Can I Keep
The House?
A budget calculator for police officers who are separating: take-home pay after tax, National Insurance, pension contributions and Federation subs, then child and spousal maintenance, living costs and what you could borrow on your own to keep the family home or buy another.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 19 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
Only if you can borrow, on your own income, enough to repay the joint mortgage and pay your former partner their share of the equity, or the settlement gives you the house another way. Lenders test income net of tax and NI and must take account of maintenance you pay, and many cap loans at about 4.49 times the income they count. On one police salary, the monthly budget after maintenance is often the limit, not the multiple.
Police divorce budget calculator
Enter your pay, any maintenance you pay or receive, your living costs and the deposit or equity you would have. The calculator shows your take-home pay, what is left after maintenance, what is left for housing, and a planning loan figure for keeping the house or buying another.
Your pay
Taxable, not pensionable.
Maintenance
What you pay. Enter a minus figure if you receive it.
Living costs and a home of your own
Bills, council tax, food, travel, childcare, car, debts.
Your share of the house sale or savings.
Lenders' own rules range from none to all of regular overtime.
Each month
Take-home pay
£3,175
After maintenance
£2,638
Left for housing
£1,238
What you might borrow on your own (illustration)
- On what is left each month, over 25 years at 4.5%
- £222,706
- At 4.49 times the income a lender might count
- £242,527
- Planning figure (the lower of the two)
- £222,706
- Plus your deposit: a home budget of about
- £262,706
- Monthly payment on that loan
- £1,238
What you can afford each month is the limit here, not the income multiple. A lender will run its own affordability check on your net income and committed spending, and maintenance you pay counts as committed spending. This is not a mortgage offer or advice.
Police Separation Money Plan
Both households, and whether one of you can keep the house
Buying the other one out
Equity after costs £144,000. To keep the home, you would pay the other £72,000 and take on a mortgage of about £222,000.
Unlock the full money plan
- Whether the buy-out is affordable, and by how much it falls short if not
- Both households month by month, with maintenance going the right way
- What happens with no overtime, today's overtime and more
- The income change that lets either of you ask for child maintenance to be redone
- A PDF to take to your solicitor or mediator
The pack adds the Police Divorce Pension Report and the Pension Command Centre. One payment, no subscription.
Estimates, not legal, financial or mortgage advice.
Free enquiry
Keeping the house is a settlement question
Whether you can keep the home usually depends on the pension, the equity and maintenance together. Tell us where you are and we will reply, and if you want, introduce you to a family-law firm that understands police pensions.
Lenders use their own affordability models, credit checks and valuations. Use the result to see whether a plan is in range before you agree a settlement, then check it with a lender or an FCA-authorised broker. The enquiry form under the calculator sends your enquiry to PolicePay (Andrew Thomas); it does not book a free call or give legal or mortgage advice.
How the calculator works
- Take-home pay. Your basic pay and overtime go through the same engine as the site's salary calculator: 2026/27 income tax (England and Wales or Scotland), National Insurance, the police pension contribution on basic pay, and the Federation subscription if you are a member in England and Wales.
- Maintenance. If you pay child maintenance, it is worked out with the CMS formula on your pay, shared care and other children, using the same engine as the child maintenance calculator. If you receive it, you enter the amount. Spousal maintenance is an amount you enter, paid or received.
- What is left for housing. Take-home pay, less maintenance paid (or plus maintenance received), less your living costs.
- Two loan figures. The loan that monthly amount would repay over your term at your rate (a standard repayment mortgage calculation), and the loan at 4.49 times the income a lender might count (basic pay plus the share of overtime you choose).
- The planning figure is the lower of the two, plus your deposit or equity to give a home budget.
The calculator is built around a police officer's pay. If you are the partner, the section for partners explains how to use it, and the paid Separation Money Plan (£19.99) models both households side by side.
Take-home pay on police pay, 2026/27
Lenders start from income net of tax and National Insurance (MCOB 11.6.5R(2)). For a police officer the pension contribution and Federation subscription come off as well, and the 2015 scheme contribution is high compared with most jobs: 12.88%, 13.88% or 14.22% of pensionable pay from 1 April 2026, depending on pay.
