Firefighter overtime calculator
Overtime for wholetime firefighters is paid at time and a half of the hourly rate. This page shows the rates for each role, what a typical month of extra hours is worth after tax and how it compares with basic pay.
Your fire service job
Full-time shift or day duty, 42 hours a week. Pay from 1 July 2026.
Add to your pay
Overtime and public holidays
Overtime at time and a half
Deductions and tax
Basic pay and CPD count for your pension. Overtime and temporary promotion pay do not.
See take-home for every pay period
- Annually
- £31,378.47
- Monthly
- £2,614.87
- 4-weekly
- £2,413.73
- Fortnightly
- £1,206.86
- Weekly
- £603.43
- Daily (5-day week)
- £120.69
Pay stages as Firefighter
Take-home a month at each stage, with everything you entered above.
| Stage | Salary | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|
| Development | £31,539 | £2,139.10 |
| Competent | £40,358 | £2,614.87 |
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Overtime rates by role
The hourly rate in the Grey Book is the yearly salary divided by 52.143 weeks and then by 42 hours. Overtime is paid at 1.5 times that. These rates apply to roles from firefighter up to station manager. Group managers and area managers are not paid overtime.
| Role, top stage | Salary | Hourly | Overtime rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firefighter | £40,358 | £18.43 | £27.64 |
| Crew Manager | £44,742 | £20.43 | £30.65 |
| Watch Manager | £50,034 | £22.85 | £34.27 |
| Station Manager | £57,402 | £26.21 | £39.32 |
What overtime adds to a competent firefighter
The table shows extra hours each month for a competent firefighter on £40,358, with the 2015 pension, tax code 1257L and no other income.
| Overtime a month | Extra before tax | Extra take-home a month |
|---|---|---|
| 6 hours | £166 | £119 |
| 12 hours | £332 | £239 |
| 24 hours | £663 | £478 |
Overtime is taxed at your marginal rate, 20% for a competent firefighter, plus 8% National Insurance, so you keep about 72p in the pound. Overtime is not treated as pensionable in our calculator, so no pension comes off it, but it also does not add to your final pension.
Bank holidays and other premium pay
Working bank holidays can attract a higher rate under local terms. As an illustration, 12 hours a year at double time on bank holidays would add £442 before tax. Check what your own service pays, because Grey Book terms, local agreements and duty systems all affect this. You can enter bank holiday hours at time and a half or double time in the firefighter pay calculator.
On-call firefighters are not paid overtime in the same way: they are paid the hourly rate for work and a disturbance payment per call-out. See on-call firefighter pay. For the basic pay figures, see firefighter salary.
When firefighters work overtime
Most overtime comes from covering crewing shortfalls, where a station needs an extra person to keep a fire engine available, or from long incidents that run past the end of a shift. Some services also pay overtime for standby moves to cover other stations.
Overtime is voluntary in most cases and limited by the Working Time Regulations, which cap average weekly hours at 48 unless you opt out.
Common questions
What is the overtime rate for firefighters?
Time and a half. For a competent firefighter that is £27.64 an hour from July 2026.
How much extra will 12 hours of overtime a month give me?
About £332 before tax and £239 after tax and National Insurance, for a competent firefighter.
Is firefighter overtime pensionable?
No. Overtime does not count as pensionable pay in the 2015 fire pension.
Do station managers get overtime?
Yes, up to and including station manager. It stops at group manager.