Unfair pension treatment for part-time Reserve service pre-2015
On 5 August 2024 an Employment Tribunal found in favour of Major Charles Milroy, judging that by
- (i) denying the claimant access to the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 1975 and successor schemes and
- (ii) using a divisor of 365.25 to calculate the claimant’s daily rate of pay, the claimant was treated less favourably as a part-time worker than the respondent treated a comparable full-time worker in terms of the Part Time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations (PTWR) 2000. The full judgement can be read here.
The MOD submitted an appeal to the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) on the 17 September 2024.
On 29 Jan 2026, the Milroy Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) refused the MOD’s appeal against the original Employment Tribunal’s decision on all 4 grounds, finding that the claimant was a part-time worker who had been treated less favourably than his regular counterparts in pension and pay terms. This is a significant outcome.
With the exception of the 2-year qualifying period, this decision appears to indicate that: non mobilised reserve service prior to 1 Apr 2015 should have been pensionable under AFPS 75 or 05; and that calculating the reserve rate of pay by an annual divisor of 365.25 (rather than a smaller number that took account of non-working days) was wrong.
Latest Update 9 April
As previously reported, on 29 January 2026, the MOD was refused permission to challenge the Milroy decision by an Employment Appeal Tribunal. In late March the MOD then asked a higher court, the Court of Session, for permission to challenge the decision.
The Court of Session may agree or refuse to consider the case, and a decision could take anywhere from a few weeks to up to six months. Updates will be shared as soon as more information is available
The guidance we previously shared with members who may have been affected is unchanged
Latest updates
April 2026: MOD Appeal Progresses to Court of Session
25 February 2026: Milroy case debated in House of Commons
30 January 2026: MoD’s appeal against the findings of the Milroy Employment Tribunal refused – next steps
8 October 2024: The Milroy Case and Reservists’ Pensions including guidance to those who may be affected