What does a Chief Inspector take home 2026/27?

On the £70,344 bottom of the scale with the 13.88% pension tier, take-home is about £45,499 a year or £3,792 a month. At the £73,149 top it is about £46,892. Both are after Income Tax, National Insurance on the full gross, and the pension contribution.

Does a Chief Inspector pay the Child Benefit charge?

On base pay, yes, for anyone with children. £73,149 less the 13.88% contribution leaves about £62,996 of adjusted net income, above the £60,000 threshold. The charge takes 1% of Child Benefit for every £200 above it, so roughly 15% is clawed back at the top of the scale.

Police Chief Inspector Salary 2026/27

Chief Inspector is the rank above Inspector and the last of the federated ranks below superintending level. Pay in England and Wales runs across three pay points, £70,344 to £73,149, on the scale awaiting the determination that implements the 3.5% award from 1 September 2026. The Home Secretary awarded 3.5% from 1 September 2026 - below the 3.9% the Police Remuneration Review Body recommended - and the revised pay points are not published yet.

Typical pay & take-home

Pay point 2: £71,715
Typical range: £70,344–£73,149
Take-home at median: £52,152 England, no pension applied — use the salary calculator for your scheme.

At the median for this profession, you earn about 84% above the UK full-time median (£39,039), placing you in the top 13% of UK earners.

See exact take-home for £71,715 →

What influences police chief inspector pay

Three pay points, reached by service rather than by application, with London forces on a separate higher scale plus London Weighting.

The Police Pension 2015 contribution at this rank is 13.88%, the tier covering pensionable pay between £37,035 and £79,588. It is a net pay arrangement: full Income Tax relief on the contribution, but National Insurance is charged on the full gross.

This is the rank where the High Income Child Benefit Charge starts to bite on base pay alone. Even after the 13.88% contribution, £73,149 leaves about £62,996 of adjusted net income - above the £60,000 threshold - where an Inspector on the current scale still lands under it.

Chief Inspectors are not paid overtime in the way federated ranks below them are; the rank carries a fixed responsibility for the role instead.

Career progression

Inspector: £63,768 to £68,982.
Chief Inspector: £70,344 to £73,149.
Superintendent: £84,177 to £99,015.
Chief Superintendent: above the Superintendent scale.

Frequently asked questions

What does a Chief Inspector take home 2026/27?: On the £70,344 bottom of the scale with the 13.88% pension tier, take-home is about £45,499 a year or £3,792 a month. At the £73,149 top it is about £46,892. Both are after Income Tax, National Insurance on the full gross, and the pension contribution.
Does a Chief Inspector pay the Child Benefit charge?: On base pay, yes, for anyone with children. £73,149 less the 13.88% contribution leaves about £62,996 of adjusted net income, above the £60,000 threshold. The charge takes 1% of Child Benefit for every £200 above it, so roughly 15% is clawed back at the top of the scale.

All UK professions →