Understanding The Pro-Rata Audit
In the British Police service, "Full-Time" is legally defined as 40 hours per week. Any reduction in these hours triggers a pro-rata calculation across your entire remuneration package. This isn't just about base salary; it impacts your pensionable pay, your pension contributions, and your holiday hours.
The Pension Impact
Under the CARE 2015 Scheme, you build 1/55.3rd of your actual earnings each year. Working part-time means you earn less, so you add less to your annual pot. However, your contribution tier (the % you pay) is still based on your full-time equivalent salary.
The Allowance Rule
Allowances like London Weighting and **South East Allowance** are strictly pro-rata. If you work 50% hours, you receive 50% of the allowance. This is a common point of confusion for those moving from private sector roles.
Annual Leave in Hours
As a part-time officer, your annual leave is no longer counted in "days." Instead, it is expressed as a total hour bank. This ensures that you aren't penalised or unfairly rewarded based on the length of your specific shifts. When you take a day off, you deduct the actual hours you would have worked from your bank.
Any bank holiday that falls on a day you are contracted to work is deducted from your hours. Conversely, you are credited with a pro-rata amount of bank holiday hours regardless of whether you were scheduled to work.
"Flexible working is a statutory right, but its financial impact is clinical."
Mastering Pro-Rata
Additional Hours & Plain Time
One of the benefits of part-time working is the Plain Time rule. If you work over your contracted hours but do not exceed 40 hours in that week, you are paid at your standard hourly rate. Crucially, these additional hours are pensionable (unless you opt for time off in lieu), allowing you to boost your pension pot in weeks where you have higher capacity.