Manchester Council Pay Scales 2026/27: Grades and Take-Home
Manchester City Council pay grades 2026/27 - salary, hourly rate on its 35-hour week and take-home after tax, NI and LGPS at every spine point.
Grades at a glance
From Appendix A, effective 1 April 2026. Each grade covers a span of national spine points; the council decides the span, the NJC decides what each point is worth.
These are 1 April 2025 rates. Manchester published them in a 2026/27 document, and the money is the national spine as it stood at that date for SCP 3 to 43; the points above SCP 43 are the council's own local points. The 3.3% award for 2026/27 is backdated to 1 April 2026 and the national spine it produced was published on 24 August 2026, so an uplift and arrears are due on every figure below. We do not restate them here on the council's behalf - see the national spine for the 2026/27 points.
Manchester does not use spine points 12, 16, 18, 20. Those points exist nationally; this council simply does not place any grade on them.
| Grade | Spine points | Salary range | Hourly range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | SCP 3 | £24,796 | £13.59 |
| Grade 2 | SCP 4 | £25,185 | £13.80 |
| Grade 3 | SCP 5 to 8 | £25,583 to £26,824 | £14.02 to £14.70 |
| Grade 4 | SCP 9 to 14 | £27,254 to £29,540 | £14.93 to £16.19 |
| Grade 5 | SCP 15 to 22 | £30,024 to £33,699 | £16.45 to £18.47 |
| Grade 6 | SCP 23 to 27 | £34,434 to £38,220 | £18.87 to £20.94 |
| Grade 7 | SCP 28 to 32 | £39,152 to £42,839 | £21.45 to £23.47 |
| Grade 8 | SCP 33 to 37 | £44,075 to £48,226 | £24.15 to £26.43 |
| Grade 9 | SCP 38 to 41 | £49,282 to £52,413 | £27.00 to £28.72 |
| Grade 10 | SCP 42 to 45 | £53,460 to £57,097 | £29.29 to £31.29 |
| Grade 11 | SCP 46 to 49 | £58,498 to £62,325 | £32.05 to £34.15 |
| Grade 12 | SCP 50 to 51 | £63,619 to £64,927 | £34.86 to £35.58 |
- Manchester publishes no hourly column, so the hourly rates here are its annual salaries over its own 35-hour week.
- Points marked for competency review are not automatic: progression through them depends on a review rather than time served.
- Grades 10 to 12 run partly on locally set points above the top of the national spine.
- The senior SS1 to SS5 scales use their own point numbers, which collide with NJC numbers - SS1 point 11 is £72,031, not the NJC point 11 of £28,142. They are not part of the structure below.
- The covering text says Grade 3 will consist of SCP 5 and 6 after the deletion of SCP 2, while Appendix A lists Grade 3 as SCP 5 to 8. The table is reproduced here; the discrepancy is the council's.
Every point, and what it nets
Take-home assumes England, the 2026/27 tax rules, full-time hours and LGPS membership in the main section. The pension band steps up as pay crosses £29,001, £47,301, £59,801 and £84,001, which is why take-home flattens at those points.
| Grade | SCP | Annual | Hourly | LGPS | Take-home | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | 3 | £24,796 | £13.59 | 5.8% | £20,222 | £1,685 |
| Grade 2 | 4 | £25,185 | £13.80 | 5.8% | £20,484 | £1,707 |
| Grade 3 | 5 | £25,583 | £14.02 | 5.8% | £20,752 | £1,729 |
| Grade 3 | 6 | £25,989 | £14.24 | 5.8% | £21,026 | £1,752 |
| Grade 3 | 7 | £26,403 | £14.47 | 5.8% | £21,305 | £1,775 |
| Grade 3 | 8 | £26,824 | £14.70 | 5.8% | £21,588 | £1,799 |
| Grade 4 | 9 | £27,254 | £14.93 | 5.8% | £21,878 | £1,823 |
| Grade 4 | 10 | £27,694 | £15.17 | 5.8% | £22,174 | £1,848 |
| Grade 4 | 11 (competency review) | £28,142 | £15.42 | 5.8% | £22,476 | £1,873 |
| Grade 4 | 13 | £29,064 | £15.93 | 6.5% | £22,934 | £1,911 |
| Grade 4 | 14 | £29,540 | £16.19 | 6.5% | £23,252 | £1,938 |
| Grade 5 | 15 | £30,024 | £16.45 | 6.5% | £23,576 | £1,965 |
| Grade 5 | 17 | £31,022 | £17.00 | 6.5% | £24,242 | £2,020 |
| Grade 5 | 19 (competency review) | £32,061 | £17.57 | 6.5% | £24,936 | £2,078 |
| Grade 5 | 21 | £33,143 | £18.16 | 6.5% | £25,659 | £2,138 |
| Grade 5 | 22 | £33,699 | £18.47 | 6.5% | £26,031 | £2,169 |
| Grade 6 | 23 | £34,434 | £18.87 | 6.5% | £26,522 | £2,210 |
| Grade 6 | 24 | £35,412 | £19.40 | 6.5% | £27,175 | £2,265 |
| Grade 6 | 25 (competency review) | £36,363 | £19.92 | 6.5% | £27,810 | £2,318 |
| Grade 6 | 26 | £37,280 | £20.43 | 6.5% | £28,423 | £2,369 |
| Grade 6 | 27 | £38,220 | £20.94 | 6.5% | £29,051 | £2,421 |
| Grade 7 | 28 | £39,152 | £21.45 | 6.5% | £29,673 | £2,473 |
| Grade 7 | 29 | £39,862 | £21.84 | 6.5% | £30,147 | £2,512 |
| Grade 7 | 30 | £40,777 | £22.34 | 6.5% | £30,759 | £2,563 |
| Grade 7 | 31 | £41,771 | £22.89 | 6.5% | £31,423 | £2,619 |
| Grade 7 | 32 | £42,839 | £23.47 | 6.5% | £32,136 | £2,678 |
