direct Rollover, or Monthly Distribution of the remaining balance”. The pages read do not give a deadline for choosing among them, or say whether a choice can be changed once made. The general rule for lump sums and rollovers is on 20% withholding on a pension lump sum.
On tax, the Summary Plan Description warns: “Members who participate in the DROP may have special tax issues when they begin to receive a payout of their accumulated DROP balance upon termination of employment”. It advises members to seek tax advice on DROP distributions.
Leaving before retirement: vest, or take a refund
An active member cannot take the money early. “Once you become a member of the Plan you cannot withdraw any funds nor end participation except in the event of retirement, termination of employment, disability or death, unless you make a willful misstatement or fail to state a material fact relating to your medical history, whereupon your membership in the Plan will be terminated and your contributions will be returned to you, without interest”.
What happens on leaving depends on service: “pension rights of members become vested upon the completion of five (5) years of service”. A member who has vested has two paths: “you may either vest your benefits for a deferred retirement benefit or relinquish your rights to a future pension benefit whereupon you would alternatively receive a 100% refund of your contributions to the Plan, without interest”. The refund is limited, since the Summary Plan Description says the amount “would not include any matching employer contributions” that the City may have made.
There is a clock. “If you do not apply for a vested benefit within thirty (30) days of leaving employment, you will automatically receive a refund of your contributions and you will lose the option to select a deferred retirement benefit”. Forms come from the Pension Office.
A member who has less than 5 years of service has no vesting choice: “your contributions shall be returned to you within thirty (30) days after your termination of employment and membership in the Plan, without interest”. More on the general question is on pension refund versus leaving it.
What a vested pension looks like
For a vested member, the Summary Plan Description says “You would be eligible to draw your pension benefits at the time you otherwise would be eligible for twenty (20) year retirement had you continued employment”. The valuation says the benefit is “the member’s accrued Time Service Retirement Benefit”. The Summary Plan Description words the calculation differently, so the exact vested formula is one to confirm with the Pension Office.
The vested path has a gap in protection: “No refund of contributions nor survivor’s benefits are payable if death should occur between the date of vesting and the time you draw your first pension check”. The valuation adds a consequence of taking a refund: “No service is credited for any periods of employment for which the member received a refund of their contributions”.
How a refund is taxed and rolled over
The Summary Plan Description says that “employee contributions paid into the Fund on and after January 1, 1988 are subject to Federal income tax and will have an automatic 20% withheld for tax purposes when such contributions are refunded to the member”. It continues: “that 20% withholding may be avoided by requesting a tax deferred direct rollover to either an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) or another qualified retirement plan that accepts rollovers”. Contributions before 1988 are treated differently: “Contributions made on and prior to December 31, 1987 have already been taxed and therefore the full amount of such contributions will be refunded to members without the requirement to assess federal income tax withholding”. Of those pre-1988 refunds, it adds that “they are not eligible for a rollover”.
A computed example from an assumed $10,000 taxable refund paid to the member, not a PFPF figure: 20% of $10,000 is a computed $2,000 withheld for federal tax, leaving a computed $8,000 in cash. A direct rollover avoids the withholding. The final tax can be more or less than the withholding. See 20% withholding on a pension lump sum.
The Fund’s own advice: “Members receiving a refund of contributions are strongly encouraged to seek the advice of a competent CPA or other tax professional”.
Buying service credit
Two kinds of purchase are described. For prior police or firefighter service in Florida: “Members may purchase up to five (5) years of full time employment of a municipality within the State of Florida”. “Members qualifying for the purchase of such service must purchase the time prior to retirement and are required to pay 20% of their current pension eligible pay into the Fund”.
For military time: “Members may purchase up to twenty-four (24) months of wartime active military service for use as credited pension service by applying on forms available in the Pension Office”. The Summary Plan Description lists the wartime periods that qualify, and the valuation describes the cap as up to 2 years of wartime military service.
The pages read do not state whether the 20% is applied once or per year of purchased time, or how the cost compares with the benefit gained, so a written cost statement from the Fund is the real input.
