Sep 2025 Pay Scales · England & Wales
Police take-home pay calculator
Know exactly what lands in your account — after pension, tax and NI. Select your rank and pay point below.
England & Wales pay scales. Serving with Police Scotland? Use the Scotland calculator →
Vetted by serving officers. No commercial relationship with this site.
Pay scales: 1 Sep 2025 · Tax year 2026/27
Your details
When did you join?
Confirmed September 2025 scales. Updates when September 2026 PRRB is confirmed.
Some forces start new constables at PP2. Check your offer letter.
Contribution rates updated 1 April 2026 (Home Office consultation response)
Student loan
Many officers claim tax relief on Fed subscriptions and uniform upkeep via HMRC, changing their code to 1300L or similar. Check your payslip.
Pay periods
Working hours
Police officers are full-time on a 40-hourweek, so both default to 40. Working full time? Leave them equal. Part-time? Lower “your hours” (and set the full-time week to your force's standard if it isn't 40).
Salary sacrifice (pre-tax)
Other deductions (post-tax)
Salary sacrifice deductions reduce your taxable pay and therefore your income tax and NI. Other deductions are taken after tax.
Monthly take-home
£1,896
Annual take-home
£22,747
Weekly take-home
£437
Annual breakdown
Effective rate (tax + NI): 14.1% of gross pay · Employer also contributes ~31% pension (£9,661/yr on your behalf)
Tax code 1257L · Pay scales effective 1 September 2025.
Get an alert when this figure changes
The next pay award will change your take-home. We'll email you the moment it's announced — and update the calculator the same day. Free, unsubscribe any time.
Overtime
Basic hourly rate (excl. allowances)
£14.98/hr
£19.98 /hr overtime (×1.33)
Estimated overtime pay
Overtime is non-pensionable. Tax shown is an estimate based on your marginal rate — actual deduction depends on your total earnings that month.
Unsocial hours (8pm–6am)
Enhancement rate
£1.50/hr
+10% of £14.98/hr basic rate
Monthly impact
Non-pensionable. Based on your average weekly unsocial hours × 52 ÷ 12.
Working lots of shifts this month?
Add them all up and project your real monthly take-home in the new Shift Planner — free while in beta.
“10/10 helped me have an idea of what to expect for the first couple months on Maternity when I go up a pay band.”
Police Officer, r/policeuk
“I often find myself using the Money Saving Expert one to get a rough idea of upcoming pay etc, but it's pretty inaccurate for police pay.”
r/policeuk
“Just seen the overtime calculator. This has well and truly been bookmarked.”
r/policeuk
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Useful reading
- → Police Scotland take-home pay calculator
- → PSNI (Northern Ireland) take-home pay calculator
- → PCSO take-home pay calculator
- → Police pension calculator (PPS 2015)
- → Police pay rise 2026/27 — what to expect
- → Pay rise calculator — what does X% mean for you?
- → Take-home by rank in 2025/26
- → Police pension explained
- → What the 4.75% rise meant (2024/25 award)
- → Full pay scales 2025/26
How it's calculated
- ✓Sep 2025 NPCC pay scales
- ✓Standard personal allowance (£12,570)
- ✓2026/27 income tax rates
- ✓NI at 8% / 2% (employee Class 1)
- ✓PPS 2015 tiered contribution rates
- ✓Student loan Plan 1, 2, 4 or PG
Frequently asked questions
Which pay award does this use?
Pay scales are effective 1 September 2025 following the PRRB 2025 recommendations. No new award has been announced for September 2026 yet — we will update as soon as one is confirmed.
Why is my actual take-home different from the calculator?
The calculator uses the standard 1257L tax code. If your code differs (e.g. due to a previous underpayment, company car, or additional income), your income tax will vary. Overtime, unsocial hours payments, and force-specific allowances are also not included.
How are pension contributions calculated?
Contributions under the PPS 2015 (CARE) scheme are charged at a single rate based on which band your actual pensionable pay falls in — 12.88% up to £37,035, 13.88% up to £79,587, and 14.22% above that. These rates are effective 1 April 2026 (Home Office consultation response). Contributions are deducted before income tax is calculated, giving you tax relief at your marginal rate.
Does London Weighting affect the pension calculation?
Yes. Metropolitan and City of London officers receive £3,150 London Weighting plus £6,588 London Allowance — a total of £9,738/year. Both components are pensionable, so they increase both your pension contribution and the pension you build up.
Is this calculator for Scotland and Northern Ireland too?
These pay scales are for England and Wales. Scottish officers are subject to Scottish income tax rates, which differ from England & Wales — we have a dedicated Police Scotland take-home pay calculator at /scotland/ that applies the Scottish income tax bands and Plan 4 student loan automatically. PSNI officers in Northern Ireland have a dedicated calculator at /northern-ireland/ that adds the Northern Ireland Transitional Allowance (NITA) and defaults to Plan 1 student loans.
Why do many officers use a different tax code like 1300L?
Officers who claim tax relief on Police Federation subscriptions through HMRC often have an adjusted tax code such as 1300L. This gives you a slightly higher personal allowance, reducing your income tax. You can enter your actual tax code in the calculator above for an accurate result. Check your payslip or P60 for your current code.
Can I calculate part-time police pay?
Yes — enter your contracted weekly hours in the Deductions & adjustments section. The calculator pro-rates your salary, pension contributions, tax and NI based on your FTE (full-time equivalent). Note that your pension tier is based on your actual pro-rated pay, not your full-time equivalent salary, which can mean lower pension contributions than you might expect.
How is police overtime calculated?
Police overtime is calculated from your basic hourly rate — your annual salary divided by 52 weeks and 40 hours. The multiplier depends on the type of overtime: casual overtime pays time and a third (×1.33), rest day working with short notice pays time and a half (×1.50), and public holidays pay double time (×2.00). Night duty enhancements of 10% apply to hours worked between 8pm and 6am. Overtime is not pensionable, so no pension contributions are deducted — but it is subject to income tax and National Insurance at your marginal rate.