What CSIBS is and how it differs from your pension
In shortCSIBS is a discretionary compensation scheme for civil servants injured or made ill by their work, paid alongside the pension, not inside it.
CSIBS is a compensation scheme for civil servants injured or made ill by their work. The rules were made on 22 July 2002 under section 1 of the Superannuation Act 1972, came into force on 1 October 2002 and have been amended in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2019.
Prison officers in HMPPS and the Scottish Prison Service are civil servants, and Part 1 of the rules applies to people serving in full-time or part-time employment in the Civil Service. It covers injury and disease, and the rules treat “injury” as including disease.
- Pension
- The Civil Service Pension Scheme pays your pension, including ill-health retirement if you qualify; our guide to ill-health retirement explains it.
- CSIBS annual allowance
- Tops up your pension and other benefits to a guaranteed minimum income.
- CSIBS lump sum
- Paid in addition, by impairment band.
Discretionary, and you may need both schemes
Benefits are paid at the Minister’s discretion, and the rules say nothing in them gives anyone an absolute right to them. Questions under the scheme are decided by the Minister, whose decision is final, subject to the review and appeal steps described below.
Because there are two schemes and two sets of tests, an officer injured at work often needs both.
You may qualify for ill-health retirement without a CSIBS award if the injury is not attributable to duty, or for CSIBS without ill-health retirement if your earning capacity is impaired but you are not permanently incapable of the work.
Who qualifies: the qualifying injury tests
In shortYou qualify through an injury in the course of duty, an attack outside duty linked to being a civil servant, or a disease from your duty, tested on attribution.
Under rule 1.3 you can qualify in three ways. “Duty” includes activities reasonably incidental to it.
- An injury in the course of official duty, provided it is wholly or mainly attributable to the nature of the duty
- An injury outside duty as a result of an attack or similar act that is directly attributable to your being employed in the Civil Service
- A disease to which you are exposed wholly or mainly by the nature of your duty
The attribution test depends on the date of injury
- Before 1 April 1997Directly attributable
The injury must be directly attributable to the nature of the duty.
- 1 April 1997 to 31 March 2003Solely attributable
It must be solely attributable.
- From 1 April 2003Wholly or mainly attributable
The current test.
Exclusions and special treatment
An injury on the ordinary journey between home and work does not count, but a duty journey (for example between your normal workplace and a detached duty station) is treated as official duty. An injury unrelated to the nature of duty during your main meal break does not count.
Benefits are not payable if the injury or disease is wholly or mainly due to, or seriously aggravated by, your own serious and culpable negligence or misconduct. These exclusions are about cause, so the facts of each incident matter.
Assaults, restraint and psychological conditions
The rules do not list assaults by prisoners, restraint injuries or psychological conditions by name. They apply the same attribution test to each case, so we cannot say that any category is “always” covered. Equally, nothing in the wording separates physical from psychological conditions.
Whether a particular injury or disease qualifies is a decision for the scheme administrator or employer, advised by the Scheme Medical Adviser. If you are refused, there is only a written review rather than a formal appeal (see the appeals section).
How the medical assessment works: impairment of earning capacity
In shortOnly the Scheme Medical Adviser assesses impairment, in five bands, and for injuries from 1 April 2003 also apportions how much is attributable to duty.
The key assessment is impairment of earning capacity. The CSPS appeals guide describes it as a medical assessment of the extent to which your earning capacity for the remainder of your expected working life has been impaired by the qualifying injury.
Only the Scheme Medical Adviser (SMA) can carry out this assessment, and it is assessed when you are leaving employment, including when you move to a lower grade or part-time working because of the injury. It relates only to the effects of the qualifying injury, not to other health problems.
| Assessment | Band | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Impairment of earning capacity | Not appreciably affected | 10% or less (no award) |
| Impairment of earning capacity | Slight | 11% to 25% |
| Impairment of earning capacity | Impairment | 26% to 50% |
| Impairment of earning capacity | Material | 51% to 75% |
| Impairment of earning capacity | Total | More than 75% |
| Attribution to duty | Wholly | More than 90% |
| Attribution to duty | Mainly (low, medium, high apportionment) | 50% to 70%, 71% to 90%, above 90% |
| Attribution to duty | Not mainly | Under 50%: the claim fails |
Five impairment bands
The percentages come directly from the rules and the appeals guide. A person whose earning capacity is not appreciably affected (10% or less) gets no award. Everyone else is placed in slight impairment, impairment, material impairment or total impairment.
