Profession · 2026/27
Police Sergeant Salary 2026/27: Take-Home After Tax + Pension
Sergeant is the first supervisory rank above Constable. 2026/27 pay (England & Wales NEPF) sits at £49,000-£55,500 across four spine points, with London weighting adding £2,375-£7,000 depending on force.
Typical pay & take-home
- Median gross
- £52,000
- Typical range
- £49,000–£55,500
- Take-home at median
- £40,717
England, no pension applied — use the salary calculator for your scheme.
At the median for this profession, you earn about 39% above the UK full-time median (£37,430), placing you in the top 25% of UK earners.
What influences police sergeant pay
Sergeant pay follows the NEPF (National Equivalent Pay Framework) negotiated annually by the Police Remuneration Review Body. Each year of service moves you up one spine point until you hit the Sergeant ceiling at year 4. Sergeants in the Met Police get £2,375 inner-London weighting on top.
Most of Sergeant pay sits above the £50,270 higher-rate threshold. The top of the band (£55,500+) is fully in 40% Income Tax territory, with 42% marginal (40% IT + 2% NI).
Police Pension Scheme 2015 contribution is 12.44% (employee) on full pensionable pay (2026/27 rate, banded). The CARE scheme accrues 1/55.3rd of pensionable earnings as indexed pension - implicit employer cost is around 38% of salary.
Career progression
- Constable entry: £29,907 (2026/27).
- Constable top of band: £46,044 (year 7).
- Sergeant entry: £49,000 (year 1 in rank).
- Sergeant top of band: £55,500 (year 4).
- Inspector entry next: £58,000-£62,000.
Frequently asked questions
- What is take-home for a Police Sergeant?
- On £52,000 gross with 12.44% police pension, take-home is approximately £33,800-£34,400 a year after Income Tax (40% on the slice above £50,270), NI and pension. Met Police Sergeant with £2,375 London weighting takes home around £35,400-£36,000.
- Is the 12.44% 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 12.44% on £52,000 builds ~£940/year of indexed pension for every year worked. Implicit employer cost is ~38% of salary - replicating this privately would cost vastly more than 12.44% out of net pay.
- How much extra does overtime add?
- Time-and-a-third or time-and-two-thirds overtime applies on top of base salary for hours beyond rostered shift patterns. Sergeants on busy ops can add £4,000-£8,000 a year in overtime, all taxed at the same marginal rate (42% for most Sergeants above £50,270). Pension does not accrue on overtime, so it is pure cash.