NICS Pay Scales 2026/27: Grades AA to SCS and Take-Home
NICS pay scales: every main Northern Ireland Civil Service grade from AA to Grade 6 and the SCS, take-home after tax, and where the 2026 pay award stands.
The NICS is not the GB Civil Service
The Northern Ireland Civil Service is a separate employer from the Civil Service in Great Britain. Its pay is published by the Department of Finance, it uses its own grade names (Executive Officer I and II, Staff Officer, Deputy Principal), and unlike the GB service it has one set of published scales with pay points. Department of Finance's own pay award FAQ says service with the GB Civil Service does not count as continuous NICS employment.
| NICS | GB Civil Service | |
|---|---|---|
| Pay structure below SCS | One published scale per grade, with pay points | Delegated to each department; no national scale, only published medians |
| Grade names | AA, AO, EOII, EOI, SO, DP, Grade 7, Grade 6 | AA, AO, EO, HEO, SEO, Grade 7, Grade 6 |
| Award date | 1 August until 2025; moving to April from 1 April 2026 | Each department's own award, within the annual Cabinet Office pay remit |
| Pension | Civil Service Pension Scheme (Northern Ireland) | Civil Service Pension Scheme |
The grade names do not map one to one. For GB pay, see Civil Service pay 2026/27 and civil servant pay and take-home.
Which scales are current
The figures on this page are the 1 August 2025 column of Department of Finance's non-industrial pay scales, titled as covering 1 August 2024 to 31 March 2026. They are the latest NICS scales published. The 2026 award that would replace them is not agreed: the latest bulletin, of 18 August 2026, says engagement with the trade unions is ongoing and the Finance Minister remains committed to an offer at the earliest opportunity the financial position allows.
Those scales came from a two-part award, set out in the pay bulletin of 26 March 2025 after NIPSA and FDA accepted the offer: 3% consolidated on the AO to SCS scales from 1 August 2024 (AA was revalorised to £24,336), then 6% on every civil service scale point from 1 August 2025. Anyone whose consolidated increase in 2025 came to less than 6% received a non-consolidated, non-pensionable payment to make it up.
The same award removed the bottom point from the Deputy Principal and higher scales, Senior Civil Service included, from 1 August 2025. That is why DP, Grade 7 and Grade 6 now have three points rather than four, and why point numbers changed: the FAQ's example is a DP on point 1 who stepped to point 2 on the 2024/25 scale and then moved across to the newly numbered point 1.
Every grade and pay point, and what it is after tax
Gross salary is the 1 August 2025 scale. Take-home is for 2026/27, a single person in Northern Ireland on the standard tax code with no student loan, after Income Tax and National Insurance only. No pension contribution is deducted, because Department of Finance has not published a contribution table dated from April 2026; the latest, from 1 September 2025, has no stated end date (see Pension). Northern Ireland pays the same Income Tax bands as England; only Scotland's differ.
| Grade | Point | From 1 August 2025 | Take-home / year | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AA - Admin Assistant * | Single point | £25,796 | £22,093 | £1,841 |
| AO - Admin Officer | 1 | £26,449 | £22,563 | £1,880 |
| 2 | £27,271 | £23,155 | £1,930 | |
| Max | £28,094 | £23,747 | £1,979 | |
| EOII - Executive Officer II | 1 | £30,458 | £25,449 | £2,121 |
| 2 | £30,777 | £25,679 | £2,140 | |
| Max | £31,097 | £25,909 | £2,159 | |
| EOI - Executive Officer I | 1 | £33,542 | £27,670 | £2,306 |
| 2 | £33,886 | £27,918 | £2,326 | |
| Max | £34,231 | £28,166 | £2,347 | |
| SO - Staff Officer | 1 | £37,694 | £30,659 | £2,555 |
| 2 | £38,341 | £31,125 | £2,594 | |
| Max | £38,990 | £31,592 | £2,633 | |
| DP - Deputy Principal | 1 | £47,304 | £37,578 | £3,132 |
| 2 | £48,408 | £38,373 | £3,198 | |
| Max | £49,515 | £39,170 | £3,264 | |
| G7 - Unified Grade 7 | 1 | £61,673 | £46,328 | £3,861 |
| 2 | £63,072 | £47,139 | £3,928 | |
| Max | £64,469 | £47,949 | £3,996 | |
| G6 - Unified Grade 6 | 1 | £73,577 | £53,232 | £4,436 |
| 2 | £75,739 | £54,486 | £4,541 | |
| Max | £77,904 | £55,742 | £4,645 |
* AA and analogous grades. The NICS is an accredited Living Wage Foundation employer, committed to paying at least the real Living Wage (Department of Finance). The bulletin of 26 March 2026 said the next increase for AA and Industrial 1 (and analogous) grades would take effect from 1 April, pending the 2026 award. It gave no figure, and we have not found one published, so the AA row shows the 1 August 2025 scale and an AA may be paid more.
Basic pay only: excludes overtime, on-call and standby allowances and any pay lead. From G7 upward every point is above the £50,270 higher-rate threshold, so part of the salary is taxed at 40%.