Cost-of-living adjustment, supplement and other rules
The pension grows after retirement. “Beginning with the COLA granted in April 2000, the recipient is to be granted an annual COLA in the fixed rate of 3%”. The valuation states the timing: “Each retiree and beneficiary will receive a 3.0% increase in benefits on each first bi-weekly pay period in January”. The Summary Plan Description also describes a supplement: “A minimum supplement of $5.00 per month for each year of credited service will be provided for retirees or their survivors. The supplement may not be less than $25.00 per month nor more than $150.00 per month.”
State tax questions are on Florida retirement taxes and does Florida tax pensions, and the state’s main plan is on Florida Retirement System decisions.
What the IRS adds on tax
A refund or lump sum from a public pension is a distribution, so the IRS rules apply on top of PFPF’s own. On withholding, the IRS says that a taxable eligible rollover distribution paid to you “is subject to mandatory income tax withholding (generally at a rate of 20%), even if you intend to roll it over later”, and that if you roll it over yourself “you’ll have to add funds from other sources equal to the amount withheld”. The Fund’s own description of refunds and rollovers follows the same basis, including the 20% federal withholding and the direct rollover exception. The rollover clock, if the money is paid to you: “you have 60 days from the date you receive it to roll it over to another eligible retirement plan”.
On early distributions the IRS says “the law imposes a 10% additional tax on certain early distributions from certain retirement plans”. Its list of exceptions includes “Distributions made to you after you separated from service with your employer after attainment of age 55” and “Distributions made to a qualified public safety employee from a governmental plan” if the employee separated from service during or after the year they attained age 50 or 25 years of service under the plan, whichever is earlier. Whether an exception fits a particular refund depends on your own plan and facts, so confirm it with a tax preparer before you take one.
What this page could not settle
- The documents read do not describe any optional form of benefit other than the 75% joint and survivor normal form, and do not say whether a spouse’s consent is needed to waive it.
- The pages read do not state the deadline for choosing a DROP payout form, or whether the choice can change after it is made.
- The pages read do not state the DROP rules for 32 or more years of service.
- The Summary Plan Description does not state the DROP interest rate; the valuation’s 8.40% was not checked against Ordinance Code Chapter 121, which governs the Plan but was not read in full.
- The pages read do not say how the 20% service purchase payment is applied or what a purchase would cost for a given member.
- Eligibility for retiree health insurance is not described in the documents read.
Common mistakes
- Treating the 75% survivor benefit as a choice to be made later; the documents describe it as the normal form, paid to a legal spouse living with the pensioner at death.
- Missing the 30 days after leaving the payroll; without an application for a vested benefit, a refund is issued automatically and the deferred pension option is lost.
- Assuming a refund includes the City’s share; it returns the member’s own contributions without interest.
- Taking a taxable refund as cash and expecting the full amount; 20% is withheld unless a direct rollover is requested.
- Applying these figures to anyone hired on or after October 1, 2017; the documents describe the closed group of earlier entrants.
Related on this site: Florida retirement taxes, does Florida tax pensions, Jacksonville General Employees pension decisions, Florida Retirement System decisions, pension refund versus leaving it, single-life versus joint-and-survivor pension, survivor benefit with a government pension, 20% withholding on a pension lump sum and public pension retirement decisions by system.
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Answer againSources
- Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension Fund, Summary Plan Description (2025): https://www.jacksonville.gov/getContentAsset/51b6c6aa-1d97-432a-86d2-f624d886fd08/135b97c9-84fa-4e82-b956-0fbccec4aa1f/Summary-Plan-Description-2025.pdf?language=en
- Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension Fund, Revised Actuarial Valuation Report as of October 1, 2025, Summary of Plan Provisions (dated May 14, 2026): https://www.jacksonville.gov/getContentAsset/5bffdd89-ddbf-4544-81a2-a5a6e3d21578/135b97c9-84fa-4e82-b956-0fbccec4aa1f/Jacksonville-PFPF-Revised-10-1-2025-Actuarial-Valuation-Report-5-14-2026.pdf?language=en
- IRS, Topic no. 413, Rollovers from retirement plans (irs.gov): https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc413
- IRS, Topic no. 558, Additional tax on early distributions from retirement plans other than IRAs (irs.gov): https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc558
Sources: the primary documents linked above, read on October 8, 2026. General information from each system’s own published materials, not legal, tax or financial advice. Your own member statement and the system’s current rules decide your benefit, and a pension counsellor at the system or a fee-only adviser is the right place to confirm anything consequential.