How Much Do Detectives Earn?
The short answer
A detective in England or Wales takes home £23,276 to £61,524 a year — £1,939.64 to £5,126.99 a month — after income tax, National Insurance and pension contributions.
Detective Pay by Rank (basic, outside London)
| Pay Point | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Detective Constable (entry) | £32,255 | £2,687.92 |
| Detective Constable (top) | £52,015 | £4,334.58 |
| Detective Sergeant (entry) | £55,443 | £4,620.25 |
| Detective Sergeant (top) | £58,175 | £4,847.92 |
| Detective Inspector (entry) | £66,000 | £5,500.00 |
| Detective Inspector (top) | £71,396 | £5,949.67 |
| Detective Chief Inspector (entry) | £72,806 | £6,067.17 |
| Detective Chief Inspector (top) | £76,911 | £6,409.25 |
| Detective Superintendent (entry) | £87,123 | £7,260.25 |
| Detective Superintendent (top) | £102,481 | £8,540.08 |
Take-Home Pay After Tax, NI and Pension
| Pay Point | Gross | Pension | Tax | NI | Net | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detective Constable (entry) | £32,255 | £4,335 | £3,070 | £1,574 | £23,276 | £1,939.64 |
| Detective Constable (top) | £52,015 | £6,991 | £6,491 | £3,050 | £35,483 | £2,956.92 |
| Detective Sergeant (entry) | £55,443 | £7,452 | £7,084 | £3,119 | £37,788 | £3,149.03 |
| Detective Sergeant (top) | £58,175 | £7,819 | £7,575 | £3,174 | £39,608 | £3,300.69 |
| Detective Inspector (entry) | £66,000 | £9,095 | £10,194 | £3,330 | £43,381 | £3,615.09 |
| Detective Inspector (top) | £71,396 | £9,838 | £12,055 | £3,438 | £46,065 | £3,838.72 |
| Detective Chief Inspector (entry) | £72,806 | £10,033 | £12,541 | £3,466 | £46,766 | £3,897.16 |
| Detective Chief Inspector (top) | £76,911 | £10,598 | £13,957 | £3,548 | £48,807 | £4,067.28 |
| Detective Superintendent (entry) | £87,123 | £12,006 | £17,479 | £3,753 | £53,886 | £4,490.50 |
| Detective Superintendent (top) | £102,481 | £14,122 | £22,776 | £4,060 | £61,524 | £5,126.99 |
Each row shows the entry and top of that rank's scale outside London. Detectives are paid the same as their uniformed equivalents, so these are simply the national rank scales. Standard tax code, no overtime, no student loan.
Check your own figure
The short answer is that detectives earn the same as uniformed officers of the same rank. There is no detective pay scale, no detective premium and no separate grade in Police Regulations. A detective constable is a constable; a detective inspector is an inspector.
That surprises people, because the roles look so different. What a detective gains is not pay but a career path: the investigative ranks tend to offer clearer routes into specialist and senior investigating roles. What some detectives lose is overtime, which varies far more by role and force than the scale does.
The practical range runs from £32,255 for a detective constable on the entry point to £102,481 for a detective superintendent at the top of the scale. In London, every one of those figures rises by £10,079 in London Weighting and London Allowance, both of which are pensionable.
The table below shows what each rank is worth after income tax, National Insurance and a PPS 2015 pension contribution — which is the number that actually matters when comparing a move between ranks or into a detective role.