Civil service pay calculator 2026/27
Pick your department and grade and we fill in the typical salary there, or enter your own. Covers 96 departments and agencies, the alpha pension, allowances, overtime and student loans.
Your civil service job
Half of EOs at HMRC earned less than £32,230 and half more, at 31 March 2026 (official figure). Most have had a 2026/27 rise since, so put in your own salary if you know it.
Add to your pay
Deductions and tax
What promotion to HEO is worth at HMRC
About £419 a month more after tax, NI and pension.
EO pay across departments
Median salary at 31 March 2026 (* our estimate) and take-home a month on it today. HMRC is 49 of 92.
| Department | Median | Take-home |
|---|---|---|
| NCA | £43,280 | £2,733 |
| SPS | £42,650 | £2,697 |
| HMPPS | £39,930 | £2,544 |
| Forestry and Land Scotland | £38,120 | £2,442 |
| Scottish Forestry | £38,120 | £2,442 |
| HMRC | £32,230 | £2,128 |
| Ofgem | £29,310 | £1,962 |
| The National Archives | £29,260 | £1,959 |
| ONS | £28,790 | £1,932 |
| UK Space Agency | £28,560 | £1,919 |
| Ofqual | £26,950 | £1,828 |
See every department on the EO salary page.
Civil service pay by grade
| Grade | Median salary | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|
| AA and AO | £28,020 | £1,889 |
| EO | £32,140 | £2,123 |
| HEO and SEO | £43,930 | £2,769 |
| Grade 7 and 6 | £65,830 | £3,820 |
| Senior Civil Service | £95,540 | £5,146 |
Whole Civil Service medians at 31 March 2026. Take-home is full time, alpha member, tax code 1257L, no student loan.
How civil service pay is set
Below the Senior Civil Service there is no national pay scale. Each department sets pay ranges for its grades, inside a Cabinet Office cap. For 2026/27 the cap allows average awards of up to 3.5%. Many departments pay more in London, and some pay specialist rates for jobs such as digital, legal or commercial roles.
alpha pension contributions
| Pensionable pay | You pay |
|---|---|
| Up 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% |
The rate applies to all of your pensionable pay, not just the part above each threshold, and it comes off before tax.
Senior Civil Service pay bands
| Band | Range from April 2026 |
|---|---|
| SCS Pay Band 1 (Deputy Director) | £86,000 to £117,800 |
| SCS Pay Band 1A | £86,000 to £128,900 |
| SCS Pay Band 2 (Director) | £105,000 to £162,500 |
| SCS Pay Band 3 (Director General) | £135,000 to £208,100 |
Common questions
Where do the department figures come from?
From Cabinet Office Civil Service Statistics. EO and Senior Civil Service figures are the official medians at 31 March 2026. For the other grades, the 2026 release only gives combined levels such as HEO and SEO together, so we take each grade’s 2025 median and raise it by how much its level rose across the civil service. We mark those as estimates and will replace them when the full 2026 figures are published.
Why is the calculator salary different from my payslip?
The figure we fill in is the middle salary for your grade in your department. You may be paid more or less depending on where you are in the pay range, your location and any pay award since. Type your own salary to get your exact take-home.
Is overtime pensionable in the civil service?
No. Overtime is taxed but does not count for alpha. Some allowances do, so the calculator lets you enter pensionable and non-pensionable allowances separately.
Does part-time work change my pension rate?
Your alpha contribution rate is based on what you actually earn. So a part-time civil servant may pay a lower rate than a full-time colleague on the same grade.