Administrative officer (AO) in the Civil Service

The administrative officer is the main entry grade of the Civil Service, one step above administrative assistant. AOs process claims and applications, answer phone and online enquiries, handle straightforward casework and keep records in departments such as HMRC, DWP, the Ministry of Justice and the DVLA. There is no single national AO salary: each department sets its own pay range, and for 2026/27 departments can raise their paybill by up to 3.5% under the government’s pay remit guidance.

The work at AO level

The grade covers a wide range of jobs, which is why advert titles vary so much. Common AO posts include:

• contact centre adviser, answering calls and webchats from the public
• processing officer, working through applications, forms and payments
• court and tribunal administrator, preparing files and listing hearings
• caseworker for straightforward cases, following set guidance
• office support in policy or operational teams, managing diaries, post and correspondence

AOs work to procedures and targets, and their decisions usually follow clear rules. When a case falls outside the guidance, it goes to an EO or a specialist. You are expected to handle personal data carefully: unauthorised access to records is a disciplinary matter and, in some departments, a criminal offence. Our profile of the HMRC customer service adviser shows what a typical AO contact centre post looks like.

How AO pay is set

Each department, and sometimes each agency within it, publishes its own pay range for the AO grade, and ranges differ between departments and between London and national rates. That is why the same grade can come with different salaries on Civil Service Jobs. The advert always gives the starting salary.

For 2026/27, the Civil Service pay remit guidance published on 21 May 2026 lets departments raise their paybill by up to 3.5%. It is a paybill measure for the department as a whole, and the guidance says it does not confirm what any individual will receive. A voluntary pay compression framework also covers the grades from AA to EO, which includes AO. Our guide to Civil Service grades and pay explains how ranges are built.

Pension

AOs are eligible for the alpha pension scheme. Member contributions for 2026/27 depend on your pay:

Pensionable pay	Member rate
£0 to £36,199	4.6%
£36,200 to £56,000	5.45%
£56,001 to £150,000	7.35%
£150,001 and above	8.05%

Most AO salaries fall in the first band. The scheme pays a defined benefit pension, built up each year as a share of your pay. Our guide to the Civil Service pension (alpha) goes through how it builds up.

Hours and working patterns

Office-based AO posts usually run on standard daytime hours with flexitime, while contact centres staff their lines across longer opening hours and sometimes Saturdays, using rotas. Part-time contracts and compressed hours are common at this grade, and you can make a flexible working request from your first day in the job. The employer must deal with it within two months and can only refuse for one of the business reasons set out in law.

Annual leave in the Civil Service is set by each department and is above the statutory minimum of 5.6 weeks, with extra days for longer service in many departments. Check the advert or the department’s terms for the exact figure. Most AO posts need you to work from a named office for at least part of the week, so look closely at the location before applying. Our guide to Civil Service benefits covers leave, flexible working and the other terms in more detail.

How recruitment works

AO jobs are advertised on Civil Service Jobs, often in large campaigns for contact centres and processing centres. The advert lists which Success Profiles elements are assessed. At AO this is usually a few behaviours such as Delivering at Pace, Working Together and Managing a Quality Service, sometimes with online tests and strength questions at interview.

The application stage often asks for a short statement for each behaviour. Write about real examples, say what you did, and give a result. Our guide to Civil Service behaviours shows how to structure those examples. Bulk campaigns often add online tests before the interview.

Nationality rules apply. UK nationals can apply for any post. Around three quarters of posts are also open to Commonwealth citizens and EEA nationals under set conditions, while reserved posts are for UK nationals only. The advert says which applies. Many departments are Disability Confident employers and offer an interview to disabled applicants who opt in and meet the minimum criteria.

After an offer you go through pre-employment checks, including identity, right to work, references and a criminal record check, with higher security vetting for some posts.

Moving up

AO is the step most people take into the Civil Service, and promotion to EO comes through applying for EO vacancies. Temporary promotion to cover an absence is a common way to gain experience at the higher grade. Our guide to the executive officer grade explains what changes when you step up.