Police Pay 2026/27 Confirmed: 3.5% From 1 September

Back in June we covered what the Police Federation was asking for. On 15 July, the Government gave its answer: a 3.5% pay rise for every rank, backed by £373 million in extra funding, arriving on payslips from 1 September 2026. Here's the real breakdown — including the detail most of the coverage glossed over.

What was actually announced

On 15 July 2026, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood confirmed the 2026/27 police pay award in a Written Ministerial Statement to Parliament. Every rank — from Constable through to Chief Officer — gets 3.5%, effective 1 September 2026.

The figure follows recommendations from the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB), which covers federated and superintending ranks, and the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB), which covers chief officers. Both fed into the same decision, which is why the increase applies uniformly across the rank structure rather than tapering off at senior levels.

It's the follow-up to what we covered in June, when the Police Federation had just submitted its case for a minimum 7% consolidated award. That case didn't land in full — more on the gap between the ask and the outcome further down.

What 3.5% means in real pounds

Here's what the confirmed figures actually look like, rank by rank. Constable figures are confirmed directly; Sergeant, Inspector and Chief Inspector figures below are estimated by applying the confirmed 3.5% to the current published scale, since forces haven't yet published the full rank-by-rank tables.

Rank	2025/26 rate	2026/27 rate (from 1 Sept)
Constable, starting	£31,164	£32,256 – £33,609
Constable, 6 years' service	≈£50,256	£52,014
Sergeant*	£53,568 – £56,208	≈£55,443 – £58,175
Inspector*	£59,394 – £61,998	≈£61,473 – £64,168
Chief Inspector*	£65,094 – £67,176	≈£67,372 – £69,527

*Estimated by applying the confirmed 3.5% uplift to current rates — not yet individually confirmed by the Home Office. Full official tables will replace these estimates on our pay scales page once published.

A constable starting out moves to somewhere between £32,256 and £33,609, depending on force and point on scale. A constable with six years in means basic pay of £52,014. Once your force confirms your exact new point on the scale, the fastest way to see what it means week to week is to update your hourly rate in Overtime Live — the Take-Home Pay card does the tax, National Insurance and pension maths for you, on every shift.

The detail most headlines missed: pay progression

Most coverage stopped at "3.5%." That's the headline uplift to the pay scale itself — but it's not the whole story for a lot of officers.

If you haven't reached the top of your rank's pay scale yet, you're also due a pay progression increment on top of the 3.5%, typically worth another 2% to 6%, provided you meet your force's progression requirements. Stack the two together and plenty of early and mid-career officers will see a real increase well above the 3.5% headline figure.

If you're already at the top of your scale — which covers most Sergeants, Inspectors and above — the 3.5% is the whole increase, since there's no further increment left to climb.

London Weighting and the London Allowance

Officers serving in London-based forces get two additional payments on top of the national scale: London Weighting, worth £3,260, and a London Allowance worth up to £6,819. Both are separate from, and additional to, the 3.5% uplift to base pay.

The gap between the ask and the award

The Police Federation had asked for a minimum 7% consolidated award for 2026/27, arguing that police pay has fallen 22% in real terms since 2010 and that recruitment and retention are suffering as a result. The confirmed 3.5% is less than half that ask.

For context, 3.5% is broadly in line with several other 2026 public sector settlements — NHS doctors, school teachers and prison officers all landed on the same figure this year.

What happens next

The new rates apply from 1 September 2026. If a force needs a little longer to get the new figures onto its payroll system, the increase is typically backdated to that date.

We'll update our pay scales page with the full confirmed rank-by-rank table as soon as forces publish it — that page already covers current 2025/26 police rates and 2026/27 NHS Agenda for Change bands side by side, and will show the confirmed police figures from 1 September.

One more thing, if you're an Inspector or Chief Inspector: the 3.5% lifts your base salary like everyone else's, but it doesn't change the fact you're not entitled to standard overtime pay. If you're tracking hours against the 48-hour Working Time Regulations limit, our free Inspector Hours Tracker handles that separately from pay.

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