Illustration (not a real case): a constable at the top of the 2026/27 scale, £52,015 basic pay, with £6,000 of overtime and allowances, a Federation member, in England. Computed with the site's take-home engine.
| Line | A year | A month |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay (basic plus overtime and allowances) | £58,015 | £4,835 |
| Police pension contribution (13.88% of basic pay) | −£7,220 | −£602 |
| Income tax (2026/27, England and Wales) | −£7,750 | −£646 |
| National Insurance | −£3,171 | −£264 |
| Police Federation subscription (£26.31 a month) | −£316 | −£26 |
| Take-home pay | £39,559 | £3,297 |
The Federation subscription qualifies for tax relief, which members outside the Met and West Yorkshire Police claim from HMRC rather than through payroll (worth about £126 a year here); it is not included above. Student loans, car salary sacrifice and other deductions are not included either: use the police salary calculator for a payslip-level figure.
What lenders must test, and where maintenance fits
The FCA's responsible lending rules (MCOB 11.6) set what a mortgage lender has to look at. These are the parts that matter most after a separation.
| What a lender looks at | Rule or practice | Effect on a police officer after separation |
|---|---|---|
| Income | Net of tax and National Insurance (MCOB 11.6.5R(2)) | Pension contributions and Federation subs also reduce what is left |
| Committed expenditure | Credit and other contractual commitments that continue; FCA guidance names child maintenance and alimony (MCOB 11.6.10R, 11.6.11G) | Maintenance you pay counts against you, like a loan payment |
| Basic essential and quality-of-living costs | At least these must be taken into account (MCOB 11.6.5R(2)) | A household of one with children to stay still has full running costs |
| Future interest rates | Lenders must allow for likely rises over at least 5 years and assume at least 1%, unless the rate is fixed for 5 years or more (MCOB 11.6.18R) | A short fix can be tested at a higher rate than you will pay |
| Income multiple | Lender's own cap; 4.49 times was a common standard in the site's review of lender criteria pages | One salary instead of two roughly halves what the multiple allows |
| Overtime and allowances | Lender's own rules: anywhere from none to all of regular overtime | See the lending rules page for 12 lenders' published criteria |
| Equity | Lenders must not base affordability on the equity in the property (MCOB 11.6.5R(1)) | A large equity share helps the deposit, not the affordability test |
Maintenance is committed spending. MCOB 11.6.10R defines committed expenditure as credit and other contractual commitments that will continue after the mortgage starts, and the guidance at 11.6.11G gives child maintenance and alimony as examples. So the calculator takes maintenance you pay off your income before working out what is left for a mortgage, which is broadly how a lender's affordability test treats it. Lenders' own models differ in detail.
Maintenance you receive: whether a lender counts it as income is a matter of its own policy, which we did not check lender by lender. The calculator includes it in your monthly budget, so check your lender's approach before relying on it.
Income multiples and the 4.5 times limit
Lenders set a maximum loan as a multiple of the income they count. The site's mortgage lending rules page read twelve lenders' criteria pages on 1 October 2026 and found 4.49 times income as a common standard cap, with up to 5.5 times or more on some ranges for higher incomes or lower loan-to-values. The calculator uses 4.49 times.
Why 4.49 and not 4.5? The Bank of England's Financial Policy Committee recommends limiting mortgages at 4.5 times income or more to 15% of new mortgage lending. In its policy statement PS19/26 (14 October 2026), the Prudential Regulation Authority removed the limit for each individual lender from 28 October 2026 while aiming to keep lending across the whole market at 4.5 times or more consistent with 15%, with firms expected to cut back if the total runs persistently above it. Loans at 4.5 times income or more are still the limited category, which is why many lenders' standard cap sits just below it.
If a joint mortgage was based on two incomes, the multiple on one income is roughly half what it was. At 4.49 times, basic pay of £52,015 supports £233,547 before any overtime is counted.
