What is take-home for a Police Inspector?

On £65,505 gross at pay point 1, with the 13.88% police pension tier that applies between £37,035 and £79,588, take-home is about £43,095 a year or £3,591 a month after Income Tax, NI and pension. Adjusted net income after the contribution is about £56,413, so base pay alone stays below the £60,000 High Income Child Benefit Charge threshold. The 3.5% award from 1 September 2026 moves the top of the scale closer to that threshold, but the awarded pay points have not been published yet, so whether base pay alone crosses it is not something to state in advance of the determination.

When does HICBC start to bite for an Inspector?

Not on base pay, on the scale awaiting the determination that implements the 3.5% award from 1 September 2026. Because the police pension is a net pay arrangement, adjusted net income sits about 13.88% below gross, and even the top of the Inspector scale lands near £59,400. London weighting, the London allowance or other taxable additions are what carry a household over £60,000. Above that the charge is 1% of Child Benefit for every £200 of adjusted net income, reaching 100% at £80,000, and further pension contributions are the standard way to bring it back down.

Do Inspectors get London weighting?

Officers in the London forces do. London Weighting is £3,150 a year and the London Allowance is worth up to £6,588 on top for those who qualify, on the rates awaiting the determination that implements the 3.5% award from 1 September 2026. Both were uplifted by 3.5% from 1 September, and the revised amounts are not yet published. Both are fully taxable and both count towards adjusted net income for the Child Benefit charge. London Inspectors also sit on a separate, higher pay scale rather than the national one.

Police Inspector Salary 2026/27: Take-Home After Tax + Pension

Inspector is the senior shift-commander rank above Sergeant. Pay in England and Wales runs across four pay points, £63,768 to £68,982, 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. London forces have a separate, higher Inspector scale.

Typical pay & take-home

Pay point 1, 1 September 2025 scale: £65,505
Pay points 0 to 3, 1 September 2025 scale: £63,768–£68,982
Take-home on that salary: £43,095 England, after the 13.88% Police 2015 pension contribution, Income Tax and NI.

At £65,505, you earn about 68% above the UK full-time median (£39,039), placing you between the 75th percentile (£54,009) and the 90th percentile (£76,903) of UK full-time earnings.

See exact take-home for £65,505 →

What influences police inspector pay

Inspector pay is fully inside the 40% higher-rate band, but base pay alone does not trigger the High Income Child Benefit Charge. The police pension is a net pay arrangement, so the 13.88% contribution comes off before adjusted net income is measured, and on the scale awaiting the determination that implements the 3.5% award from 1 September 2026, even the top pay point lands near £59,400, just under the £60,000 threshold. That may change with the new scale. A 3.5% award applies from 1 September 2026, and the resulting pay points have not been published, so the top of the range sits close enough to the threshold that it is worth checking against the determination when it appears rather than assuming either way. Until then it is London weighting, the London allowance or other taxable additions that push a household over.

Inspectors generally do not receive paid overtime - the rank moves to a salaried-only model with rest days in lieu (Time Off In Lieu) for additional hours. The total cash compensation is therefore tighter than a Sergeant doing heavy overtime.

Police Pension Scheme 2015 contribution at Inspector pay is 13.88%, the tier from 1 April 2026 for pensionable pay of more than £37,035 but less than £79,588, which covers every Inspector pay point. It is a net pay arrangement, so the contribution gets Income Tax relief at the marginal rate but saves no National Insurance.

Career progression

Sergeant point 4 (top of scale): £56,208.
Inspector point 0 (entry to rank): £63,768.
Inspector point 3 (top of scale): £68,982.
Chief Inspector next: £70,344 at point 1, rising to £73,149.

Frequently asked questions

What is take-home for a Police Inspector?: On £65,505 gross at pay point 1, with the 13.88% police pension tier that applies between £37,035 and £79,588, take-home is about £43,095 a year or £3,591 a month after Income Tax, NI and pension. Adjusted net income after the contribution is about £56,413, so base pay alone stays below the £60,000 High Income Child Benefit Charge threshold. The 3.5% award from 1 September 2026 moves the top of the scale closer to that threshold, but the awarded pay points have not been published yet, so whether base pay alone crosses it is not something to state in advance of the determination.
When does HICBC start to bite for an Inspector?: Not on base pay, on the scale awaiting the determination that implements the 3.5% award from 1 September 2026. Because the police pension is a net pay arrangement, adjusted net income sits about 13.88% below gross, and even the top of the Inspector scale lands near £59,400. London weighting, the London allowance or other taxable additions are what carry a household over £60,000. Above that the charge is 1% of Child Benefit for every £200 of adjusted net income, reaching 100% at £80,000, and further pension contributions are the standard way to bring it back down.
Do Inspectors get London weighting?: Officers in the London forces do. London Weighting is £3,150 a year and the London Allowance is worth up to £6,588 on top for those who qualify, on the rates awaiting the determination that implements the 3.5% award from 1 September 2026. Both were uplifted by 3.5% from 1 September, and the revised amounts are not yet published. Both are fully taxable and both count towards adjusted net income for the Child Benefit charge. London Inspectors also sit on a separate, higher pay scale rather than the national one.

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 →