When Do NHS & Police Pay Scales Update in England & Wales?

If you're an NHS worker or a police officer in England and Wales, your pay doesn't just quietly change in the background. There's a formal process, a set calendar, and — if history is any guide — a decent chance the money lands in your account later than it should. Here's the full picture: when it happens, what happened last time, and when to expect the next changes.

How the NHS pay calendar works

NHS Agenda for Change pay runs on the government's financial year: 1 April to 31 March. Every year, the independent NHS Pay Review Body (NHSPRB) gathers evidence — from NHS Employers, the unions, and the government — and makes a formal recommendation. The government then accepts, modifies, or rejects it.

In theory, that recommendation lands before April so new rates can go live on the first day of the new financial year. In practice, it regularly hasn't. For most of the last decade, NHS staff have had to wait until summer or later to see the rise, then received a lump-sum backdated payment that created a tax and pension headache.

What happened with the NHS 2026/27 award

For 2026/27, the NHSPRB recommended a 3.3% consolidated uplift for all Agenda for Change staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The government accepted this and announced it on 12 February 2026 — six weeks before the start of the financial year.

That early announcement mattered. NHS payroll systems, most of which run on the Electronic Staff Record (ESR), had time to process the change before April. For the first time since 2020, over 1.4 million NHS workers saw the increase in their April payslip rather than waiting until August for a complicated lump-sum backdated payment.

Scotland negotiated separately, agreeing a 3.75% rise as the second year of a two-year deal. Welsh staff received 3.3% plus a Welsh premium, and Northern Ireland — after years of delays — saw its 3.3% award paid alongside the English and Welsh settlement.

The RCN described the award as "below the current level of inflation" at the time of announcement (CPI was running at around 3.4%). The government countered that its own OBR forecast had inflation falling to 2.2% across 2026/27, making 3.3% a real-terms increase over the full year. Both things are true simultaneously, which is why people feel differently about it depending on what they weigh.

How the police pay calendar works

Police officer pay in England and Wales runs on a different timetable entirely. The pay year starts 1 September, not 1 April. The independent body responsible is the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB), which gathers evidence through winter and spring, submits its report in mid-summer, and the Home Secretary confirms the award.

Unlike NHS pay, police pay historically has been confirmed closer to — and sometimes on or after — the implementation date. Backdating to 1 September still applies if the announcement is delayed into autumn.

What happened with the police 2025/26 award

In 2025/26, the PRRB recommended a 4.2% increase for all federated ranks — Constable through to Chief Superintendent — in England and Wales. The Home Secretary accepted this in full, and it was announced on 1 August 2025, taking effect from 1 September 2025.

Alongside the basic pay rise, the award also increased the on-call allowance from £25 to £35 per day — a 40% jump that matters significantly for officers who regularly cover on-call duties. London Weighting and the Dog Handlers' Allowance also rose by 4.2%.

The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) had pushed for 7% and were blunt in their response — describing the 4.2% as "the price of a Big Mac per shift" given that CPI was running at 4.1% at the time. The Superintendents' Association took a more positive line, welcoming the fact the award was centrally funded so forces didn't have to find the money from existing budgets.

What's coming for police pay in September 2026

The 2026/27 police pay review is underway right now. Minister of State for Policing Sarah Jones issued the formal remit letter to the PRRB on 19 February 2026. The review body is currently gathering and analysing evidence from the Home Office, NPCC, Police Federation, and Superintendents' Association.

The process runs like this:

What's the likely number? The NPCC has proposed a 2.5–3.5% award (arguing 3.5% if fully funded, 2.5% if forces have to find it themselves). The Police Federation is calling for a minimum of 7% per year for three years to start reversing what they describe as a 21% real-terms pay cut since 2010. Most independent analysts currently forecast the final award landing around 3%.

How to make sure you're paid correctly

Pay scale changes create the highest risk of payslip errors all year. Systems get updated, bands get calculated, and in busy payroll departments — particularly across large NHS trusts or police force finance teams — mistakes happen. Here's what to do.

For NHS staff: From 1 April each year, your hourly rate should reflect the new AfC rates. Divide your new annual salary by 1,955.25 (37.5 hours × 52.14 weeks). If your payslip doesn't show the new figure and your employer uses ESR, it should have updated in April — check with your payroll department if it hasn't. If the rise was backdated, you're owed arrears for every month since 1 April.

For police officers: Your new hourly rate from 1 September should be your new annual salary divided by 2,085.6 (40 hours × 52.14 weeks). Any rest day working, bank holiday duty, or overtime claimed after that date should use the updated base rate. If your time and a third calculation looks wrong, check whether the base rate was updated.

The simplest way to check: use the pay-scales tool. Pick your band or rank, see your current official hourly rate, and compare it to your payslip. If they don't match, you've got something to raise.