What does a new constable take home?

Pay point 1 is £31,164 on the scale awaiting the determination that implements the 3.5% award from 1 September 2026. With the 12.88% Police Pension tier that applies to pensionable pay of £37,035 or less, take-home is about £22,747 a year or £1,896 a month. Unsocial-hours premia, shift enhancements and overtime are paid on top of base and taxed at the marginal rate.

Is the Police Pension still valuable?

Yes - CARE accrual at 1/55.3rd of pensionable pay is among the more generous public service schemes. The member contribution is 12.88% to 14.22% depending on pay, and 12.88% or 13.88% across the constable pay points, against an employer contribution rate of 35.3%.

Police Constable Salary 2026/27

England and Wales constable pay runs across seven pay points, £31,164 to £50,256, 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. Scotland and Northern Ireland set police pay separately.

Typical pay & take-home

Pay point 4, 1 September 2025 scale: £35,106
Pay points 1 to 7, 1 September 2025 scale: £31,164–£50,256
Take-home on that salary: £25,179 England, after the 12.88% Police 2015 pension contribution, Income Tax and NI.

At £35,106, you earn 10% below the UK full-time median (£39,039), placing you between the 25th percentile (£29,262) and the 50th percentile (£39,039) of UK full-time earnings.

See exact take-home for £35,106 →

What influences police constable pay

The constable scale has seven pay points: £31,164, £32,472, £33,789, £35,106, £37,737, £43,038 and £50,256, on the scale awaiting the determination that implements the 3.5% award from 1 September 2026. New constables join at point 1, though a chief officer may start them at point 2 to meet local recruitment needs. London forces pay London Weighting on top, £3,150 on the scale awaiting the determination that implements the 3.5% award from 1 September 2026. The PRRB recommended £3,273 from 1 September; the Home Secretary uplifted it by 3.5% rather than the recommended 3.9%, and the revised amount is not yet published.

The unsocial hours allowance is 10% of the hourly rate, and only for full hours worked between 8pm and 6am, so it lifts pay by a few percent on a night-heavy rota rather than transforming it. It is not pensionable. Overtime and policing-operation pay (e.g. public order, major events) is on top and taxed at marginal rate.

Police Pension Scheme 2015 is a career average (CARE) defined benefit scheme. Member contributions from 1 April 2026 are tiered by SI 2026/267: 12.88% where pensionable pay is £37,035 or less, 13.88% where pensionable pay is more than £37,035 but less than £79,588, 14.22% where pensionable pay is £79,588 or more. It is a net pay arrangement, so the contribution gets Income Tax relief at the marginal rate but National Insurance is charged on the full gross. The scheme accrues 1/55.3rd of pensionable earnings a year.

Career progression

Constable point 1: £31,164, rising to £50,256 at point 7.
Sergeant: £53,568 at point 2, rising to £56,208 at point 4.
Inspector: £63,768 at point 0, rising to £68,982 at point 3.
Chief Inspector: £70,344 at point 1, rising to £73,149 at point 3.
Superintendent and chief officer ranks above that.

Frequently asked questions

What does a new constable take home?: Pay point 1 is £31,164 on the scale awaiting the determination that implements the 3.5% award from 1 September 2026. With the 12.88% Police Pension tier that applies to pensionable pay of £37,035 or less, take-home is about £22,747 a year or £1,896 a month. Unsocial-hours premia, shift enhancements and overtime are paid on top of base and taxed at the marginal rate.
Is the Police Pension still valuable?: Yes - CARE accrual at 1/55.3rd of pensionable pay is among the more generous public service schemes. The member contribution is 12.88% to 14.22% depending on pay, and 12.88% or 13.88% across the constable pay points, against an employer contribution rate of 35.3%.

Getting into this job

How to become a police officer in England and Wales

The six ways into policing in England and Wales, which ones pay you from the day you join, and every federated pay point with real take-home.

All UK professions →

Sources

Police Remuneration Review Body - 2026 report, England and Wales
SI 2026/267 - police pension member contribution rates from April 2026
ONS - ASHE 2025 Table 14.7a, annual pay by SOC 2020 occupation (occupational pay)
ONS — Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025 (UK full-time median and percentiles)
HMRC — Rates and thresholds 2026/27
Our full methodology & calculation sources →