What is take-home for a Police Sergeant?

On £54,660 gross at pay point 3, with the 13.88% police pension tier that applies between £37,035 and £79,588, take-home is about £37,069 a year or £3,089 a month after Income Tax, NI and pension. London Weighting is paid on top of that.

Is the 13.88% police pension worth it?

Yes - the PPS 2015 CARE accrual at 1/55.3rd is one of the most generous public-sector schemes. A Sergeant contributing 13.88% on £54,660 builds about £988 a year of indexed pension for every year worked, and the employer contribution rate is 35.3% of pensionable pay.

How much extra does overtime add?

Compensation for overtime, and for rest days and public holidays worked, is determined by the Home Secretary under regulations 25 and 26 of the Police Regulations 2003, and amounts vary too much by force and role to quote a typical figure. Overtime is not pensionable, so none of it goes to the pension or is relieved by it: it is added to taxable pay of about £46,133 to £48,406 and taxed at 20% plus 2% National Insurance until taxable pay reaches £50,270, then at 42%. That leaves room for about £1,864 of overtime at the top point, and £4,137 at point 2, before any of it is taxed at 40%.

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

Sergeant is the first supervisory rank above Constable. Pay in England and Wales runs across three pay points, £53,568 to £56,208, 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 3, 1 September 2025 scale: £54,660
Pay points 2 to 4, 1 September 2025 scale: £53,568–£56,208
Take-home on that salary: £37,069 England, after the 13.88% Police 2015 pension contribution, Income Tax and NI.

At £54,660, you earn about 40% 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 £54,660 →

What influences police sergeant pay

Sergeant pay is recommended annually by the Police Remuneration Review Body and given effect by the Home Secretary through determinations under the Police Regulations. The scale has three pay points, 2 to 4, and service moves you up one point a year to the ceiling. 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. It was uplifted by 3.5% from 1 September and the revised amount is not yet published.

No Sergeant base pay is taxed at 40%, even though the whole scale is above £50,270 of gross. The 13.88% contribution is a net pay arrangement taken before Income Tax, so taxable pay runs from about £46,133 at point 2 to about £48,406 at point 4, and a Police 2015 member first pays 40% at £58,373 of gross. National Insurance is charged on the full gross, so it is in the 2% band. The marginal rate on a pound of base pay is about 19.2%: 20% Income Tax on what is left after the contribution, plus 2% National Insurance.

Police Pension Scheme 2015 contribution at Sergeant pay is 13.88% (Tier 2 from 1 April 2026, applying to pensionable pay between £37,035 and £79,588). The CARE scheme accrues 1/55.3rd of pensionable earnings as indexed pension - the employer contribution rate is 35.3%.

Career progression

Constable point 1: £31,164.
Constable point 7 (top of scale): £50,256.
Sergeant point 2 (entry to rank): £53,568.
Sergeant point 4 (top of scale): £56,208.
Inspector point 0 next: £63,768.

Frequently asked questions

What is take-home for a Police Sergeant?: On £54,660 gross at pay point 3, with the 13.88% police pension tier that applies between £37,035 and £79,588, take-home is about £37,069 a year or £3,089 a month after Income Tax, NI and pension. London Weighting is paid on top of that.
Is the 13.88% police pension worth it?: Yes - the PPS 2015 CARE accrual at 1/55.3rd is one of the most generous public-sector schemes. A Sergeant contributing 13.88% on £54,660 builds about £988 a year of indexed pension for every year worked, and the employer contribution rate is 35.3% of pensionable pay.
How much extra does overtime add?: Compensation for overtime, and for rest days and public holidays worked, is determined by the Home Secretary under regulations 25 and 26 of the Police Regulations 2003, and amounts vary too much by force and role to quote a typical figure. Overtime is not pensionable, so none of it goes to the pension or is relieved by it: it is added to taxable pay of about £46,133 to £48,406 and taxed at 20% plus 2% National Insurance until taxable pay reaches £50,270, then at 42%. That leaves room for about £1,864 of overtime at the top point, and £4,137 at point 2, before any of it is taxed at 40%.

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 →