Probation pay calculator 2026/27
Take-home pay for Probation Service staff in England and Wales. Pick your band and pay point, switch between current rates and the 2026/27 offer, and add London Allowance, Prison Supplement and standby.
Your probation job
Rates paid now, after the 6% award for 2025/26.
Add to your pay
Deductions and tax
If the 5% offer is agreed, your take-home goes up by about £103.65 a month, backdated to April.
Probation staff are in the Local Government Pension Scheme, run by the Greater Manchester Pension Fund. See your pension with the LGPS pension calculator.
See take-home for every pay period
- Annually
- £28,394.58
- Monthly
- £2,366.22
- 4-weekly
- £2,184.20
- Fortnightly
- £1,092.10
- Weekly
- £546.05
- Daily (5-day week)
- £109.21
Pay points in Band 4
Probation Officer (PO). Take-home a month at each point, with everything you entered above.
| Point | Salary | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | £37,238 | £2,366.22 |
| 2 | £38,950 | £2,461.52 |
| 3 | £40,741 | £2,561.22 |
| 4 | £42,575 | £2,663.31 |
| 5 | £44,520 | £2,771.58 |
Probation pay bands
| Band | Current pay | 2026/27 offer |
|---|---|---|
| Band 2 Administration and case support | £24,645 to £26,723 | £25,877 to £28,059 |
| Band 3 Probation Services Officer (PSO) | £28,064 to £33,549 | £29,467 to £35,226 |
| Band 4 Probation Officer (PO) | £37,238 to £44,520 | £39,100 to £46,746 |
| Band 5 Senior Probation Officer (SPO) | £46,746 to £48,760 | £49,083 to £51,198 |
| Band 6 Head of service or senior specialist | £51,203 to £56,111 | £53,763 to £58,917 |
| Band A Senior manager | £58,952 to £61,750 | £61,900 to £64,838 |
| Band B Senior manager | £64,983 to £72,610 | £68,232 to £76,241 |
| Band C Senior leader | £76,241 to £82,145 | £80,053 to £86,252 |
| Band D Senior leader | £86,263 to £99,449 | £90,576 to £104,421 |
Full time, 37 hours a week. Current pay is the 2025/26 rate after the 6% award. The 2026/27 column is HMPPS’s 5% offer, which has not yet been agreed.
How probation take-home pay is worked out
A newly qualified probation officer on £37,238 pays 6.5% into the LGPS, which is £2,420 a year taken before tax. Income Tax is £4,450 and National Insurance is £1,973, leaving £28,395 a year, or £2,366 a month.
Staff below the top of their band usually move up one pay point a year, linked to the Competency Based Framework (CBF). The hourly rate is the yearly salary divided by 52.143 weeks and 37 hours.
Probation and prison pay are different
The Probation Service and the Prison Service are both part of HMPPS, but they have separate pay bands and pensions. Prison staff are in the civil service alpha pension, while probation staff are in the LGPS. For prison pay, see the prison officer pay calculator.
Common questions
How much does a probation officer take home a month?
A qualified probation officer starts on £37,238 (Band 4, point 1), which is about £2,366 a month after tax, NI and the LGPS. A probation services officer starts on £28,064, about £1,869 a month.
Is there a probation pay rise for 2026?
HMPPS has offered 5% on all pay points and allowances from 1 April 2026, plus the next pay point for eligible staff. UNISON recommended accepting it, while Napo rejected it and moved to an industrial action ballot. Until it is agreed, staff are paid the 2025/26 rates.
What was the 2025/26 probation pay award?
A 6% rise on all pay points and allowances, agreed in 2026 after members rejected an earlier 4% offer. The London Allowance rose to £4,505.
What pension do probation staff get?
Probation staff are members of the Local Government Pension Scheme, run by the Greater Manchester Pension Fund, not the civil service scheme. A new probation officer pays 6.5% of pay, about £201.71 a month, which reduces take-home by about £161.36 after tax relief.
How much is the probation London Allowance?
£4,505 a year at current rates, rising to £4,730 if the 2026/27 offer is agreed. It is paid pro rata for part-time staff.
What is the Prison Supplement in probation?
An allowance for probation staff working in prisons: £781 a year now, or £820 under the 2026/27 offer.