Prison Deputy Governor Salary 2026/27: Band 9
Deputy Governor sits at Band 9 in the HMPPS structure, below Governor at Bands 10 and 11 and above Head of Function. Base pay runs from £73,513 to £80,864, and with the 20% required hours addition the range becomes £88,216 to £97,037. The 3.5% PSPRB award was accepted in full on 26 March 2026 and backdated to 1 April.
Typical pay & take-home
- Band 9 maximum
- £80,864
- Typical range
- £73,513–£80,864
- Take-home at median
- £57,459 England, no pension applied — use the salary calculator for your scheme.
At the median for this profession, you earn about 107% above the UK full-time median (£39,039), placing you in the top 5% of UK earners.
What influences prison deputy governor (band 9) pay
The required hours addition is worth 20% of base pay at governing grades and is the single largest factor here: it takes £80,864 to £97,037, more than any promotion step inside the band.
The alpha contribution is 7.35% across the whole band, the tier for pensionable pay from £56,001 to £150,000. It is a net pay arrangement, so the contribution comes off before Income Tax but National Insurance is charged on the full gross.
That contribution matters for the Child Benefit charge, and it matters in the direction people do not expect. On base pay of £80,864 the 7.35% deduction leaves about £74,921 of adjusted net income, which is inside the £60,000 to £80,000 taper rather than past it: the charge is about 74% of the benefit, £1,730 a year for two children, not the whole £2,337. Full clawback needs adjusted net income of £80,000, which on this contribution rate is about £86,346 of gross, above the top of the band. Further pension contributions reduce adjusted net income and the charge with it.
London differentials are flat cash rather than percentages: £3,432 outer and £5,218 inner London.
Band 9 is a range, not a spot rate, unlike Band 7 and Band 12 which are published as single figures.
Career progression
- 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.
- Deputy Governor (Band 9): £73,513 to £80,864.
- Governor (Band 10): £81,338 to £89,472.
- Governor (Band 11): £91,540 to £100,694.
Frequently asked questions
- What does a Band 9 Deputy Governor take home 2026/27?
- On the £73,513 bottom of the band with the 7.35% alpha contribution, take-home is about £49,953 a year or £4,163 a month. At the £80,864 top of the band it is about £53,892. Both are before the required hours addition, which is worth a further 20% of base.
- What is the required hours addition worth?
- 20% of base pay at governing grades. It takes the Band 9 range from £73,513 to £80,864 up to £88,216 to £97,037, so it is worth more than the entire spread of the band itself.