Police pay scales

Police constables in England and Wales appointed on or after 1 April 2013 are paid on a seven-point scale that runs from £32,255 at pay point 1 to £52,015 at pay point 7, from 1 September 2026. Those figures include the 3.5% award confirmed by written ministerial statement on 15 July 2026. Officers in London also get London weighting and a London allowance, and both rose by 3.5%.

The constable scale from September 2026

Pay point	Annual salary from 1 September 2026
PP1	£32,255
PP2	£33,609
PP3	£34,972
PP4	£36,335
PP5	£39,058
PP6	£44,544
PP7	£52,015

The scale comes from the Police Federation of England and Wales. Constables who joined before 1 April 2013 are on an older scale with different points; the Federation publishes that too.

The two largest steps come at the end: £5,486 from PP5 to PP6 and £7,471 from PP6 to PP7. If you are planning your finances around the early years, expect most of the increase to arrive later.

The 2026/27 award

The Police Remuneration Review Body recommended 3.9%. The government chose 3.5%, effective from 1 September 2026, and confirmed it on 15 July 2026. London weighting and other allowances also rose 3.5%. Police pay awards normally take effect on 1 September each year, so the next one is due from September 2027.

Officers in Scotland and Northern Ireland are paid on separate scales set for Police Scotland and the Police Service of Northern Ireland. The figures above do not apply there.

How you move up the scale

Constables move up one pay point a year, subject to satisfactory performance. Forces can link the step from one point to the next to completing the probation period or meeting set standards, so check your force’s rules.

Student officers on the degree apprenticeship, the degree-holder entry programme or Police Now start as constables and are paid on the same scale. Your starting point depends on the national rules and your force’s policy, so ask at the offer stage. The police constable profile and the Police Now guide explain the entry routes.

Pay scales for sergeants, inspectors and higher ranks are set out by the Police Federation and the Home Office. Rozile has not reproduced them here because we have not checked the 2026/27 figures.

London weighting and allowances

Officers in the Metropolitan Police and the City of London Police receive London weighting and a London allowance on top of basic pay. Officers in some forces around London receive smaller South East allowances. All of these rose by 3.5% from 1 September 2026. The cash values are on the Police Federation’s pay pages; Rozile does not list them because we have not verified the new amounts.

On top of basic pay, constables can earn overtime, rest-day working pay and allowances for unsocial hours or particular roles. These vary by force and duty pattern, and they can make a large difference to annual earnings for officers on response shifts.

PCSOs and police staff

Police community support officers are police staff, not officers, so they are not on the constable scale. Each force sets PCSO pay on the Police Staff Council spine, and the Metropolitan Police has its own arrangements. The unions’ claim for police staff from 1 September 2026 is 9% or £2,700, but no 2026/27 police staff award had been agreed by mid-October 2026. The PCSO profile describes the role, and the force’s own advert will show the current salary.

Tax and take-home pay

A constable at PP1 (£32,255) pays income tax at 20% and National Insurance at 8% on pay above £12,570. At PP7 (£52,015), £1,745 of pay is above £50,270, where 40% income tax begins in England and Wales. Police pension contributions come out before tax and reduce the taxable amount, so check your payslip for the exact figure. The take-home pay calculator works out net pay at each point.

If you are moving to London for a policing job, the public sector jobs in London guide covers the main employers in the capital.