How lenders treat police overtime and allowances
Basic pay counts in full. Overtime, rest day working, shift and on-call allowances are treated according to each lender's own rules. On the lender pages the site read on 1 October 2026, regular overtime counted at anywhere from 50% to 100%, usually averaged over recent payslips, while guaranteed location payments such as London Weighting were mostly counted in full. Some lenders count no overtime at all.
The calculator asks what share of overtime a lender might count. In the illustration below it changes the multiple-based figure from £233,547 (none counted) to £260,487 (all counted), but the planning figure stays at £222,082 because the monthly budget is the tighter limit. That is common after a separation: maintenance and the cost of running a home alone bite before the multiple does.
For each lender's published rules, probation, and how to present overtime, read mortgage lending rules for police.
Worked illustration: keeping the house on one constable's pay
An illustration, not a real case. A constable at the top of the scale (£52,015 basic, £6,000 overtime and allowances, Federation member, England) is separating. Two children stay with them 104 nights a year. Living costs other than housing are £1,600 a month. They would have £40,000 of equity or savings. Mortgage at 4.5% over 25 years; the lender counts 50% of overtime. Every figure is computed with the calculator's engine.
| Step | Figure | How it is worked out |
|---|---|---|
| Take-home pay | £3,297 a month | 2026/27 tax and NI, 13.88% pension contribution on basic pay, Federation subscription |
| Child maintenance paid | −£462 a month | CMS formula, 2 children, 104 nights a year with this parent (two-sevenths off) |
| After maintenance | £2,834 a month | Take-home less maintenance |
| Living costs, not counting housing | −£1,600 a month | Illustrative: bills, council tax, food, travel, car, childcare |
| Left for housing | £1,234 a month | What could go on a mortgage payment |
| Loan that payment repays | £222,082 | Repayment mortgage, 25 years at 4.5% |
| Loan at the income multiple | £247,017 | 4.49 x (basic pay + 50% of overtime) |
| Planning figure | £222,082 | The lower of the two |
| Plus deposit or equity | £262,082 | Planning figure + £40,000 |
The monthly budget, not the income multiple, sets the limit here: £1,234 a month repays about £222,082, below the £247,017 the multiple would allow. With the deposit, the home budget is about £262,082.
What changes the answer
The same illustration with one thing changed at a time, all computed with the calculator's engine.
| Change to the illustration | Left for housing a month | Planning loan | Which limit bites |
|---|---|---|---|
| As above | £1,234 | £222,082 | What is left each month |
| No child maintenance to pay | £1,697 | £247,017 | The income multiple |
| Also paying £300 a month spousal maintenance | £934 | £168,109 | What is left each month |
| Mortgage rate 5.5% instead of 4.5% | £1,234 | £201,014 | What is left each month |
| Living costs £1,400 instead of £1,600 | £1,434 | £247,017 | The income multiple |
| Lender counts no overtime | £1,234 | £222,082 | What is left each month |
| Lender counts all overtime | £1,234 | £222,082 | What is left each month |
- Maintenance moves the answer most. Every pound a month of maintenance is a pound less for the mortgage. £300 a month of spousal maintenance takes the planning loan from £222,082 to £168,109.
- Rates matter. At 5.5% the same monthly budget repays £201,014. Lenders must allow for likely rate rises over at least five years and assume at least 1% unless you fix for five years or more (MCOB 11.6.18R), so test a rate above the one you expect.
- Living costs are the figure people underestimate. A household with children to stay still needs bedrooms, heating and food for them. Use real bank statements.
Overtime scenarios: pay and maintenance move together
Overtime changes two things at once: it raises take-home pay, and it raises child maintenance, because the CMS counts taxable overtime. The same illustration with no overtime, £6,000 and £12,000 a year, everything else unchanged:
| Overtime and allowances a year | Take-home a month | Child maintenance a month | Left for housing | Planning loan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | £2,915 | £419 | £896 | £161,203 |
| £6,000 | £3,297 | £462 | £1,234 | £222,082 |
| £12,000 | £3,587 | £505 | £1,482 | £260,487 |
Going from no overtime to £12,000 a year adds £671 a month to take-home pay but also £86 a month to child maintenance, so the money left for housing rises by £586 a month. And because the CMS uses last tax year's income, maintenance can stay at the higher level for a while after overtime stops (unless income falls by 25% or more). Plan the mortgage on the overtime you are confident of.
