Grade 6 salary 2026/27
Grade 6 sits one step below the Senior Civil Service. This page compares Grade 6 pay by department with what the SCS pays, and shows where the tax gets steep.
The official median for Grade 7 and Grade 6 combined was £65,830 at 31 March 2026. Grade 6 medians by department run from £67,690 to £115,030.
Grade 6 pay in every department
Median full-time salary at 31 March 2026, from Cabinet Office Civil Service Statistics, with what it leaves a month after tax, NI and alpha at 2026/27 rates. 84 departments and agencies have a figure for this grade.
| # | Department | Median | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UK Debt Management Office | £115,030* | £5,907 |
| 2 | Ofwat | £103,790* | £5,515 |
| 3 | Ofsted | £98,910* | £5,297 |
| 4 | Government Actuary's Department | £97,530* | £5,235 |
| 5 | DVLA | £96,880* | £5,206 |
| 6 | HMPPS | £96,780* | £5,202 |
| 7 | Estyn | £89,790 | £4,890 |
| 8 | Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service | £89,010* | £4,855 |
| 9 | Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service | £88,930* | £4,851 |
| 10 | Education Scotland | £88,930* | £4,851 |
| 11 | National Records of Scotland | £88,930* | £4,851 |
| 12 | Scottish Government | £88,930* | £4,851 |
| 13 | Social Security Scotland | £88,930* | £4,851 |
| 14 | Transport Scotland | £88,930* | £4,851 |
| 15 | Registers of Scotland | £88,670* | £4,840 |
| 16 | Welsh Government | £87,810* | £4,801 |
| 17 | CMA | £87,770* | £4,799 |
| 18 | NCA | £86,440* | £4,740 |
| 19 | Forestry and Land Scotland | £85,390* | £4,693 |
| 20 | UKEF | £85,010* | £4,676 |
| 21 | SPS | £84,380* | £4,648 |
| 22 | National Savings and Investments | £83,900* | £4,627 |
| 23 | FCDO Services | £83,670* | £4,616 |
| 24 | Office of Rail and Road | £82,770* | £4,576 |
| 25 | Home Office | £82,250* | £4,553 |
| 26 | Acas | £81,960* | £4,540 |
| 27 | Government Commercial Organisation | £81,730* | £4,530 |
| 28 | CPS | £81,680* | £4,527 |
| 29 | HM Land Registry | £80,910* | £4,493 |
| 30 | IPO | £80,820* | £4,489 |
| 31 | Planning Inspectorate | £80,430* | £4,472 |
| 32 | Submarine Delivery Agency | £80,320* | £4,467 |
| 33 | Attorney General's Office | £80,180* | £4,460 |
| 34 | GLD | £80,180* | £4,460 |
| 35 | HMRC | £79,640* | £4,436 |
| 36 | VOA | £79,640* | £4,436 |
| 37 | Dstl | £79,250* | £4,419 |
| 38 | Insolvency Service | £79,000* | £4,408 |
| 39 | DE&S | £78,960* | £4,406 |
| 40 | Government Property Agency | £78,940* | £4,405 |
| 41 | DESNZ | £78,870* | £4,402 |
| 42 | Serious Fraud Office | £78,270* | £4,375 |
| 43 | UK Hydrographic Office | £77,990* | £4,363 |
| 44 | Building Digital UK | £77,530* | £4,342 |
| 45 | MoD | £77,250* | £4,330 |
| 46 | HSE | £77,230* | £4,329 |
| 47 | UKHSA | £77,070* | £4,322 |
| 48 | DfT | £77,020* | £4,319 |
| 49 | MoJ | £76,950* | £4,316 |
| 50 | Northern Ireland Office | £76,950* | £4,316 |
| 51 | DHSC | £76,940* | £4,316 |
| 52 | FCDO | £76,800* | £4,310 |
| 53 | Crown Commercial Service | £76,470* | £4,295 |
| 54 | DSIT | £76,460* | £4,294 |
| 55 | MHRA | £76,240* | £4,285 |
| 56 | DBT | £75,950* | £4,272 |
| 57 | HM Treasury | £75,840* | £4,267 |
| 58 | Veterinary Medicines Directorate | £75,420* | £4,248 |
| 59 | UK Space Agency | £75,310* | £4,243 |
| 60 | DWP | £75,170* | £4,237 |
| 61 | Cabinet Office | £74,730* | £4,217 |
| 62 | DfE | £74,680* | £4,215 |
| 63 | Standards and Testing Agency | £74,680* | £4,215 |
| 64 | Charity Commission | £74,250* | £4,196 |
| 65 | Companies House | £74,240* | £4,195 |
| 66 | MHCLG | £73,830* | £4,177 |
| 67 | Ofqual | £73,310* | £4,154 |
| 68 | Ofgem | £73,230* | £4,150 |
| 69 | DCMS | £73,080* | £4,143 |
| 70 | MCA | £73,030* | £4,141 |
| 71 | Government Internal Audit Agency | £72,970* | £4,139 |
| 72 | DVSA | £72,960* | £4,138 |
| 73 | LAA | £72,790* | £4,130 |
| 74 | HMCTS | £72,590* | £4,122 |
| 75 | OPG | £72,590* | £4,122 |
| 76 | The National Archives | £71,760* | £4,084 |
| 77 | Active Travel England | £71,280* | £4,063 |
| 78 | FSA | £71,190* | £4,059 |
| 79 | Defra | £71,180* | £4,059 |
| 80 | APHA | £70,620* | £4,034 |
| 81 | ONS | £69,510* | £3,984 |
| 82 | Met Office | £69,410* | £3,980 |
| 83 | RPA | £68,460* | £3,937 |
| 84 | Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science | £67,690* | £3,903 |
A median is the middle salary: half of staff earn more and half less. * Our estimate: the 2026 release combines some grades, so we raise the department’s 2025 figure for this grade by how much its level rose across the civil service. Figures without a star are official 2026 medians. Most departments have paid a 2026/27 award since. Some bodies, such as HMPPS, include allowances and map their own grades to these levels, so compare with care.
Grade 6 against the SCS minimum
From 1 April 2026 the Senior Civil Service pay band 1 minimum is £86,000. A Grade 6 at the median earns about £65,830, so promotion to the SCS can add a large amount before tax. Between £100,000 and £125,140 you lose £1 of personal allowance for every £2 earned, which makes the effective rate 60% on that slice of pay, so look at take-home as well as gross.
| Gross salary | Alpha rate | Take-home a month | Kept from each extra £1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| £75,000 | 7.35% | £4,229 | – |
| £86,000 | 7.35% | £4,720 | £536 |
| £100,000 | 7.35% | £5,346 | £536 |
| £110,000 | 7.35% | £5,760 | £498 |
The right-hand column shows how little of an extra £1,000 you keep between £100,000 and about £125,000. Paying more into your pension can lower the taxable figure.
Grade 6 in practice
Grade 6 is the most senior grade below the Senior Civil Service. Grade 6s typically lead larger teams or programmes and often act as deputy to a Deputy Director.
Typical jobs
- Head of a policy unit or a large operational area.
- Senior specialist, such as a lead lawyer, economist or architect.
- Programme director on a major project.
Moving up
The next step is the Senior Civil Service as a Deputy Director. Recruitment to the SCS is usually through open competition with a more demanding assessment.
Common questions
How much does a Grade 6 earn?
Department medians run from £67,690 to £115,030 at 31 March 2026, depending on where you work.