Which band you land in drives both the guaranteed income percentage and the lump sum fraction, so the SMA’s assessment is the most valuable number in your claim.
Apportionment (injuries on or after 1 April 2003)
The SMA advises whether your condition is “wholly” (more than 90%) or “mainly” (more than 50% but not more than 90%) attributable to the nature of your duty. Under 50% and the claim fails.
If you meet the “mainly” test, the SMA apportions in three bands: low (50% to 70%), medium (71% to 90%) and high (above 90%). Where an injury is mainly but not wholly attributable to duty, the Minister reduces the benefits to reflect that, having regard to agreed guidelines.
We have not found the guideline percentages, so ask your employer for the current guidance.
What CSIBS pays: the guaranteed income table
In shortThe annual allowance tops your other benefits up to a guaranteed minimum share of pensionable earnings, set by your impairment band and length of service.
The annual allowance is not a fixed amount. Under rule 1.7, it is the amount that, added to your other benefits, gives you an income of at least the guaranteed minimum shown in the table for your impairment band and length of service. The minimum is a proportion of your pensionable earnings.
The length of service counted is your service, or reckonable service if longer. If your other benefits already equal or exceed the guaranteed minimum, no annual allowance is payable.
- Pensions counted
- Occupational pensions payable from public funds (which means your civil service pension, including an ill-health pension).
- State benefits counted
- The annuity value of certain State benefits that have accrued or probably will accrue from the injury (the rules list industrial disablement benefit, sickness benefit, invalidity pension, incapacity benefit, employment and support allowance and other public-funds benefits).
- Insurance counted
- Payments under insurance whose premium was paid from public funds.
| Impairment of earning capacity | Under 5 years | 5 to under 15 years | 15 to under 25 years | 25 years and over |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slight (11% to 25%) | 15% | 30% | 45% | 60% |
| Impairment (26% to 50%) | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% |
| Material (51% to 75%) | 65% | 70% | 75% | 80% |
| Total (over 75%) | 85% | 85% | 85% | 85% |
Length of service is your service, or reckonable service if longer. Part-time earnings are scaled by hours worked compared with full-time hours.
What we could not confirm
The rules contain details about how an ill-health pension that has been commuted for a lump sum is treated, and some details differ for people in the old 2002 Section. We have not been able to confirm how Capita applies these to alpha members in every case, so ask for the working behind your calculation.
In plain terms: the higher your impairment band and the longer your service, the higher the guaranteed income; and the more pension and benefits you already receive, the smaller the top-up. The table reproduces the rule 1.7 figures.
The lump sum, and two worked examples
In shortThe lump sum is a fraction of pensionable earnings by impairment band, reduced if the injury is only mainly attributable to duty.
- Slight impairmentOne-eighthOf pensionable earnings
- ImpairmentOne-quarterOf pensionable earnings
- Material impairmentThree-eighthsOf pensionable earnings
- Total impairmentOne-halfOf pensionable earnings
The lump sum is calculated under rule 1.9 from the impairment band and your pensionable earnings. For part-time employees, pensionable earnings may be scaled down by the ratio of hours worked to full-time hours.
If your injury is mainly but not wholly attributable to duty, rule 1.9a requires the Minister to reduce the lump sum and the allowance.
| Example 1: officer, 12 years’ service | Example 2: officer, 27 years’ service | |
|---|---|---|
| Pensionable earnings (assumed) | £38,000 | £42,000 |
| Impairment band | Material (51% to 75%) | Total (over 75%) |
| Guaranteed minimum income | 70% × £38,000 = £26,600 | 85% × £42,000 = £35,700 |
| Pension and counted State benefits (assumed) | £11,500 | £24,300 |
| Annual allowance (top-up) | £26,600 − £11,500 = £15,100 a year | £35,700 − £24,300 = £11,400 a year |
| Lump sum | 3/8 × £38,000 = £14,250 | 1/2 × £42,000 = £21,000 |
| If mainly but not wholly attributable | Allowance and lump sum reduced under rule 1.9a | Allowance and lump sum reduced under rule 1.9a |
Illustrative arithmetic before tax and before any reduction for partial attribution. Treatment of benefits and earnings follows the scheme rules; ask your administrator for your own calculation.
How to read the examples
The two examples below use made-up inputs to show how the arithmetic works. They are not predictions.