By rank, with no overtime
The same household (two children staying 104 nights a year, £1,600 a month living costs, 4.5% over 25 years) at different ranks, on basic pay only. Computed with the calculator's engine.
| Rank | Basic pay | Take-home a month | Child maintenance a month | Loan at 4.49 times | Planning loan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constable, pay point 4 | £36,335 | £2,135 | £301 | £163,144 | £42,030 |
| Constable, top of the scale | £52,015 | £2,915 | £419 | £233,547 | £161,203 |
| Sergeant, top of the scale | £58,175 | £3,259 | £457 | £261,206 | £216,166 |
| Inspector, top of the scale (outside London) | £71,396 | £3,809 | £539 | £320,568 | £300,501 |
Higher pay raises child maintenance as well as take-home pay, but with living costs held at the same figure, most of each extra pound of take-home pay goes to housing, so the planning loan rises much faster than pay. At the lower pay points the monthly budget, not the multiple, is what stops a buy-out. Use your own living costs in the calculator.
The buy-out maths
To keep the family home, the person staying usually has to do two things: take over the existing mortgage, and pay the other person their share of the equity. So the loan needed is:
Illustrative round numbers: a house worth £300,000 with £160,000 still owed has £300,000 − £160,000 = £140,000 of equity. If the other person's share is 50%, that is £70,000. The loan needed is £160,000 + £70,000 = £230,000, before legal, valuation and arrangement costs.
At 4.5% over 25 years that costs about £1,278 a month (£1,412 at 5.5%).
Compare it with the planning figure. In the worked illustration the planning loan is £222,082, so a £230,000 buy-out is about £7,918 short. With living costs of £1,400 instead of £1,600, the planning loan rises to £247,017 , enough to cover the buy-out on these figures.
The split is negotiable. If the other person took 40% of the equity instead of 50% (for example because the officer keeps less of the pension), their share would be £56,000 and the loan needed £216,000. Trading pension against the house is offsetting; it has its own risks and usually needs expert figures. See offsetting vs sharing.
The other options for the home (selling and splitting, or a Mesher order that postpones a sale until a set event such as the youngest child reaching a certain age) are explained in police divorce and housing.
Stamp duty and other tax on transfers between spouses
Moving the house into one name on divorce is usually free of transfer tax, provided it is done the right way. Buying a new home while you still own part of the old one is where the higher rates can catch you.
| Tax | Transfer between you on divorce or separation | Buying a new home while still owning part of the old one |
|---|---|---|
| Stamp Duty Land Tax (England and Northern Ireland) | Exempt where the transfer is between spouses or civil partners under a court order, or an agreement made in contemplation of or in connection with the divorce, dissolution, annulment or judicial separation (FA 2003 Sch 3 para 3). No return needed | Higher rates for additional dwellings can apply. Spouses are tested together unless separated by court order, deed, or in circumstances likely to be permanent. Since 22 November 2017 an interest in the former home can be ignored if it is the ex-partner's main residence and subject to a property adjustment order |
| Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (Scotland) | Exempt for transfers under court orders or agreements on divorce, nullity or legal separation (Revenue Scotland LBTT3006) | Additional Dwelling Supplement relief from 1 April 2024 where you keep an interest in the former shared home under a court order or formal agreement and it remains your ex-partner's main home |
| Land Transaction Tax (Wales) | Wales has its own tax; we did not check its divorce rules for this page | Ask a conveyancer or the Welsh Revenue Authority |
| Capital Gains Tax | No gain, no loss until the end of the third tax year after you stop living together (or the divorce if earlier), and without time limit under a court order or formal agreement (HMRC HS281) | The one who moves out keeps relief for the time they lived there plus the final 9 months; there is an election where the home is sold or transferred later under an agreement or order |
- The exemption needs the right paperwork. SDLT relief applies to transfers between spouses or civil partners under a court order, or an agreement in contemplation of or in connection with the divorce, dissolution, annulment, or judicial separation. HMRC says it is not available if the transaction involves anyone else.
