UK Police Pay Scales 2026/27

£31,164 – £330,465
PC entry to Met Commissioner — PRRB pay scales
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England & Wales Police Pay — All Ranks (National basic, outside London)

RankEntryTop of Scale
Federated ranks (effective 1 Sep 2025)
Constable (post-2013)£31,164£50,256
Constable (pre-2013)£32,820£50,256
Sergeant£53,568£56,208
Inspector£63,768£68,982
Chief Inspector£70,344£74,310
Superintending ranks (effective 1 Sep 2025)
Superintendent£84,177£99,015
Chief Superintendent£103,797£115,785
Chief officer ranks (per PRRB Annex F 2024/25 pay award)
Assistant Chief Constable / Commander (Sep 2024)£120,489£135,756
Deputy Chief Constable — Group 3 (Jun 2025)£149,799
Deputy Chief Constable — Group 2 (Jun 2025)£165,537
Deputy Chief Constable — Group 1 (Jun 2025)£190,737
Chief Constable — Group 3 (Jun 2025)£181,575
Chief Constable — Group 2 (Jun 2025)£200,652
Chief Constable — Group 1 (Jun 2025)£231,198
Met Police / City of London senior ranks
Met: Deputy Assistant Commissioner (Jun 2025)£190,737
Met: Assistant Commissioner (Jun 2025)£231,198
Met: Deputy Commissioner (Sep 2024)£273,192
Met: Commissioner (Sep 2024)£330,465
City of London: Assistant Commissioner (Sep 2024)£169,668
City of London: Commissioner (Sep 2024)£205,248

Police Scotland Pay Scale (effective 1 April 2026)

RankEntryTop of Scale
Constable (11 pay points + 1(a) sub-step)£34,001£54,597
Sergeant (4 PP)£56,455£61,036
Inspector (5 PP)£67,491£74,853
Chief Inspector (4 PP)£76,087£80,989
Superintendent (4 PP)£89,569£105,632
Chief Superintendent (4 PP)£110,803£120,554
Assistant Chief Constable (3 PP)£164,043£174,216
Deputy Chief Constable£230,580 (single rate)
Chief Constable£281,522 (single rate)

Pay set by the Scottish Police Negotiating Board (SPNB). Scottish income tax bands apply. See /police-scotland-salary/ for the full pay-point detail.

PSNI Pay Scale (effective 1 September 2025)

RankBasic EntryBasic Top
Constable post-Sept-2014 (7 PP)£31,164£50,256
Constable pre-Sept-2014 (8 PP)£32,820£50,256
Sergeant£53,568£56,208
Inspector£63,768£68,982
Chief Inspector£70,344£74,310
Superintendent£84,177£99,015
Chief Superintendent£103,797£115,785

PSNI pay matched to E&W from 1 Sept 2025 (PRRB +4.2% uplift). Federated and superintending ranks also receive NI Transitional Allowance £4,110/yr on top of basic — pensionable. See /psni-salary/.

MoD Police Pay Scale (effective 1 September 2025)

RankEntryTop of Scale
Constable (7 PP — PP2 through PP8)£29,606£47,743
Sergeant (3 PP)£50,890£53,398
Inspector (4 PP)£60,580£65,533
Chief Inspector (3 PP)£66,827£69,492
Superintendent (4 PP)£79,968£94,064
Chief Superintendent (3 PP)£98,607£109,996
Assistant Chief Constable (3 PP)£114,465£128,968

MoD Police use a separate scale below E&W PRRB. Pension is Civil Service alpha (4.6%–8.05% member contribution), not the police PPS schemes. Location allowances (London £4,338, SE £3k/£2k, Priority Posting) apply on top of basic. See /mod-police-salary/.

British Transport Police (BTP) Pay Scale (effective 1 September 2025)

BTP follows the England & Wales PRRB scale exactly for Constable through Chief Superintendent — see the E&W table above for figures. The only BTP-specific addition is the BTP London Weighting £3,150/year for federated officers in London divisions (pensionable, pro-rated by hours). See /british-transport-police-salary/.

