Profession · 2026/27
Army Sergeant Salary 2026/27: OR-6 Take-Home
Sergeant is the senior NCO rank above Corporal. 2026/27 AFPRB pay: £44,604 (Level 1) to £52,344 (Level 7), plus 14.5% X-Factor and non-contributory AFPS 2015 pension.
Typical pay & take-home
- Median gross
- £48,474
- Typical range
- £44,604–£52,344
- Take-home at median
- £38,421
England, no pension applied — use the salary calculator for your scheme.
At the median for this profession, you earn about 30% above the UK full-time median (£37,430), placing you in the top 31% of UK earners.
What influences army sergeant pay
Sergeant base pay including X-Factor crosses the £50,270 higher-rate threshold. Gross with X-Factor: Level 1 = ~£51,100, Level 7 = ~£59,900. Most Sergeants pay 40% IT + 2% NI = 42% marginal on the slice above £50,270.
Operational allowances (LSA, RRP, Specialist Pay for trades like aircrew, divers, pilots) add £5,000-£25,000 a year on top, depending on role and deployment. These are fully taxable but often pensionable.
AFPS 2015 remains non-contributory at this rank. Accrual continues at 1/47th. A Sergeant building 5 years of AFPS accrual at £52k pensionable adds ~£5,500/year of indexed pension at retirement - significant DB build-up at zero employee cost.
Career progression
- Corporal (OR-4) Level 4: £42,073 + X-Factor = ~£48,200.
- Sergeant (OR-6) Level 1: £44,604 + X-Factor = ~£51,100.
- Sergeant Level 7: £52,344 + X-Factor = ~£59,900.
- Staff Sergeant (OR-7) next: £52,000+ base.
- Warrant Officer Class 2 (OR-8): £55,000+ base.
Frequently asked questions
- What is take-home for an Army Sergeant?
- On £48,474 base + 14.5% X-Factor = £55,503 gross, take-home is approximately £41,800-£42,500 a year after Income Tax (40% on the slice above £50,270) and NI. No pension deduction - AFPS 2015 is non-contributory.
- Does operational allowance change the tax position?
- Operational allowances are fully taxable as employment income. The Operational Allowance for deployment to specified theatres adds ~£30/day tax-free under specific HMRC concessions (TIN 2018-2020 onwards), but the standard LSA and trade RRP are taxable. Most Sergeants on a 6-month operational tour add £8,000-£15,000 gross.
- How does Army Sergeant compare to Police Sergeant?
- Army Sergeant base + X-Factor £51,000-£60,000 vs Police Sergeant £49,000-£55,500 + London weighting. Armed Forces pension (non-contributory) is more valuable in net-of-contribution terms than Police Pension Scheme 2015 (12.44% employee). Total compensation broadly equivalent, with Armed Forces edging ahead on pension and Police on schedule predictability.