- Unmarried couples are not covered by the divorce exemption. A transfer of equity between unmarried partners may be chargeable depending on what is paid or taken on; take conveyancing advice. See cohabitation and police pensions.
- Wales has its own Land Transaction Tax; we did not check its divorce rules for this page.
The joint mortgage until it is sorted
A court order can say who keeps the house, but it does not bind the lender. While both names are on the mortgage, both of you are liable for the whole loan. Practical points:
- Agree in writing who pays the mortgage until the transfer, and keep paying: arrears affect both credit files.
- Ask your lender early how it handles a transfer of equity on divorce and what it needs to release a borrower.
- If your lender will not lend enough on your sole income, a different lender may count your overtime differently.
- Check the early repayment charge on your current deal before you refinance.
- Change your will, death grant nomination and life cover: see death in service and divorce.
Timing: the mortgage, the order and the divorce
The house, the mortgage and the divorce run on different clocks. Getting the order right avoids paying for things twice.
- Before you agree. Get the budget and a lender's view first, so the settlement does not depend on a loan you cannot get.
- The agreement or order. The SDLT and LBTT exemptions depend on the transfer being under a court order or an agreement made in connection with the divorce or separation. A consent order costs £62 in court fees in England and Wales.
- The pension. If the settlement includes a pension sharing order, it cannot take effect until the final order of divorce, so do not apply for the final order before the financial order is sealed. See the police divorce checklist.
- The transfer. The lender, the conveyancer and the Land Registry do the practical work; the court order tells them what to do but does not do it.
- Capital gains tax. If the transfer happens after the end of the third tax year after you stopped living together, it needs to be under a court order or formal agreement to stay no gain, no loss (HMRC HS281).
Questions for a lender or broker
| Ask your lender or broker | Why |
|---|---|
| How much of my overtime, shift and on-call pay will you count, and over what period? | It can change the multiple-based figure by thousands |
| How do you treat child or spousal maintenance I pay, and maintenance I receive? | Paid maintenance is committed spending; received maintenance depends on policy |
| Do you need the court order (or a draft) before you lend? | Many settlements depend on the loan, and the loan on the settlement |
| What rate will you test affordability at? | Short fixes are tested above the rate you pay |
| Can you release my former partner from the existing mortgage, and what does a transfer of equity cost? | Until released, both of you are liable |
| Is there an early repayment charge if I move lender? | It can wipe out the benefit of switching |
| Do you accept probation or recent promotion pay? | Relevant if you have just joined, transferred or been promoted |
We do not recommend brokers or lenders. Check any adviser on the FCA register, and see mortgage lending rules for police for what each lender publishes.
When you are both police officers: two households side by side
If you are both police officers, the calculator works for both of you. An illustration, not a real case: officer A is the constable in the worked illustration above. Officer B is a constable on pay point 5 (£39,058), no overtime, with the children living mainly with them, receiving the CMS amount officer A pays, with higher living costs of £2,000 a month because the children live there. Same £40,000 deposit each, 4.5% over 25 years. Computed with the calculator's engine.
| Officer A (pays) | Officer B (receives) | |
|---|---|---|
| Basic pay and overtime | £52,015 + £6,000 | £39,058 + none |
| Take-home a month | £3,297 | £2,249 |
| Child maintenance a month | −£462 | +£462 |
| Living costs a month (illustrative) | −£1,600 | −£2,000 |
| Left for housing a month | £1,234 | £711 |
| Loan at 4.49 times basic pay plus half of overtime | £247,017 | £175,370 |
| Planning loan | £222,082 | £127,952 |
On these assumptions neither planning loan reaches the £230,000 buy-out sum worked out above. That is the kind of result that leads couples to look at selling, a deferred sale, or a different split of the pension and the equity. Whether a lender counts the maintenance officer B receives is up to the lender. The paid Separation Money Plan (£19.99) runs both households and the buy-out test together. Police couples also have two pensions to deal with: see when both of you are police officers.