Regional Allowances Summary

Allowance£/yrEligibility
London Weighting (Met / City)£2,886Federated ranks (Constable / Sergeant) at Met & City
London Allowance (Met / City)£6,588Federated + Superintending ranks at Met & City
BTP London Weighting£3,150Federated ranks at BTP London divisions
SE Allowance — Higher£3,000Federated ranks at Essex, Herts, Kent, Surrey, TVP
SE Allowance — Lower£2,000Federated ranks at Beds, Hants, Sussex
NI Transitional Allowance£4,110Federated + Superintending ranks at PSNI
Dog Handlers Allowance£2,810 (E&W) / £2,826 (PSNI)Officers in dog-handling roles

Force-specific salary pages

UK police pay is set by the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) for England & Wales, with annual pay rounds effective from 1 September. The 2025 pay award applied a 4.2% uplift to all federated and superintending ranks from 1 September 2025.

The figures above are national basic pay (outside London). Met Police and City of London Police federated officers receive London Weighting (£2,886, Constables / Sergeants only) plus the London Allowance (£6,588, paid to Constable through Chief Superintendent). Inspector / Chief Inspector use a separate bespoke London pay scale on top of which the £6,588 LA also applies. Chief officer ranks do not receive a separate London Weighting; Met and City senior pay rates are negotiated directly via the chief officer pay framework.

Chief Constable and Deputy Chief Constable pay is force-banded by Group 1, 2, or 3 (based on a "current force weighting" reflecting force size). By 1 June 2025 all forces within a group converged on the same rate. Group 1: Greater Manchester, West Midlands, West Yorkshire, Thames Valley. Group 2: Merseyside, Northumbria, Hampshire, Devon & Cornwall, Kent, Lancashire, Avon & Somerset, Essex, South Wales, South Yorkshire, Sussex. Group 3: the remaining ~26 forces. From 1 September 2024, the discretion for a Police and Crime Commissioner to set a Chief Constable's salary at ±10% of the group rate was removed; new appointments are at the group rate.

On top of basic, officers may receive: Dog Handlers Allowance (£2,810/year, post-4.2% uplift), specialist post allowances (firearms, advanced PIP, driver), Acting Up Pay (when temporarily covering a higher rank), and Overtime (1.333×–2.0× basic hourly per Regulation 26).

Active officers from 1 April 2022 onward accrue pension in PPS 2015 (CARE) at tiered contribution rates (12.44% / 13.44% / 13.78%). Officers with pre-April 2022 service may have protected benefits under PPS 1987 (Old Scheme) or NPPS 2006.

Frequently Asked Questions

When are police pay scales updated?
Annually, with new rates effective from 1 September. The Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) makes a recommendation each year; the Home Secretary accepts (or modifies) and the rates take effect from 1 September.
When does the 2026 pay award take effect?
Typically 1 September 2026, following the PRRB's 12th report due in summer 2026. The recommendation is normally announced in July or August.
Are the Scotland and Northern Ireland pay scales the same?
No. Police Scotland is set by the Scottish Police Negotiating Board (SPNB) with separate pay points (11 for Constable vs E&W's 7) and figures — typically higher entry pay. PSNI pay matches E&W from 1 September 2025 (the PRRB +4.2% uplift was applied to PSNI too) but adds the £4,110 Northern Ireland Transitional Allowance for federated and superintending ranks. Scottish income tax bands apply in Scotland; PSNI officers pay E&W income tax. The calculator models all three: select the country at the top.
What's the difference between pre- and post-2013 Constables?
Officers who joined before April 2013 are on an 8-point scale starting at £32,820. Officers joining after April 2013 are on a 7-point scale starting at £31,164. Both top out at £50,256 at the highest pay point.
How is Chief Constable pay determined?
Chief Constable pay is set per the PRRB Annex F chief officer pay award, banded by force group (1, 2, or 3). Group 1 is the largest forces (GMP, West Midlands, West Yorkshire, Thames Valley) at £231,198 (June 2025). Group 2 is 11 mid-size forces at £200,652. Group 3 is the remaining ~26 smaller forces at £181,575. Until September 2024, Police and Crime Commissioners could set salary at ±10% of the group rate; that discretion has now been removed.
What does a Met Police Commissioner earn?
The Metropolitan Police Commissioner receives £330,465 (effective 1 September 2024 per PRRB Annex F). The Met Deputy Commissioner receives £273,192. Met Assistant Commissioner rates align to Chief Constable Group 1 (£231,198 from June 2025), and Met Deputy Assistant Commissioner aligns to Deputy Chief Constable Group 1 (£190,737).

Police pay by rank

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