Real awards depend on the SMA’s assessment, the attribution decision, your actual pensionable earnings (defined in the rules for each section of the scheme), and how your other benefits are counted. The pension figures are placeholders, not alpha pension calculations.
Notice how the top-up behaves. In example one, a pension and State benefits of £11,500 bring the officer to only part of the 70% guaranteed income, so the CSIBS allowance fills the gap.
In example two, the pension is much larger because of long service, so a smaller top-up is needed even though the guarantee is higher. If the pension exceeded the guarantee, no annual allowance would be payable, though the lump sum would still be.
Sick pay, return to work and reduced duties
In shortCSIBS can help before you leave: a temporary allowance when sick pay drops below the total-incapacity guarantee, and allowances for part-time or lower-grade work after injury.
CSIBS does not only apply when you leave. Raise it with your employer rather than waiting for the end of employment, and ask what applies in your case.
- Temporary allowance (rule 1.6(iii))
- If you are receiving sick pay for your injury, or your paid sick leave has run out, and your sick pay plus any pension and the listed State benefits is less than the total-incapacity guaranteed minimum income (the 85% figure), you may be paid a temporary allowance to bring your income up to that figure. This can be a lifeline when sick pay drops to half pay or ends.
- Part-time return on medical grounds (rule 1.6a)
- If you qualify for a temporary allowance, the guaranteed minimum is adjusted to reflect your part-time hours (part-time proportion plus 85% of the proportion you do not work) and your actual pay counts as income.
- Lower grade after injury (rule 1.6(iv))
- If you have not retired but, because of your injury, are employed in a lower grade or different capacity with loss of earnings, an annual allowance based on the SMA’s assessment can bring your income, plus the ill-health pension you would have been entitled to, up to the guaranteed minimum.
- Retired, then re-employed
- If you retired because of injury and receive an allowance and then return to Civil Service work, the allowance can continue, subject to suspension or abatement rules similar to those for re-employed pensioners.
Damages, compensation and other money that can reduce an award
In shortDamages and Criminal Injuries Compensation count against CSIBS under rule 1.19, so take advice before you settle anything.
Rule 1.19 says that where the Minister is satisfied that damages have been or will be recovered by any person in respect of the injury, those damages are taken into account against any benefit payable under the scheme, and the allowance and lump sum are withheld or reduced accordingly.
Since 6 April 1978, damages for this purpose include payments received by a person as a result of a claim for the injury, whether or not paid by judgment, order or settlement, and whether or not proceedings were started. Payments under a Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme in the UK are deemed to be damages recovered.
What this means for a civil claim
That has practical consequences for officers considering a civil claim or a Criminal Injuries Compensation application after an assault. You are entitled to take legal advice on a claim, but you should ask the adviser to consider how any recovery interacts with CSIBS, because a settlement can reduce what the scheme pays.
Our guide to assault compensation for prison officers explains the routes. Do not settle a claim without understanding the effect on your injury benefit.
State benefits
State benefits are also taken into account. The guaranteed minimum is a floor for total income, so industrial injuries and other benefits you receive count towards it. GOV.UK describes Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit for people disabled by a work accident or disease.
Whether and how much you receive from it is for DWP to decide, and we do not give rates here. Remember to tell the scheme administrator about any change in your benefits, because the allowance can be reviewed when State benefits change.
How to claim: the practical steps
In shortThere is no single officer application form: the process runs through your employer, the administrator and the SMA, so ask HR who your contact is.
The scheme rules do not give a single application form for officers, and the process runs through your employer, the scheme administrator and the SMA.
The CSPS appeals guide tells us that the employer or administrator asks the SMA for advice on impairment of earning capacity (and, for injuries from 1 April 2003, apportionment), and that the SMA’s advice is part of the overall evidence.
The final decision on whether an injury is qualifying rests with the scheme administrator, with the SMA advising on medical aspects. Ask HR who your contact is, because practice varies by establishment.
- Report the injury or disease through your establishment’s normal incident and accident routes, and keep copies of every report and statement.
- Keep up with treatment and keep medical records, GP notes and OH reports. Ask your treating clinician to describe the cause of your condition and its effect on your ability to work.
- Write to HR asking that CSIBS be considered, naming the incident or exposure, and ask who will request the SMA assessment.
- Ask for the SMA assessment to cover both impairment of earning capacity and attribution to duty, and ask for the outcome in writing, including the band and the apportionment band.
- Check the calculation of the guaranteed income, the offset for pensions and State benefits, and the lump sum against the tables in this guide, and ask for explanations of any difference.
