Police Maternity Pay, Annual Leave & Sick Pay Explained (2026/27)
How police maternity pay (26 weeks on full salary), annual leave (25 to 30 days under the reformed Annex O scale) and certified sick pay (6 months full pay + 6 months half pay) work for officers in England & Wales — including what happens to your pay point, student loan and 2015 CARE pension while on leave. Serving in Scotland? See Police Scotland pay & conditions.
1. Police maternity & adoption pay week by week (Annex R)
Police maternity pay in England & Wales is governed by Regulation 33 and Annex R of the Police Regulations 2003. Pregnant officers with at least 26 weeks' service can take up to 15 months (65 weeks) of police maternity leave. If you have completed at least 63 weeks' continuous service by the Expected Week of Childbirth (EWC) — including transfers from another UK force — you qualify for Occupational Police Maternity Pay (OMP):
- Weeks 1 to 26 (6 months): Full pay. Your force pays 100% of your normal salary (inclusive of Statutory Maternity Pay — SMP). For example, a Constable at Pay Point 4 (£36,336) continues to take home approximately £2,161/month net, and a top Constable (£52,014) continues to take home £2,942/month net.
- Optional half-pay spread (Weeks 22 to 31): Under Annex R, you can choose to take the final 5 weeks of full OMP (weeks 22–26) as 10 weeks at half pay plus half SMP (weeks 22–31), smoothing your income over a longer period.
- Weeks 27 to 39 (or 32 to 39 if spread): Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) only. Paid at the statutory weekly flat rate (around £187.18/week, uprated each April) or 90% of average weekly earnings if lower.
- Weeks 40 to 65 (up to 15 months total): Unpaid police maternity leave. No weekly pay is received, but you remain a serving officer and continue to accrue annual leave and incremental pay progression.
| Rank & pay point (2026/27) | Normal gross / yr | Weeks 1–26 net / mo (100% OMP) | Weeks 27–39 gross / mo (SMP flat rate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Constable — Pay Point 1 | £32,256 | £1,952/mo | ~£811/mo (statutory SMP) |
| Constable — Pay Point 4 | £36,336 | £2,161/mo | ~£811/mo (statutory SMP) |
| Constable — Pay Point 7 (top) | £52,014 | £2,942/mo | ~£811/mo (statutory SMP) |
| Sergeant — Pay Point 4 (top) | £58,176 | £3,285/mo | ~£811/mo (statutory SMP) |
Return-to-work condition, pension buyback, pay progression & student loans
1-month return-to-duty condition
To keep the occupational top-up (OMP above SMP), Annex R requires you to return to police duty for at least one month at the end of maternity leave (either full-time or on agreed flexible/part-time hours). Annual leave taken immediately before returning or immediately after maternity leave can count toward the return period depending on force policy — always get written confirmation from HR before leave starts.
Pay point increments & September pay awards
Maternity leave counts in full toward incremental pay progression and probation. If your pay point anniversary or the 1 September annual pay award falls while you are away, your pay updates on the effective date — and any OMP paid after that date must be recalculated on the higher salary.
PPS 2015 pension & buying back unpaid leave
During paid maternity leave (weeks 1–39), your 2015 CARE pension continues to accrue as normal, even when your own contributions drop during the SMP-only weeks. For any unpaid weeks (weeks 40+), you have 30 days from returning to duty to elect to pay member contributions (calculated on the SMP/last pay rate) to make those unpaid months count in full toward your pension.
Student loans & KIT days
During the SMP-only period (weeks 27–39), your monthly gross drops well below the Plan 2 (£29,385/yr) and Plan 5 (£25,000/yr) repayment thresholds, so student loan deductions pause automatically. You can also work up to 10 Keeping in Touch (KIT) days paid at your full daily rate without ending your maternity leave.
2. Police annual leave entitlement: 25 to 30 days (Annex O reform)
Under the Home Office amendment to Annex O of the Police Regulations 2003 (effective from 1 April 2025 following PRRB recommendations), the starting annual leave allowance for federated ranks (Constable to Chief Inspector) increased from 22 days to 25 days on appointment, and the service required to reach the maximum 30 days halved from 20 years to 10 years:
| Relevant police service | Current entitlement (8-hr days / hrs) | Previous pre-2025 scale |
|---|---|---|
| Years 1 to 5 (on appointment) | 25 days (200 hrs) | 22 days (<2 yrs) / 25 days (2–5 yrs) |
| Year 6 (5+ completed years) | 26 days (208 hrs) | 25 days |
| Year 7 (6+ completed years) | 27 days (216 hrs) | 25 days |
| Year 8 (7+ completed years) | 28 days (224 hrs) | 25 days |
| Year 9 (8+ completed years) | 29 days (232 hrs) | 25 days |
| Year 10+ (9+ completed years) | 30 days (240 hrs) | 27 days (10 yrs) / 28 (15 yrs) / 30 (20 yrs) |
In addition to annual leave, officers receive 8 public/bank holidays per year (with double-time 2.0× compensation + a day in lieu if required to work on a bank holiday). Up to 5 days of untaken annual leave may be carried forward to the next leave year with approval (or more where prevented by sickness or maternity leave).
