BTP Take-Home
Pay Calculator
British Transport Police pays every four weeks (13 times a year) and runs its own pension fund. This calculator works out what lands on each BTP pay day for your pay point and station.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 23 October 2026 · Great Britain unless stated
A new BTP constable on £33,609 with no location allowance takes home about £2,112.66 every four weeks before pension (after tax, NI and the Federation subscription). Pension comes off before tax and NI by salary sacrifice, at a rate BTP does not publish, so enter yours from a payslip.
Each four-weekly pay day (13 a year)
£2,112.66
take-home before pension, £27,465 a year
| Gross pay | £2,585.31 | £33,609 a year |
| Pension (rate not entered) | £0.00 | £0 a year |
| Income tax | -£323.68 | -£4,208 a year |
| National Insurance | -£129.47 | -£1,683 a year |
| Federation | -£19.50 | -£254 a year |
| Take-home | £2,112.66 | £27,465 a year |
A calculator that divides by 12 would show £2,800.75 gross per pay day; BTP's four-weekly gross is £2,585.31, with 13 pay days a year instead of 12.
Take-home per pay day at different pension rates
Illustrations only, not BTP's rates: BTP does not publish its member contribution rate. Pension is worked out on basic pay plus London Weighting.
| Contribution rate | Take-home per pay day |
|---|---|
| No pension (before pension) | £2,112.66 |
| 8% | £1,963.75 |
| 10% | £1,926.52 |
| 12% | £1,889.29 |
| 14% | £1,852.06 |
Estimate for the 2026/27 tax year with a standard tax code and no student loan, overtime or other deductions. London Allowance and the South East Allowance are left out of pensionable pay because BTP does not say whether they are pensionable. Your payslip is the final word.
Why Four-Weekly Pay Matters
BTP's transferee pack says employees "are paid every four weeks in arrears". Thirteen pay days a year means each one is smaller than a monthly salary of the same yearly amount. On the starting salary of £33,609, one BTP pay day is £2,585.31 gross, while a monthly calculator would show £2,800.75.
Plan rent, mortgage and direct debits around a four-weekly cycle. Thirteen pay days in twelve months means one calendar month in most years has two BTP pay days. BTP does not publish its pay calendar on its recruitment pages, so check yours with BTP.
Worked Examples (Before Pension)
Worked out with the calculator above for 2026/27, England and Wales tax, Federation subscription included and no pension, because BTP does not publish the member rate.
| Officer | Gross a year | Gross per pay day | Take-home per pay day |
|---|---|---|---|
| New recruit, no location allowance | £33,609 | £2,585.31 | £2,112.66 |
| New recruit, South East top tier | £36,714 | £2,824.15 | £2,284.63 |
| New recruit, Inner London | £42,654 | £3,281.06 | £2,613.60 |
| Top of scale, no location allowance | £52,014 | £4,001.08 | £3,113.23 |
The Pension Gap
BTP officers are not in the Police Pension Scheme 2015. They join the CARE section of the BTP Force Superannuation Fund, run by Railpen. Neither BTP nor the fund publishes the member contribution rate or the accrual rate on public pages, so any calculator that uses the England and Wales rates (12.88%, 13.88% or 14.22%) for BTP is guessing.
Enter your own rate if you have it. Otherwise the calculator shows pay before pension and a table of illustration rates. Read the BTP pension guide for what the fund does publish.
Allowances by Station
| Allowance | 2026/27 | Who gets it |
|---|---|---|
| London Allowance plus London Weighting | £5,783.75 + £3,261 = £9,044.75 | Officers stationed within 16 miles of Charing Cross, from day one of training |
| South East Allowance, top tier | £3,105 | Guildford, Ebbsfleet, Luton, Stevenage, Reading, Oxford, Slough, Milton Keynes, Benfleet, Maidstone, Southend, Ashford, Colchester and Basingstoke |
| South East Allowance, middle tier | £2,000 (uprating not stated) | Gatwick, Portsmouth, Southampton, Brighton and Bournemouth |
| South East Allowance, lower tier | £1,000 (uprating not stated) | Cambridge |
Station lists come from BTP's 2025/26 allowances sheet, with Basingstoke from its 2026 advert. Allowances are paid pro rata for part-time officers. See the BTP pay scales guide for the full detail.