- Diarise the 12-month appeal window from the date of the award decision, and take advice before the window closes.
Timing
Timing matters because the earning-capacity assessment is made when you leave employment or move to a lower grade or part-time hours because of the injury. If you are retiring on ill health, ask that the CSIBS assessment is carried out at the same time as the ill-health assessment.
If you have been paid no annual allowance but later retire on age grounds, rule 1.6(vi) allows an annual allowance and lump sum based on the demonstrated impairment at that date, so an earlier incident is not necessarily lost.
If you disagree: reviews and appeals
In shortA formal appeal covers only apportionment and earnings impairment (12 months, new medical evidence, and a second appeal can lower the award); a review covers whether the injury qualifies at all.
There are two different routes, depending on what you disagree with.
Formal appeal and review
Formal appeal
- Available only for the SMA’s assessed level of apportionment and the assessed level of earnings impairment, for injuries sustained on or after 1 April 2003
- One stage, but you may make two separate appeals within 12 months of the initial award decision; the second may be notified up to and including the last day of the 12 months, so the whole process can run beyond 12 months
- In writing, set out the grounds, and present new medical evidence from a registered medical practitioner
- Copies of reports already considered are not new evidence, reports must be complete, and you can submit evidence in a sealed envelope for the SMA. You source and pay for the evidence
Review (informal appeal)
- The route if the employer or administrator decides your injury is not a qualifying injury at all, or, for injuries on or before 31 March 2003, about the level of earnings impairment
- Request it in writing, include new evidence (which can be about your employment as well as medical matters), and ask promptly after the decision
- The final decision on whether an injury qualifies rests with the scheme administrator
- A review cannot be based on your condition having deteriorated if your injury was on or after 1 April 2003
| You disagree with | Route | Time limit | What you need |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level of apportionment (injury on or after 1 April 2003) | Formal appeal, one stage, up to two appeals | Within 12 months of the initial award decision | New medical evidence from a registered medical practitioner |
| Level of earnings impairment (injury on or after 1 April 2003) | Formal appeal, one stage, up to two appeals | Within 12 months of the initial award decision | New medical evidence |
| Decision that the injury is not a qualifying injury | Review (informal appeal), no formal appeal | As early as possible after the decision | New evidence, medical or employment-related |
| Level of earnings impairment (injury on or before 31 March 2003) | Review (informal appeal) | As early as possible after the decision | New evidence |
| How the process was handled | Internal Disputes Resolution procedure | See the CSPS website | A procedural complaint, not a medical challenge |
The two-way risk on a second appeal
A senior physician considers the first appeal, usually on paper, and may uphold the original decision or increase the award. For the second appeal a different physician is appointed, who can do the same and also lower apportionment or earning impairment if the new evidence supports it.
Borderline cases can be referred to an independent physician for a paper assessment. That two-way risk on a second appeal is worth discussing with your representative before you send in evidence.
If you think the process went wrong
The Internal Disputes Resolution procedure covers the way the process was run rather than the medical decision.
Deaths, discipline and other special cases
In shortCSIBS can pay dependants if an officer dies as the direct result of the injury, discipline can affect benefits, and Scotland and Northern Ireland need checking.
- Widow, widower or civil partner45%Guaranteed minimum income, of pensionable earnings
- Children10% each20% each if no surviving partner; up to four children
- Dependent mother or father20%45% if no surviving partner; total may not exceed 100%
- Lump sumSix monthsOf pensionable earnings
If an officer dies as the direct result of the injury, CSIBS can pay dependants an annual allowance and a lump sum under rules 1.12 to 1.18. Pensions otherwise payable to the dependant are counted first. These rules are covered in more detail in our death in service guide.
- Discipline
- A person who resigns when disciplinary proceedings are pending or who is discharged for disciplinary reasons may be eligible on reaching pension age for an allowance and lump sum based on demonstrated impairment of earning capacity at the date of resignation or discharge. The Minister can also withhold benefits where a person is convicted of an Official Secrets Act offence carrying at least 10 years’ imprisonment, or of an offence in connection with employment that a Minister certifies as gravely injurious to the State or liable to lead to serious loss of confidence in the public service; the person can appeal to an independent board whose judgment the Minister will accept. See our guide to misconduct and pensions.
- Scotland
- Scottish Prison Service staff are civil servants and the CSIBS rules refer to the Civil Service, but confirm the procedure and contact with SPS HR.
