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Pay GuideTax Year 2026/27

Police Officer Pay UK 2026/27

Police officer salaries are nationally structured, with progression up the constable scale and additional allowances for London and specialist duties. Total earnings are shaped by service length, force location, and role type.

At a Glance

  • Probationer / Constable (joining)£29,907£25,054
  • Constable (experienced)£46,044£36,672
  • Sergeant£50,403£39,791
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Police pay in England and Wales is set through the Police Remuneration Review Body, and the 2024/25 recommendation of 4.75% took the new constable starting salary to £29,907.

Officers joining through the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship progress up the constable spine to £46,044, typically over around seven years' service.

Metropolitan Police staff receive London allowance and weighting on top of base rates, while detective and specialist posts can attract additional role-specific payments.

Take-home calculator

Your take-home pay

Enter your salary and we'll break down income tax, National Insurance, pension contributions and your final take-home for 2026/27.

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Your taxes (2026/27)

YearMonthWeek
Gross Income£37,500£3,125£721
Pension (You)£375 Saved!£1,875£156£36
PensionEmployer Added!£1,125£94£22
Taxable Income£35,625£2,969£685
Personal allowance£12,570--
National Insurance£1,843£154£35
Income Tax£4,611£384£89
Take Home Pay£29,171£2,431£561
Added to Pension£3,000£250£58
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If you invested £181 each month into an ISA after covering your expenses, you could make £108,173 over 25 years - a whopping +£53,905 on top of what you put in, thanks to compounding returns.
HMRC Tax rates and rules last updated 6th Apr 2026

Police Officer Salary Breakdown UK 2026/27

The table below shows typical police officer salaries across experience levels and regions, alongside estimated take-home pay after income tax and National Insurance. Click any gross salary figure to open it in the calculator.

LevelNational GrossNational Take-HomeMonthly (National)London GrossLondon Take-Home
Probationer / Constable (joining)£29,907£25,054£2,088£35,496£29,078
Constable (experienced)£46,044£36,672£3,056£52,300£40,892
Sergeant£50,403£39,791£3,316£56,793£43,498
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How Police Officer Pay Works in the UK

2024/25 constable pay scale: £29,907 (joining) rising to £46,044 at the top of scale (approximately 7 years service)

Sergeant scale: £50,403–£53,288; Inspector scale: £58,566–£62,703 (2024/25)

Metropolitan Police officers receive approximately £3,000–£4,200 above national rates via London allowance and weighting

Police Pension Scheme (2015 scheme) requires officer contribution of 13.44–15.05% of pay; benefits include defined-benefit accrual at 1/55.6th of career average

Detective and specialist roles (firearms, public order, dog unit) attract post-specific allowances of £1,000–£5,000/year

Overtime is paid at plain time for most forces, or taken as time off in lieu; there is no automatic overtime premium

Income Tax and National Insurance in 2026/27

Like all UK workers, police officers salaries are subject to income tax and National Insurance (NI) contributions. In the 2026/27 tax year:

Income Tax Bands
Up to £12,5700% (Personal Allowance)
£12,571 – £50,27020% (Basic Rate)
£50,271 – £125,14040% (Higher Rate)
Above £125,14045% (Additional Rate)
Employee National Insurance
Up to £12,5700%
£12,570 – £50,2708%
Above £50,2702%
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Use the calculator above to see your exact take-home pay after all deductions, including pension contributions and student loan repayments if applicable.

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Projected Wealth

Estimated income over 50 years, adjusted for inflation, with a 5% annual return and 0.35% yearly platform fee.

Calculations
  • FI Target = Annual outgoings (£21,600) * Years needed for 4.00% SWR (25.00) = £540,000
  • Invested annual pension = £3,000
  • Invested annual surplus = £2,171
  • Inflation of 2.5% / year
  • Assumes New State Pension, payments increasing with inflation (2.5% / year)
  • Assumes student loans last 30 years max
  • Assumes a flex-drawdown pension for illustration purposes
  • Assumes you draw down pension up to the higher rate bracket (£50,270), then draw down your S&S ISA
  • Pension lump sums are not included