For partners: using the calculator on your side
The calculator works out take-home pay for a police officer. If you are not a police officer, the pension and Federation lines will not apply to you, so use your own take-home pay from your payslip for the budget and treat the result as a rough guide. The parts that apply to everyone:
- Child maintenance you receive can be checked against the CMS figure with the child maintenance calculator, using the officer's pay.
- Lenders set their own rules on maintenance received. Ask before you rely on it to borrow.
- Housing need and pension are linked. Taking more of the house in place of a pension share (offsetting) gives you a home now but less income later. A police pension credit is paid at 60, 65 or State Pension age depending on the scheme. See the police pension divorce calculator.
The paid Police Separation Money Plan (£19.99) models both households together, and the Police Divorce Pack (£59.99) adds the Police Divorce Pension Report and the Pension Command Centre.
Police-specific traps
- Overtime that may not last. A lender may count overtime from your recent payslips, but a move to a role without overtime, or a quieter year, can leave you stretched. Test the budget with no overtime.
- The high pension contribution. Police contributions of 12.88% to 14.22% of pensionable pay come off before you see your pay. Use net pay, not gross, when you plan.
- Maintenance on a big overtime year. The CMS uses last tax year's income, so a heavy overtime year can raise maintenance just as overtime falls away.
- Postings and transfers. A move between forces or postings can change location payments, which lenders and the CMS both count.
- Pension versus house. Keeping the house by giving up pension rights can leave the officer short in retirement; giving up the house for pension can leave the partner without a home now.
Step by step
| Step | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Run the calculator with your basic pay, last year's overtime, maintenance and honest living costs | To see which limit bites: income multiple or monthly budget |
| 2 | Get the house valued and a redemption statement for the mortgage | The buy-out sum is the mortgage plus the other person's equity share |
| 3 | Check your lender's overtime and allowance rules | They decide how much of your police pay counts |
| 4 | Talk to your current lender or an FCA-authorised broker before agreeing the settlement | So the settlement does not depend on a loan you cannot get |
| 5 | Agree who pays the mortgage until the order and the transfer | Missed payments hurt both credit files while you are joint borrowers |
| 6 | Make sure the transfer is under a court order or written agreement in connection with the divorce | That is what the SDLT and LBTT exemptions require |
| 7 | Get the lender to release the other party, or refinance in your sole name | Otherwise both of you stay liable |
| 8 | Update your will, death grant nomination and insurance | Separation changes who should benefit |
Myths and facts
| Myth | Fact |
|---|---|
| "I've got half the equity, so the bank will lend me the rest." | Equity helps with the deposit. Lenders must not base affordability on it: they test your income, commitments and costs. |
| "Maintenance I pay won't affect my mortgage." | FCA guidance names child maintenance and alimony as committed expenditure, which lenders must take into account. |
| "Lenders lend 4.5 times salary." | Many lenders' standard cap on the pages we read was 4.49 times. Loans at 4.5 times or more are limited across the market to about 15% of new lending. |
| "My overtime will count in full." | Lenders set their own rules: some count none, some half, some all of regular overtime. |
| "Transferring the house to me will cost stamp duty." | A transfer between spouses or civil partners under a court order or divorce agreement is exempt from SDLT, and in Scotland from LBTT. |
| "If I keep the house, my ex is off the mortgage." | Only if the lender agrees to release them. Until then you are both still liable for the whole loan. |
| "The calculator says I can, so I can." | It is a planning figure. The lender's affordability model, credit checks and valuation decide. |
What the calculator does not do, and what we could not verify
- It is not a lender's affordability model, credit check or valuation.
- It uses one income multiple (4.49 times) for every lender and income level.
- It does not model student loans, salary sacrifice, other debts or the cost of children's care beyond what you enter as living costs.
- It does not work out the equity split, which is for agreement or the court.
- The Federation subscription is taken off only for England and Wales; Scotland has its own federation and rate.
- We did not check Welsh Land Transaction Tax rules on divorce, or individual lenders' treatment of maintenance received.
Anything out of date? Our corrections policy explains how to tell us.