| Grade 8 | 33 | £44,075 | £24.15 | 6.5% | £32,962 | £2,747 |
| Grade 8 | 34 | £45,091 | £24.71 | 6.5% | £33,640 | £2,803 |
| Grade 8 | 35 (competency review) | £46,142 | £25.28 | 6.5% | £34,342 | £2,862 |
| Grade 8 | 36 | £47,181 | £25.85 | 6.5% | £35,037 | £2,920 |
| Grade 8 | 37 | £48,226 | £26.43 | 6.8% | £35,619 | £2,968 |
| Grade 9 | 38 | £49,282 | £27.00 | 6.8% | £36,322 | £3,027 |
| Grade 9 | 39 | £50,269 | £27.54 | 6.8% | £36,979 | £3,082 |
| Grade 9 | 40 (competency review) | £51,356 | £28.14 | 6.8% | £37,767 | £3,147 |
| Grade 9 | 41 | £52,413 | £28.72 | 6.8% | £38,534 | £3,211 |
| Grade 10 | 42 | £53,460 | £29.29 | 6.8% | £39,294 | £3,275 |
| Grade 10 | 43 (competency review) | £54,495 | £29.86 | 6.8% | £39,941 | £3,328 |
| Grade 10 | 44 | £55,940 | £30.65 | 6.8% | £40,720 | £3,393 |
| Grade 10 | 45 | £57,097 | £31.29 | 6.8% | £41,344 | £3,445 |
| Grade 11 | 46 | £58,498 | £32.05 | 6.8% | £42,100 | £3,508 |
| Grade 11 | 47 (competency review) | £59,715 | £32.72 | 6.8% | £42,756 | £3,563 |
| Grade 11 | 48 | £61,056 | £33.46 | 8.5% | £42,856 | £3,571 |
| Grade 11 | 49 | £62,325 | £34.15 | 8.5% | £43,527 | £3,627 |
| Grade 12 | 50 | £63,619 | £34.86 | 8.5% | £44,212 | £3,684 |
| Grade 12 | 51 (competency review) | £64,927 | £35.58 | 8.5% | £44,904 | £3,742 |
Basic pay only. Excludes overtime, unsocial hours, market supplements and any local allowance, and assumes no student loan.
Why the hourly rate looks high
Manchester's full-time week is 35 hours, not the national 37. The annual salaries are the national ones for 1 April 2025, so the shorter week produces a higher hourly rate for the same money: spine point 3 is £13.59 an hour here against £12.85 in the national circular. If you are comparing two councils' job adverts, compare the annual figure - the hourly one is not measuring the same week.
Points above SCP 43 (£54,495) are not NJC points. The national spine stops there, and Green Book Part 2 paragraph 5.4 leaves posts paid above the maximum but graded below deputy chief officer to be set locally, then moved by whatever the NJC agrees. Manchester runs 8 such points, up to £64,927, which nets about £44,904 a year.
The 2026/27 award
The 2026/27 award settled at 3.3%, backdated to 1 April 2026, and it took five months. The national employers offered it on 24 March 2026 as a full and final offer; Unite, GMB and UNISON all rejected it and the employers declined to reopen negotiations on 9 June 2026. UNISON's industrial action ballot then missed the turnout threshold, and UNISON and GMB both accepted, as GMB's noticeboard recorded on 21 August 2026. Acceptance by two of the three unions is enough for a joint union position; Unite had not announced a final position.
The national spine those salaries sit on was uplifted and published on 24 August 2026. The salaries above are the ones Manchester has published, at 1 April 2025, so the increase is owed on top of them as backdated arrears until the council restates its own document.
The full picture, including the spine itself and how the round played out, is on our NJC pay scales page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the lowest pay grade at Manchester?
Grade 1, at spine point 3. From 1 April 2026 the national spine pays that point £25,614 a year, which is £14.04 an hour on the council's 35-hour week. Manchester's own published scale shows the 1 April 2025 figure of £24,796 (£13.59 an hour), which the backdated 2026/27 award replaces. Spine point 2 was deleted on 1 April 2026.
Are Manchester pay scales the same as other councils?
The money on each spine point is, because the National Joint Council sets it nationally. The grades are not: Manchester decides through its own job evaluation which points each grade covers, so the same job title can sit in a different grade at the council next door. Compare spine points, not grade letters.
What is take-home on £24,796 at Manchester?
About £20,222 a year, or £1,685 a month, after Income Tax, National Insurance and a 5.8% LGPS contribution. The LGPS is a net pay arrangement, so the contribution reduces the pay you are taxed on but not the pay your National Insurance is charged on.
When do Manchester pay scales go up?
The 2026/27 NJC award settled at 3.3% in August 2026, backdated to 1 April 2026, so an uplift and arrears are due. The national spine it produced was published on 24 August 2026; the figures on this page are the ones Manchester itself published, at 1 April 2025, because we do not restate a named council's scale on its behalf. The national 2026/27 points are on our NJC pay scales page.