How We Work It Out
- Gross pay is basic pay plus any London Allowance, London Weighting or South East Allowance.
- Pension is your rate times basic pay plus London Weighting, taken off before tax and NI (salary sacrifice).
- Income tax and National Insurance use the 2026/27 rates and a standard tax code, worked out on the year and divided by 13.
- The Federation subscription is £19.50 per pay day if you tick the box.
What It Does Not Include
- Overtime, rest day working and public holiday pay: BTP does not publish its rates on its recruitment pages.
- Student loan, a non-standard tax code, the EV salary sacrifice scheme or cycle to work.
- Sergeant pay for 2026/27, which BTP has not published: use "Enter my own basic salary".
Frequently Asked Questions
How often are BTP officers paid?
Every four weeks in arrears, within seven days of the end of each four-week period, according to BTP's transferee pack. That is 13 pay days a year, not 12.
Why does a normal police pay calculator get BTP wrong?
Most police calculators divide yearly pay by 12 and take the England and Wales pension rates. BTP pays 13 times a year and its officers are in the BTP Force Superannuation Fund, which does not publish its member contribution rate. Both change the figure on each payslip.
What pension rate should I enter?
Your own, from a BTP payslip or from Railpen, which runs the fund. BTP and the fund do not publish the member rate on public pages, so we do not guess one. Leave the box blank to see pay before pension, then use the table of illustration rates to see the range.
Is the pension taken before tax?
Yes. It comes off before National Insurance too. BTP's transferee pack says contributions are taken by salary sacrifice (PensionPlus), so the calculator takes them off pay before tax and NI.
Which allowance do I get?
Officers stationed within 16 miles of Charing Cross get the London Allowance and London Weighting (£9,044.75 together in 2026/27). Some South East stations get a South East Allowance of £3,105, £2,000 or £1,000. Most other stations get no location allowance. The calculator lists the stations BTP's sheet puts in each tier.
Are points 3 to 6 BTP's own figures?
No. BTP has published only the 2026/27 starting salary (point 2, £33,609) and the top of the scale (point 7, £52,014). Points 3 to 6 are our calculation: the 2025/26 figures in BTP's transferee pack plus the 3.5% award. They are labelled in the calculator.
Does it include overtime?
No. BTP does not publish its overtime, rest day or public holiday rates on its recruitment pages, so we have not modelled them.
Is anything I enter saved?
No. The calculator runs in your browser and nothing you enter is stored or sent.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 23 October 2026. Rules and figures change, so check the source for the date you are reading this. Where we could not confirm something from an official or independent source, the page says so rather than guessing. Spotted something out of date? See our corrections policy.
- BTP Transferee/Rejoiner Recruitment Pack (PDF, 8 Jul 2026, attached to advert 793) : four-weekly pay in arrears; 2025/26 pay points; PensionPlus salary sacrifice; same Windsor scale as Home Office forces (accessed 23 October 2026)
- BTP advert 1736: Police Officer, Inner London : £33,609 start, £52,014 after five years, £5,783.75 London Allowance and £3,261 London Weighting (accessed 23 October 2026)
- BTP Allowances by Station (PDF, 2025/26 rates, attached to advert 793) : the South East tiers and their stations; London rates within 16 miles of Charing Cross (accessed 23 October 2026)
- BTP advert 1746: Police Officer, Stevenage, Colchester, Southend, Brighton and Guildford : South East Allowance of £3,105, £2,000 or £1,000 by location (accessed 23 October 2026)
- BTP Federation: FAQs : Federation subscription of £19.50 per four weeks (accessed 23 October 2026)
- BTPFSF Report and Accounts 2024 (PDF) : pensionable salary is basic salary plus pensionable allowances such as London Weighting (accessed 23 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Income Tax rates and National Insurance rates 2026 to 2027 : tax bands and NI thresholds used by the shared PolicePay pay engine (accessed 23 October 2026)
On this topic elsewhere
More in this guide series
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Disclaimer
PolicePay.co.uk is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with British Transport Police, the British Transport Police Authority, the BTP Force Superannuation Fund, Railpen or the College of Policing. It does not recruit, test or assess applicants. Our practice questions and scenarios are original PolicePay material, not BTP's own. BTP runs its own selection process and changes it. Its own pages sometimes disagree, so check the live advert and BTP's careers site before relying on anything here. Details are as checked on 23 October 2026.