What does a Band 5 Custodial Manager take home 2026/27?

On the £37,417 bottom pay point with the 5.45% alpha contribution, take-home is about £28,828 a year or £2,402 a month. At the £39,214 top point it is about £30,044, and at £49,600 on a 39 hour contract with allowances it is about £37,069.

How much does the unsocial hours addition add?

It is 20% of base pay, so at the top point it takes £39,214 to £47,057. Combined with a 39 hour contract and two committed hours payments the figure reaches £49,600 - more than a quarter above base for the same pay point.

Prison Custodial Manager Salary 2026/27: Band 5

Custodial Manager is Band 5 in the HMPPS Fair and Sustainable structure, the first operational management rung, typically running a wing or a functional area. Base pay runs across three points from £37,417 to £39,214, reaching £49,600 on a 39 hour contract with committed hours payments and the 20% unsocial hours addition. The 3.5% PSPRB award was accepted in full on 26 March 2026.

Typical pay & take-home

Band 5 pay point 2, 37-hour base pay: £38,305
Band 5, 37-hour base point 1 to 39-hour point 3 with allowances: £37,417–£49,600
Take-home on that salary: £29,429 England, after the 5.45% alpha pension contribution, Income Tax and NI.

At £38,305, you earn 2% 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 £38,305 →

What influences prison custodial manager (band 5) pay

Three base pay points, £37,417, £38,305 and £39,214, reached by service. The spread inside the band is small; hours and allowances move pay far more than progression does.

The 20% unsocial hours addition takes the top point from £39,214 to £47,057, and a 39 hour contract with two committed hours payments reaches £49,600. That is £10,386 above base for the same pay point.

The alpha contribution is 5.45% across the whole band, the tier covering £36,200 to £56,000, so unlike Band 4 there is no tier change to watch as unsocial hours are added.

London differentials are set as cash on the band maximum, £3,432 outer and £5,218 inner London on the £39,214 top point, with lower points scaled in proportion: point 1 gets £3,276 and £4,980. The 20% unsocial hours addition is then worked out on the London figure, so at the top point with unsocial hours the outer London difference is £4,118.

alpha is a net pay arrangement. The contribution reduces taxable pay but National Insurance is charged on the full gross, so the relief is worth less than the headline rate suggests.

Career progression

Supervising Officer (Band 4): £34,440 spot rate.
Custodial Manager (Band 5): £37,417 to £39,214 base.
Head of Function (Band 7): £54,148 spot rate.
Deputy Governor / Head of Function (Band 8): £57,398 to £63,139.

Frequently asked questions

What does a Band 5 Custodial Manager take home 2026/27?: On the £37,417 bottom pay point with the 5.45% alpha contribution, take-home is about £28,828 a year or £2,402 a month. At the £39,214 top point it is about £30,044, and at £49,600 on a 39 hour contract with allowances it is about £37,069.
How much does the unsocial hours addition add?: It is 20% of base pay, so at the top point it takes £39,214 to £47,057. Combined with a 39 hour contract and two committed hours payments the figure reaches £49,600 - more than a quarter above base for the same pay point.

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Sources

PSPRB Twenty-Fifth Report on England and Wales 2026
Civil Service Pension Scheme - member contribution rates 2026/27
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 →