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

On £144,350 in England, Income Tax takes £51,161 and National Insurance £4,898, leaving £88,292. The 4.26% judicial pension contribution of £6,149 then comes out of that already-taxed pay, so the net is about £82,143 a year, or £6,845 a month.

Why does the judicial pension not get tax relief?

Because the Judicial Pension Scheme 2022 is tax-unregistered. Its scheme guide says contributions "will not receive any tax relief", so the contribution is neither salary sacrifice nor a net pay arrangement - Income Tax and National Insurance are charged on the whole salary first. The same guide notes the scheme is "not included in any tax limits on pensions, for example lifetime allowance or annual allowance", so judicial accrual does not use up an annual allowance either.

Do District Judges get pay rises for length of service?

No. The judicial schedule sets one salary per group with no increments, so the only routine increase is the annual uplift applied to the whole schedule: 3.5% from 1 April 2026, taking group 7 from £139,469 to £144,350.

Is a District Judge the same as a District Judge (Magistrates' Courts)?

No, they are two separate offices that happen to be paid the same. Both are listed in salary group 7 at £144,350, but a District Judge hears civil and family cases in the County Court while a District Judge (Magistrates' Courts) hears criminal and youth cases in the magistrates' courts.

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

District Judges hear civil and family work in the County Court, on salary group 7 of the judicial schedule: £144,350 from 1 April 2026, a 3.5% uplift on the £139,469 paid the year before. The pension is the part that catches people out. The Judicial Pension Scheme 2022 is tax-unregistered, so the 4.26% contribution comes out of already-taxed pay instead of reducing the tax bill.

Typical pay & take-home

Judicial salary group 7, effective 1 April 2026: £144,350
A single published point, not a range: £144,350–£144,350
Take-home at median: £88,292 England, no pension applied — use the salary calculator for your scheme.

At the median for this profession, you earn about 270% above the UK full-time median (£39,039), placing you in the top 5% of UK earners.

See exact take-home for £144,350 →

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 district judge pay

There is nothing to negotiate and no spine points to climb. The schedule publishes one figure per salary group, and group 7 is a wide one: a District Judge, a District Judge (Magistrates’ Courts), a Judge of the First-tier Tribunal and a Summary Sheriff in Scotland are all on £144,350, and none of them moves off it for length of service. The only routine change is the annual uplift applied to the whole schedule: the Senior Salaries Review Body recommended 3.8% for 2026/27 and the Government implemented 3.5%, which took group 7 from £139,469 to £144,350.

Location changes the figure in exactly one way. Footnote vi of the schedule reads "Group 7 post-holders in London are paid an additional £2,000 salary lead and an additional £2,000 London allowance", so a London District Judge is on £146,350 of salary plus the allowance. Nothing else in the group varies, and a salaried part-time office holder is paid pro rata on the same terms.

The office is narrower than the title suggests. District Judges deal with civil and family work such as damages claims, possession proceedings, divorce, child proceedings and insolvency, assigned on appointment to a circuit and sitting in the County Court and the district registries of the High Court. District Judges (Magistrates’ Courts), who hear criminal and youth work, are a separate office listed separately in the same salary group at the same £144,350. Appointment normally needs five years of professional legal experience and, in practice, two years as a Deputy District Judge or 30 sittings in that role, and a salaried judge has to give up legal practice on appointment.

Career progression

Deputy District Judge, fee-paid: paid per sitting day while still in practice. The Lord Chancellor normally expects two years in the role, or 30 sittings, before a salaried appointment.
District Judge: salary group 7, £144,350 (2026/27).
Circuit Judge: salary group 5.2, £179,939.
Senior Circuit Judge, including Designated Civil Judge and Designated Family Judge: salary group 5, £194,314.
Puisne Judge of the High Court: salary group 4, £242,289.

Frequently asked questions

What is the take-home pay for a District Judge in 2026/27?: On £144,350 in England, Income Tax takes £51,161 and National Insurance £4,898, leaving £88,292. The 4.26% judicial pension contribution of £6,149 then comes out of that already-taxed pay, so the net is about £82,143 a year, or £6,845 a month.
Why does the judicial pension not get tax relief?: Because the Judicial Pension Scheme 2022 is tax-unregistered. Its scheme guide says contributions "will not receive any tax relief", so the contribution is neither salary sacrifice nor a net pay arrangement - Income Tax and National Insurance are charged on the whole salary first. The same guide notes the scheme is "not included in any tax limits on pensions, for example lifetime allowance or annual allowance", so judicial accrual does not use up an annual allowance either.
Do District Judges get pay rises for length of service?: No. The judicial schedule sets one salary per group with no increments, so the only routine increase is the annual uplift applied to the whole schedule: 3.5% from 1 April 2026, taking group 7 from £139,469 to £144,350.
Is a District Judge the same as a District Judge (Magistrates' Courts)?: No, they are two separate offices that happen to be paid the same. Both are listed in salary group 7 at £144,350, but a District Judge hears civil and family cases in the County Court while a District Judge (Magistrates' Courts) hears criminal and youth cases in the magistrates' courts.

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