Police sergeant salary & take-home pay 2026/27
A police sergeant in England and Wales earns £55,443 to £58,175 in 2026/27, about £3,133 to £3,285 a month after tax, NI and pension. Newly promoted sergeants start at PP2 and reach PP4 after two annual increments; detective sergeants share the same scale.
Take-home
£3,133–£3,285 a month
Gross £55,443–£58,175 a year · pension 13.88%
Sergeant pay scale 2026/27
Net after PPS 2015 pension, income tax and NI. Tap a pay point to open it in the calculator and add overtime, a student loan or part-time hours.
Sergeant take-home with London & South East allowances
Met/City officers receive £10,079 a year (only the £3,260 Weighting is pensionable). South East forces set their own allowance, up to £3,105; the column shows £3,000. Tap a pay point to open it in the calculator and add overtime, a student loan or part-time hours.
Source: Police Regulations 2003, Annex F · PRRB report 2026 · Police Federation pay scales · Checked 23 October 2026 · How we calculate
- Tax: every point is above £50,270 gross, so NI on extra pay is 2%. After pension, taxable pay is £47,748 to £50,100: basic rate outside London; with the Met/City payments, 40% from PP2.
- Pension: the whole scale is in the 13.88% tier. Contributions come off before tax, so a PP2 sergeant pays about £2,574 a year less income tax.
- Detective sergeants are on the same scale. Where a force pays the detective allowance (around £1,800 a year, non-pensionable), it adds about £1,404 a year after tax and NI at PP2.
Preparing for the NPPF sergeants' exam?
Promotion from constable PP7 to sergeant PP2 adds about £2,293 a year net. Join The Cops, the same publisher as this site, covers all three exam subjects: free exercises to start, then £19.99/month or £89.99 for 6 months.
Sergeant pay and the £50,270 threshold
All sergeant pay points sit above £50,270 gross: PP2 (£55,443) clears it by £5,173. But income tax is charged on pay after your 13.88% pension contribution.
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Because the police pension is a net pay arrangement, taxable pay is £47,748 at PP2 and £50,100 at PP4.
Outside London that keeps every sergeant pay point inside the basic-rate band, by £170 at PP4. Met and City sergeants, with the London payments on top, are higher-rate taxpayers from PP2 (£57,374 taxable).
The practical effect: National Insurance on any extra pay is only 2%, because NI is charged on gross pay and that is already above the upper earnings limit. Income tax on extra pay is 20% until taxable pay reaches £50,270 (at PP2 that is about £2,522 of overtime or allowances away) and 40% after that.
A 3% pay award on £55,443 (£1,663 gross) delivers approximately £1,113 net a year, or around £93/month extra, because the pension contribution, tax and NI all take a slice. The headline percentage consistently overstates what actually lands.
Getting to sergeant: NPPF and the wait
Promotion to sergeant requires passing Step Two of the National Police Promotion Framework (NPPF): the sergeants' legal exam, a 150-question multiple-choice paper set by the College of Policing. Passing is one step; getting promoted is another.
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The paper covers crime, evidence and procedure, and general police duties.
Forces have fixed establishment numbers. You can pass the NPPF and wait years for a vacancy, especially in smaller forces or where there is low turnover at supervisor level. Some officers pass and transfer forces to get promoted sooner.
The pay jump from top-of-constable (PP7, £52,015) to bottom-of-sergeant (PP2, £55,443) is £3,428 gross, worth around £2,293 net per year after pension, tax and NI. How much more a sergeant takes home from your pay point.
London pay and pension tax relief
Met and City sergeants receive £10,079 in London allowances (only the £3,260 Weighting is pensionable), worth about £507 a month at PP2 after pension, tax and NI.
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On top of a PP2 salary of £55,443, the Weighting takes pensionable pay to £58,703 (a 13.88% contribution of £8,148 a year) while total gross reaches £65,522.
The pension you build on the London Weighting follows you if you transfer forces, and it revalues by CPI+1.25% each year until you draw it.
All sergeant pay sits in the 13.88% pension tier, with no tier change within the scale. Contributions come off before income tax, so a PP2 sergeant paying £7,695 a year in pension pays £2,574 less income tax.
The rate applies to your full pensionable pay, including pensionable allowances like London Weighting. The pension deduction on the payslip looks large; the net cost, once you account for the tax relief, is considerably more manageable.
Frequently asked questions
What is a police sergeant salary in 2026/27?
In England and Wales, the 2026/27 police sergeant pay scale starts at £55,443 on Pay Point 2 and rises to £58,175 on Pay Point 4.
How much does a police sergeant take home a month?
After PPS 2015 pension (13.88%), income tax and National Insurance, a sergeant outside London takes home between £3,133 and £3,285 per month.
Why does the police sergeant pay scale start at Pay Point 2?
Pay Point 1 was removed from the sergeant scale in earlier pay structure reforms, so newly promoted sergeants enter directly at Pay Point 2 and reach the top of the scale (Pay Point 4) after two annual increments.
Figures are estimates for guidance only. Assumptions: PPS 2015 pension, tax code 1257L, no student loan, no salary sacrifice, England & Wales. Confirm exact pay with your force HR.