Police sergeant salary 2026/27
Sergeant pay from 1 September 2026, and how much of the step up from constable you actually keep.
Sergeant pay points
| Pay point | Salary | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | £55,443 | £3,133 |
| 3 | £56,573 | £3,196 |
| 4 | £58,175 | £3,285 |
What promotion is worth
Going from the top of the constable scale (£52,015) to sergeant (£55,443) adds £3,428 a year, but only about £191 a month after tax, because the rise is taxed at 40% and 2% NI, plus the pension contribution. Constables also lose easy access to some overtime patterns, so check your own figures.
Sergeant pay by force
The scale is national, but the total depends on where you serve. The table shows the first sergeant pay point with the allowances that apply in each type of force. Take-home is after tax, National Insurance and pension.
| Force | Total pay | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|
| Most forces | £55,443 | £3,133 |
| South East (higher allowance) | £58,548 | £3,325 |
| Met or City of London | £65,522 | £3,639 |
The top of the scale, pay point 4, is £58,175, or about £3,285 a month take-home outside London. Progression is annual, on the anniversary of your promotion, and depends on meeting the pay progression standard. See South East Allowance and Met Police salary for how those payments work.
Overtime can matter more than the promotion
Sergeants are still paid overtime, rest day and public holiday rates, and an on-call allowance of £35 a day (it was £25 before September 2025). They also receive the unsocial hours allowance, 10% of the hourly rate for each full hour worked between 8pm and 6am. That means a constable who works regular overtime can match a sergeant who does not. A top-of-scale constable doing ten hours of overtime and one 8-hour rest day a month takes home about £3,399 a month. A first-point sergeant doing the same takes home about £3,565. The gap between them is much smaller than the gap in basic pay, and you should work it out for your own pattern before you apply. The police overtime calculator does that.
The four steps to sergeant
The National Police Promotion Framework has four steps. Step one is a suitability check after you complete probation and are assessed as competent. Step two is the legal exam, OSPRE Part I. Step three is an in-force assessment against the competencies for the rank, which also matches you against the expected number of vacancies and decides whether you enter the promotion pool. Step four is temporary promotion with at least 12 months of work-based assessment, which should lead to confirmed promotion. While temporarily promoted you are paid at the sergeant rate. Before step four you can sometimes be paid the acting up allowance if you cover the rank.
What a police sergeant does
Sergeants are the first line of management in policing. You lead a team of constables on a response shift, in a neighbourhood team, in custody or in an investigation unit, while still going out to serious incidents yourself.
Typical duties
- Briefing your team at the start of each shift and deciding who goes where.
- Taking charge at incidents until an inspector arrives.
- Checking constables’ arrests, case files and use of force.
- In custody, acting as custody sergeant and deciding whether people can be detained.
- Managing your team’s welfare, performance, leave and training.
How promotion works
Most forces use the national police promotion framework:
- Show you are competent as a constable, after probation.
- Pass the sergeants’ legal exam, sat online twice a year.
- Pass your force’s selection process, often an application and interview.
- Serve 12 months as a temporary sergeant on a work-based assessment before you are confirmed in rank.
The College of Policing is testing a new process in some forces, so check what your force uses.
Is it worth it?
As shown above, the step up from the top of the constable scale is small after tax. Sergeants still get overtime, so the gap can be bigger in practice. Most go for it for the role itself and because it is the route to inspector.
Common questions
How do you become a police sergeant?
Pass your probation, pass the national sergeants’ legal exam, get through your force’s selection, then complete 12 months as a temporary sergeant on a work-based assessment.
How much does a police sergeant earn?
£55,443 to £58,175 from 1 September 2026, outside London.