3. Police sick pay (Annex K) & paternity / maternity support leave
Under Regulation 28 and Annex K of the Police Regulations 2003, police officers incapacitated for duty by illness or injury are entitled to occupational sick pay calculated over a rolling 12-month period:
- First 6 months (183 days in any rolling 12 months): 100% full pay.
- Next 6 months (days 184 to 365): 50% half pay. (Officers subscribed to their local Police Federation Group Insurance Scheme typically receive a tax-free regulation half-pay top-up during this period — see payslip deductions explained.)
- Chief Constable discretion: The Chief Officer may extend full pay or half pay where an injury was sustained in the execution of duty without default, or in cases of critical illness and reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010.
- Maternity Support (Paternity) Leave (Annex S): Eligible partners receive 2 weeks of leave: Week 1 on full pay (Occupational Maternity Support Pay) and Week 2 on Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP), plus access to Shared Parental Leave (up to 50 weeks shared leave and 37 weeks shared statutory pay).
Related calculators & guides
Police maternity pay & conditions — frequently asked questions
How many weeks of full maternity pay do police officers get in England and Wales?
Under Annex R of the Police Regulations 2003 (as amended from January 2021), police officers in England and Wales who have at least 63 weeks' continuous service by the Expected Week of Childbirth (EWC) are entitled to 26 weeks of full pay (Occupational Police Maternity Pay, which tops up Statutory Maternity Pay to 100% of normal pensionable pay). Officers also have the option to take 21 weeks at full pay followed by 10 weeks at half pay plus half SMP (extending paid OMP to week 31), followed by standard SMP up to week 39.
Do you have to repay police maternity pay if you do not return to work?
The occupational top-up element (OMP — the difference between your full salary and Statutory Maternity Pay) comes with a return-to-duty condition under Annex R: you must return to police duty for at least one month (full-time or agreed part-time hours) at the end of your maternity leave. If you resign without completing that return period, the force can require you to repay the OMP top-up. Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) is a statutory right and never has to be repaid.
Does your pay point advance while you are on police maternity leave?
Yes. Time on police maternity leave (both paid and unpaid weeks, up to the 15-month maximum) counts as reckoning service for incremental pay progression. If your annual increment date falls while you are on maternity leave, you move up to the next pay point on schedule — and if the annual September police pay award takes effect while you are on leave, your maternity pay and return salary are updated from 1 September.
What happens to your 2015 CARE police pension during maternity leave?
During your 26 weeks of full pay, pension contributions are deducted as normal and you build 1/55.3th of full pensionable pay. During weeks where you receive only SMP (weeks 27–39), you pay member contributions only on the SMP actually received, while your scheme still credits you with assumed pensionable pay as if you were working normally. For any unpaid maternity leave (weeks 40–65), you can elect within 30 days of returning to duty (or leaving) to pay back contributions to buy the unpaid period as reckonable pensionable service.
How many days of annual leave do police officers get in England and Wales?
Following the Home Office amendment to Annex O of the Police Regulations 2003 (effective 1 April 2025), newly appointed federated officers (Constable to Chief Inspector) start on 25 working days (200 hours) of annual leave per year from day one (up from 22 days previously) and reach the maximum 30 days (240 hours) after 10 years' service (down from 20 years previously), in addition to 8 public/bank holidays.
What is the police sick pay entitlement in England and Wales?
Under Annex K of the Police Regulations 2003, an officer on certified sick leave receives full pay for the first 6 months (183 days) in any rolling 12-month period, followed by half pay for the next 6 months. After 12 months of paid sickness absence in a rolling year, pay reduces to nil unless the Chief Constable exercises discretion to extend full or half pay (for example, where an injury was sustained on duty).
Sources: Police Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/527) Regulation 28 (Annex K — Sick Pay), Regulation 33 (Annex O — Annual Leave, as amended 1 April 2025; Annex R — Maternity Pay & Leave; Annex S — Maternity Support Leave); Police Federation of England & Wales Quick Reference Guide.