Prison officer pay and pension

Everything for HMPPS staff in England and Wales: what you take home each month on any band, location and contract, what your pension will pay, and guides to unsocial hours, committed hours and Payment Plus.

Updated for the 2026/27 tax year

Prison pay calculator

Take-home for Bands 2 to 12, national or London, on 37, 39 or 41 hours, with unsocial hours, Payment Plus, on-call and the alpha pension.

New Band 3 officer, 37 hours£2,281.89 a month
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Pension calculator

Your alpha pension and lump sum at retirement in today’s money, with classic and premium service, the McCloud choice and early retirement.

Starting at 30 on £34,928, retiring at 67£30,793 a year
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Prison pay guides

Prison officer starting salaryBand 3 on 37, 39 or 41 hoursOSG salaryBand 2 with the 25% allowanceSupervising officer salaryBand 4 take-homeCustodial manager salaryBand 5 pay pointsPrison governor salaryBands 7 to 12London prison payInner and outer London ratesPayment Plus£23 an hour, what you keepUnsocial hours and ACHHow committed hours are paid

Prison pay in 2026/27 at a glance

  • 3.5% on all pay points from 1 April 2026, backdated, with Bands 3 and 5 also moving up a point.
  • Bands 3 to 5 get 20% unsocial hours on top of base pay, Band 2 gets 25%, and Bands 7 to 12 a 20% Required Hours Addition.
  • London pay is higher by up to £5,218 (inner) and £3,432 (outer).
  • Payment Plus is £23 an hour. alpha pension contributions are 4.6% to 8.05%.

Working in probation instead? Probation has its own pay bands and pension: see probation pay.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a prison officer take home a month?

A new Band 3 officer at a national rate prison takes home about £2,282 a month on 37 hours, £2,369 on 39 hours and £2,520 on 41 hours, after tax, NI and the alpha pension.

What is a prison officer’s hourly rate?

Base pay on Band 3 point 1 works out at £15.09 an hour. With the 20% unsocial hours allowance included it is £18.10 an hour.

How much do prison officers pay into their pension?

Most prison officers are in the Civil Service alpha scheme and pay between 4.6% and 8.05% of pensionable pay. A new Band 3 officer pays 4.6%, which is £133.89 a month.

Do prison officers in London earn more?

Yes. Prisons in London pay higher rates. A new Band 3 officer in inner London on 37 hours earns £40,876 including unsocial hours, which is about £2,597 a month after deductions.

What is Payment Plus and how much is it?

Payment Plus is paid overtime for extra hours, at £23.00 an hour from April 2026. Ten hours a month adds about £166 to a new officer’s take-home. It is not pensionable.

What does an Operational Support Grade take home?

A Band 2 OSG on 37 hours earns £31,761 including the 25% unsocial hours allowance, about £2,102 a month after tax, NI and pension.

How much does a supervising officer earn?

A Band 4 supervising officer earns £41,328 at a national rate prison, including unsocial hours. That is about £2,623 a month after deductions.

Is it worth staying in the prison officer pension?

A year on Band 3 adds about £810 a year to your alpha pension for life, increased by inflation. It costs about £1,285 a year after tax relief, and the employer pays far more on top. This is general information, not advice.