Police Overtime Pay Explained: What You Actually Take Home After Tax

How police overtime actually gets calculated

If you have ever agreed to an overtime shift and then stared at your payslip wondering where most of it went, this should help. The gross figure looks good on paper. What actually lands in your account is a different story, and it basically comes down to two things: what type of overtime it is, and what your marginal tax rate is.

Your hourly rate

Every overtime calculation starts with your hourly rate: your annual salary divided by 52 weeks, then divided by 40 hours. A constable on PP5 (£37,737 gross) has an overtime hourly rate of roughly £18.14.

That number is your baseline for everything.

The different types of overtime

There are four main types of police overtime, each paying a different multiplier:

• Casual overtime (called in during a working day, or at very short notice): time and a third, so your rate × 1.33
• Rest day, short notice (told less than 8 days in advance): time and a half, your rate × 1.50
• Rest day, full notice (8 or more days in advance): time and a third, your rate × 1.33
• Public holiday: double time, your rate × 2.00

There is also a night duty enhancement of 10% added to your base hourly rate for hours worked between 8pm and 6am. That one is an addition rather than a separate multiplier, which makes sense once you see it broken out on a payslip.

So for that constable on PP5 working a 4-hour casual overtime shift: £18.14 × 1.33 × 4 = £96.46 gross.

What you actually take home

Overtime is not pensionable (no pension contributions come out, which is the one upside), but income tax and National Insurance apply at your marginal rate.

For a basic rate taxpayer:

• Income tax at 20%: roughly £19.29
• National Insurance at 8%: roughly £7.72
• Take-home: around £69.45

About 72p in the pound. Honestly decent for a casual shift.

The thing is, the numbers look quite different once you cross into higher rate tax territory. At inspector level and above, income tax is 40% on the top slice and NI drops to 2%:

• Income tax at 40%: roughly £38.58
• National Insurance at 2%: roughly £1.93
• Take-home: around £55.95

About 58p in the pound. Still worth doing for the right shift, but worth knowing before you commit to a 12-hour rest day.

Is rest day overtime actually worth it?

That depends on what you are comparing it to. A constable on PP5 working a 6-hour rest day at short notice:

£18.14 × 1.50 × 6 = £163.26 gross

After basic rate tax and NI: roughly £118 net. Not nothing.

For most officers in the basic rate band, rest day short notice is the best regular overtime deal available. Public holidays at double time are obviously better on paper, but they come round less often and you do not always get to choose.

Does overtime count towards your pension?

No. Overtime payments are not pensionable under PPS 2015. The money is cash in hand right now, but it does not contribute to your CARE pension accrual at all. Your pension builds up based on your basic pensionable pay and certain allowances only.

Worth keeping in mind if you are doing a lot of overtime and thinking it is helping your long-term finances. It helps the bank balance today, but it is not building your retirement income. The police pension explained article covers how your CARE accrual actually builds up each year.

Night duty enhancement

The night enhancement adds 10% to your base hourly rate for hours between 8pm and 6am. So if your base rate is £18.14, qualifying night hours pay £19.95 per hour.

The other day someone asked whether the enhancement applies before or after the overtime multiplier is added. Generally it applies to the base rate, not the already-multiplied rate, though the exact treatment can vary by force.

Run the numbers yourself

The take-home pay calculator has an overtime section where you can enter hours by type and see exactly what they add to your monthly take-home. Worth checking before your next rest day decision.

Edge cases worth knowing

What happens if you cross the pension tier boundary on overtime? Overtime itself isn't pensionable, so it doesn't affect your pension contribution rate directly. But if your basic pay is already near the £37,035 tier boundary, your basic pay alone determines your tier — overtime receipts don't push you into the next band.

Shared overtime split between tax years: If you work overtime in March and it's paid in April, it falls in the new tax year. That matters if you're right at a tax threshold — a big overtime payment in the last week of March vs. the first week of April can make a material difference to how much income tax you pay on it.

Part-time officers and overtime: Your hourly rate for overtime is calculated from your actual contracted hours and pro-rated salary, not a fictional full-time equivalent. A 0.8 FTE constable on 32 hours/week has a different hourly rate than a full-timer on the same pay point, so the overtime cash value is different even though the multiplier is the same.

Court attendance on rest days: If you're required to attend court on a rest day, the payment is at the public holiday rate (double time) regardless of whether the court day falls on an actual bank holiday. Some officers don't know this and accept the wrong payment. Check the Police Regulations if you're unsure.

Frequently asked questions

Does overtime count toward the PPS 2015 pension?

No. Overtime payments are not pensionable under PPS 2015. They don't contribute to your CARE pension accrual and no pension contributions are deducted from them. The money is fully yours in cash today, but it builds no retirement income. See the police pension explained article for how your CARE accrual actually builds up.

What's the overtime rate for a rest day at short notice?

Short notice is less than 8 days' notice. Rest day at short notice pays time and a half — your hourly rate × 1.5. Rest day with more than 8 days' notice drops to time and a third (× 1.33). The distinction matters particularly for rostered shifts that get cancelled and reinstated at short notice.

Is the night duty enhancement added before or after the overtime multiplier?

Generally the 10% night enhancement applies to your base hourly rate first, then the overtime multiplier is applied to the enhanced rate. So a night-shift casual overtime hour is: (base rate × 1.10) × 1.33. Check your force's specific implementation — there can be variation in how this is applied on payslips.

Can my employer refuse to pay the correct overtime rate?

No. Overtime rates for police officers in England and Wales are set by the Police Regulations 2003 and associated determinations — they're statutory entitlements, not discretionary. If you believe you've been paid the wrong rate, raise it with your inspector or force payroll first, then the Police Federation if it's not resolved.

Does overtime affect my mortgage application?

It can — in a positive direction. Regular overtime that appears consistently on 3–6 months of payslips can be included by many mortgage lenders, typically at 50–100% of the consistent amount. Specialist brokers who work with police officers are better placed to include overtime than high-street bank calculators, which often exclude variable income entirely.

Figures are for guidance only and apply to England and Wales. Actual take-home depends on your pay point, tax code, and any student loan deductions.