Analogous grades: a few examples
Each scale also covers a list of analogous grades. A few from each list in the PDF:
- AA (p.1): Typist, Watchperson/Cleaner, Security Guard
- AO (p.2): Technical Grade 1, Assistant Scientific Officer, Health Care Assistant
- EOII (p.3): Law Clerk II, ICT level 3, Paralegal, Trainee Careers Adviser
- EOI (p.4): Careers Advisor, ICT Level 4, Youth Justice Practitioner, Scientific Officer
- SO (p.6): Accommodation Manager, ICT Level 5, Librarian, Higher Scientific Officer
- DP (p.9): Environmental Health Officer, ICT Level 6, Veterinary Inspector, Senior Scientific Officer
- G7 (p.11): Principal Legal Officer, Nursing Officer, Principal Pharmaceutical Officer
- G6 (p.12): Senior Principal Legal Officer, Medical Officer, Dental Officer
Some specialist grades have scales of their own (for example Forest Officer, Auditor and Inspector grades), and some former Youth Justice Agency staff remain on retained scales dated 1 April 2015, which the 2024/25 award did not revalorise. Check the full PDF for your own grade code.
Senior Civil Service
The NICS SCS has four pay scales, each with five points and a maximum from 1 August 2025 (SCS pay scales, p.2). Take-home is on the same basis as above, before pension.
| Pay scale | Point 1 | Maximum | Take-home at point 1 | Take-home at maximum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 - Assistant Secretary (Grade 5) | £88,268 | £97,070 | £61,753 | £66,858 |
| 2 - Deputy Secretary (Grade 3) | £113,060 | £123,946 | £73,520 | £77,657 |
| 3 - Permanent Secretary | £146,469 | £163,267 | £89,415 | £98,318 |
| 4 - Head of Civil Service | £197,659 | £220,804 | £116,546 | £128,813 |
Above £100,000 of adjusted net income the Personal Allowance is withdrawn, which the take-home figures for Pay Scales 2 to 4 already reflect. A pension contribution would lower adjusted net income and change that.
The 2026 pay award
Not agreed. The 2024/25 award committed to moving the NICS pay award date from August to April from 1 April 2026; the March 2026 bulletin gives the reason as bringing Civil Service pay into the same cycle as other public sector workers. The bulletin of 26 March 2026 said negotiations with the recognised trade unions were under way.
The latest, dated 18 August 2026, says the Finance Minister has met the unions and remains committed to making a pay offer "at the earliest opportunity that the financial position allows", that engagement with the UK Government on a fairer funding settlement is ongoing, and that engagement with the unions is ongoing. No offer is published. We checked the 2026 pay award page for anything newer on 26 October 2026.
We do not estimate 2026 pay points. NICS scales are revalorised by a negotiated percentage and sometimes restructured, as the 2025 award did by removing a point, so a projection could disagree with the payslip.
Pension
NICS staff are in the Civil Service Pension Scheme (Northern Ireland), a separate scheme from the GB Civil Service Pension Scheme. alpha has been the scheme for new entrants since 1 April 2015 (Department of Finance).
Member contributions are tiered on pensionable earnings. The latest table the scheme publishes, on its employee contribution rates page, applies from 1 September 2025:
| Annualised pensionable earnings | Contribution rate |
|---|---|
| £0 to £28,716.99 | 4.65% |
| £28,717 to £65,343.99 | 5.65% |
| £65,344 to £175,740.99 | 7.55% |
| £175,741 and above | 8.25% |
Department of Finance has not published a table dated from April 2026, and the table above has no stated end date, so the take-home figures on this page do not deduct a contribution: they are after Income Tax and National Insurance only. The GB alpha rates are a different table with different thresholds and should not be used for NICS pay.
Related
- Civil Service pay 2026/27 - the GB service, grade medians and SCS ranges
- Civil servant pay and take-home
- Public sector pay rises 2026/27 - every award in one place
- Salary calculator - net pay on any salary, with pension and student loan
Frequently asked questions
What are the NICS pay scales for 2026/27?
No 2026 scales have been published, because the 2026 award is not yet agreed. The latest published NICS scales are the ones from 1 August 2025: £25,796 for an Admin Assistant, up to £64,469 at the top of Grade 7 and £77,904 at the top of Grade 6. Senior Civil Service Pay Scale 1 starts at £88,268.
Has the NICS 2026 pay award been agreed?
Not as at the latest Department of Finance bulletin, dated 18 August 2026. It says the Finance Minister has met the recognised trade unions and remains committed to making a Civil Service pay offer at the earliest opportunity the financial position allows, and that engagement with the unions is ongoing. We checked for a newer bulletin on 26 October 2026.
When does the NICS pay award take effect?
Historically on 1 August. The 2024/25 award committed to moving the pay award date from August to April from 1 April 2026, which the March 2026 bulletin restated, so the 2026 award is the first due on the April date. It is not yet agreed.
Is the NICS the same as the UK Civil Service?
No. The Northern Ireland Civil Service is a separate employer with its own grades, pay scales and pay cycle, and its own pension scheme. Department of Finance guidance says service with the GB Civil Service does not count as continuous NICS employment. GB Civil Service pay below the Senior Civil Service is set department by department, with no national scale.
What does an NICS Admin Assistant earn?
The 1 August 2025 AA scale is a single point of £25,796. The NICS is an accredited Living Wage Foundation employer, and the March 2026 bulletin said the next real Living Wage increase for AA and analogous grades would take effect from 1 April, pending the 2026 award. We have not found that rate published, so an AA may now be paid more than the scale shows.
How much does a Staff Officer take home?
At the Staff Officer maximum of £38,990 (1 August 2025 scale), take-home in 2026/27 is about £31,592 a year or £2,633 a month after Income Tax and National Insurance, on a standard tax code with no student loan. That is before the pension contribution, which reduces it further.
Which pension scheme are NICS staff in?
The Civil Service Pension Scheme (Northern Ireland). alpha has been the scheme for new entrants since 1 April 2015. Contributions are tiered on pensionable earnings; the latest table the scheme publishes applies from 1 September 2025, with rates from 4.65% to 8.25%.