What is the take-home pay for a Circuit Judge in 2026/27?

On £179,939 in England, Income Tax takes £67,176 and National Insurance £5,609, leaving £107,154. The 4.26% judicial pension contribution of £7,665 then comes out of that already-taxed pay, because the judicial scheme is tax-unregistered, so the net is about £99,489 a year or £8,291 a month.

How much more does a Circuit Judge earn than a District Judge?

£35,589 before tax, which is £179,939 against £144,350. After tax the gap is about £17,346: the whole increase falls in the additional-rate band at 45%, National Insurance takes another 2%, and the 4.26% judicial pension contribution comes off what is left with no relief.

Do Circuit Judges get extra pay for leadership roles?

Yes, for three of them. A Designated Civil Judge, Designated Family Judge or Resident Judge is paid an allowance of 4% of salary while performing the role, introduced in October 2020, which is about £7,198 on the 2026/27 figure. It stops when the role does.

Do Scottish Sheriffs take home the same as a Circuit Judge?

The gross is the same - Sheriffs in Scotland are in salary group 5.2 at £179,939 - but the take-home is not. A judge resident in Scotland pays Scottish Income Tax, which on this salary is £74,382 rather than £67,176, leaving about £92,282 a year after the pension contribution against £99,489 in England.

Circuit Judge Salary 2026/27: What You Actually Take Home

Circuit Judges are appointed to one of the six circuits of England and Wales and sit in the Crown Court and the County Court, on salary group 5.2: £179,939 from 1 April 2026. That is £35,589 more than a District Judge on group 7, but only about £17,346 of it survives to the bank account: every pound of the increase is taxed at the additional rate, National Insurance takes 2% on top, and the judicial pension takes 4.26% of it with no tax relief.

Typical pay & take-home

Judicial salary group 5.2, effective 1 April 2026: £179,939
A single published point, not a range: £179,939–£179,939
Take-home at median: £107,154 England, no pension applied — use the salary calculator for your scheme.

At the median for this profession, you earn about 361% above the UK full-time median (£39,039), placing you in the top 5% of UK earners.

See exact take-home for £179,939 →

The full Ministry of Justice schedule from 1 April 2026, and how the tax-unregistered judicial pension changes take-home: Judicial salaries 2026/27, every group →

What influences circuit judge pay

Salary group 5.2 is one figure covering a wide spread of offices. Circuit Judges are paid £179,939, and so are Sheriffs in Scotland, Masters and Costs Judges of the Senior Courts, Regional Employment Judges, the Senior Judge of the Court of Protection and the Deputy Senior District Judge (Magistrates’ Courts). Nothing in the group moves with seniority: the 4% leadership allowance described below is paid for doing a particular job, and it stops when that job does, so it is not a reward for years served either. The 3.5% uplift applied to the whole schedule from 1 April 2026 took the group from £173,854 to £179,939.

Leadership roles inside the group are paid for separately. The schedule lists Designated Civil Judge, Designated Family Judge and Resident Judge under Circuit Judge in group 5.2 and marks all three with footnote iii, which reads: "Post holders are paid an allowance of 4% of salary whilst performing this role (introduced October 2020)". At the 2026/27 rate that allowance is about £7,198 a year, and it stops when the role does. The same three titles are also listed under Senior Circuit Judge in group 5 at £194,314, where the schedule carries no such marker against them.

Eligibility is the practical constraint, not pay. A Circuit Judge must have held a right of audience for at least seven years, or have been a Recorder, or have held certain other full-time judicial offices for at least three years, District Judge and High Court Master among them. That is why the office reads as a promotion from group 7 for career judges and as a first salaried appointment for senior practitioners coming off the fee-paid Recorder route.

Career progression

Recorder, fee-paid: sitting part-time in the Crown Court or County Court while continuing in practice.
Circuit Judge: salary group 5.2, £179,939 (2026/27).
Senior Circuit Judge, including Designated Civil Judge, Designated Family Judge and the Old Bailey judges: salary group 5, £194,314.
Puisne Judge of the High Court: salary group 4, £242,289.
Lord or Lady Justice of Appeal: salary group 3, £275,885.

Frequently asked questions

What is the take-home pay for a Circuit Judge in 2026/27?: On £179,939 in England, Income Tax takes £67,176 and National Insurance £5,609, leaving £107,154. The 4.26% judicial pension contribution of £7,665 then comes out of that already-taxed pay, because the judicial scheme is tax-unregistered, so the net is about £99,489 a year or £8,291 a month.
How much more does a Circuit Judge earn than a District Judge?: £35,589 before tax, which is £179,939 against £144,350. After tax the gap is about £17,346: the whole increase falls in the additional-rate band at 45%, National Insurance takes another 2%, and the 4.26% judicial pension contribution comes off what is left with no relief.
Do Circuit Judges get extra pay for leadership roles?: Yes, for three of them. A Designated Civil Judge, Designated Family Judge or Resident Judge is paid an allowance of 4% of salary while performing the role, introduced in October 2020, which is about £7,198 on the 2026/27 figure. It stops when the role does.
Do Scottish Sheriffs take home the same as a Circuit Judge?: The gross is the same - Sheriffs in Scotland are in salary group 5.2 at £179,939 - but the take-home is not. A judge resident in Scotland pays Scottish Income Tax, which on this salary is £74,382 rather than £67,176, leaving about £92,282 a year after the pension contribution against £99,489 in England.

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