- Northern Ireland
- Northern Ireland Prison Service staff are in the Northern Ireland Civil Service; do not assume the GB scheme applies, and ask NIPS HR which injury benefit arrangements cover you. We have not verified the NICS injury benefit rules for this guide.
Putting it together: a checklist and who can help
In shortKeep a written timeline, take advice from the right people, and allow for administrative delays since the Capita handover.
Injured officers often have several things happening at once: sick pay changes, capability meetings, medical appointments and pension forms. A written timeline helps. The 12-month appeal window for CSIBS and the three-month window for ill-health appeals run separately.
- POA representative
- Can raise injury benefit with your employer and support you at meetings.
- Solicitor
- Can advise on whether you have a claim for damages and how a settlement would interact with CSIBS.
- Independent financial adviser
- Can model the combined effect of pension, lump sums, State benefits and injury allowance. Our ill-health and injury benefits calculator gives a first estimate, and the personalised report turns your figures into a written plan you can take to your adviser.
Dates to record in your timeline
- The date of the incident
- The date you reported it
- The dates of treatment
- The date you were told of any decision
- The date any deadline expires
Frequently asked questions
What is the Civil Service Injury Benefits Scheme?
CSIBS is a scheme made under the Superannuation Act 1972 that can pay civil servants an annual allowance and lump sum when an injury or disease attributable to their duty impairs their earning capacity.
It is discretionary, separate from the pension, and covers prison officers in HMPPS and the Scottish Prison Service. Benefits are decided using a medical assessment by the Scheme Medical Adviser.
Are assaults by prisoners covered by CSIBS?
The rules do not name assaults, so we cannot say they are always covered. The test is whether an injury in the course of duty is wholly or mainly attributable to the nature of the duty, and the attribution is decided case by case.
An assault on duty is a strong starting point, but the decision belongs to the administrator advised by the SMA.
How much does CSIBS pay?
It tops your income up to a guaranteed minimum proportion of pensionable earnings, from 15% (slight impairment, under five years’ service) to 85% (total impairment), after counting your pension and listed State benefits. It also pays a lump sum from one-eighth to one-half of pensionable earnings depending on the impairment band. Partial attribution reduces both.
Do I need to have left the service to get CSIBS?
Not always. Impairment of earning capacity is assessed when you leave employment, but the rules also allow a temporary allowance while on sick pay that falls below the total-incapacity guaranteed income, and an annual allowance if you move to a lower grade with loss of earnings. Ask your employer which rule fits your situation.
How long do I have to appeal a CSIBS decision?
A formal appeal on apportionment or earnings impairment (injuries from 1 April 2003) must be made within 12 months of the initial award decision, and up to two appeals are allowed. You must present new medical evidence.
A decision that an injury is not a qualifying injury has no formal appeal, only a review, which you should request as soon as possible.
Can CSIBS be increased if my condition gets worse?
For injuries sustained on or after 1 April 2003, no. Rule 1.10a removes the review for deterioration of the condition. Other reviews, such as when State benefits change or re-employment ends, can still occur. That is why the first assessment of impairment matters, and why you should get proper medical evidence for it.
If I take a civil claim for compensation, does it affect CSIBS?
Yes. Rule 1.19 says damages recovered for the injury, including settlements and payments under a Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme, are taken into account and can reduce or withhold the allowance and lump sum. Ask your solicitor to advise on the interaction before you settle.
Sources
- civilservicepensionscheme.org.ukCSPS: Civil Service Injury Benefits Scheme rules (made 22 July 2002; amendments to 2019)
- civilservicepensionscheme.org.ukCSPS: Medical reviews and appeals guide (CSPS2564_B6GDM36_V0.7), ill-health, upper tier and injury benefit appeals
- legislation.gov.ukThe Public Service (Civil Servants and Others) Pensions Regulations 2014 (SI 2014/1964)
- civilservicepensionscheme.org.ukCSPS: Ill health retirement (eligibility, IHR1 and APP1 forms, employer role)
- finance-ni.gov.ukNICS alpha scheme guide, Section 05D: Ill-health retirement (July 2026, Northern Ireland publication; same regulations text)
- gov.ukGOV.UK: Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
- civilserviceworld.comCivil Service World: Cabinet Office confirms Capita takes over CSPS administration from 1 December 2025
- gov.ukGOV.UK: Pension schemes rates 2026 to 2027 (lump sum allowance, lump sum and death benefit allowance)