Free: the police divorce checklist (PDF)
The documents to gather, the pension steps from CETV to pension sharing order, and the questions to ask a solicitor, written for police officers and their partners. Enter your email to download it. We will also send occasional police divorce and pension updates; unsubscribe any time.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep the house after divorce on a police salary?
Only if you can borrow enough on your own to pay off the existing mortgage and pay your former partner their share of the equity, or the settlement gives you the house in another way. The calculator shows what is left each month after maintenance and living costs, and a planning loan figure to compare with that buy-out sum.
How much can a police officer borrow on their own after divorce?
Lenders cap the loan at a multiple of the income they count and then test affordability. On our illustration (top-scale constable, £6,000 overtime, paying child maintenance for two children, £1,600 a month living costs, 4.5% over 25 years) the planning figure is £222,082, set by what is left each month rather than the 4.49 times multiple of £247,017.
Does child maintenance reduce how much I can borrow?
Yes. Lenders must take account of committed expenditure, and the FCA's guidance lists child maintenance and alimony as examples. Maintenance you pay comes out of the income the lender tests. In our illustration, paying child maintenance cuts the money left for housing by the full maintenance amount each month.
Will a lender count my police overtime?
It depends on the lender. On the 12 lenders' criteria pages the site read on 1 October 2026, regular overtime counted at anywhere from 50% to 100%, usually averaged over recent payslips, and some count none. The calculator lets you choose the share to see the effect.
What income multiple do lenders use?
Each lender sets its own. The lender pages the site read showed 4.49 times income as a common standard cap, with higher multiples for higher incomes or lower loan-to-values. The Bank of England aims to keep loans at 4.5 times income or more to about 15% of new mortgages across the market.
How do I work out the cost of buying out my ex-partner?
The usual starting point is the mortgage still owed plus the other person's share of the equity. On a house worth £300,000 with £160,000 owed, the equity is £140,000; a 50% share is £70,000, so you would need to borrow about £230,000, plus costs. The equity split itself is for agreement or the court.
Do I pay stamp duty when the house is transferred to me on divorce?
Not in England or Northern Ireland if the transfer is between spouses or civil partners under a court order or an agreement connected with the divorce, dissolution, annulment or judicial separation: GOV.UK lists it as exempt with no return needed. Scotland has an equivalent LBTT exemption. A transfer involving anyone else, such as a new partner joining the mortgage, is not covered.
Will I pay the higher rate of stamp duty on a new home if I still own part of the old one?
Possibly. Spouses are tested together for the higher rates unless legally separated or separated in circumstances likely to be permanent. Since 22 November 2017 an interest in the former home can be ignored if it is your ex-partner's main residence and subject to a property adjustment order. Scotland has a similar Additional Dwelling Supplement relief from 1 April 2024.
What does a police officer take home after tax, NI and pension?
On 2026/27 rules, a constable at the top of the scale (£52,015) with £6,000 of overtime who is a Federation member takes home about £3,297 a month: gross pay less £7,220 pension contributions, £7,750 income tax, £3,171 National Insurance and £316 Federation subscriptions a year.
Does equity count towards affordability?
No. FCA rules say a lender must not base its affordability assessment on the equity in the property. Your equity share helps as a deposit, which lowers the loan and can get you a better rate, but the lender still has to be satisfied you can pay from income.
Can I take my ex-partner's name off the mortgage?
Only with the lender's agreement. Until the lender releases them, or you refinance in your own name, you are both liable for the whole loan, whatever the court order says about the house. Ask your lender early how it handles a transfer of equity on divorce.
Is there capital gains tax when one of us keeps the house?
Transfers between separating spouses are no gain, no loss until the end of the third tax year after you stop living together (or the divorce, if earlier), and without time limit under a court order or formal agreement. The person who moves out keeps relief for their time living there plus the final 9 months. HMRC's HS281 helpsheet has the detail.
What does the paid Separation Money Plan add?
The Police Separation Money Plan (£19.99) models both households side by side, the buy-out test on your own house figures, overtime scenarios, the CMS 25% rule and a PDF to take to a broker or solicitor. You see your own free figures first.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 19 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.
- FCA Handbook: MCOB 11.6, responsible lending and financing (affordability) : 11.6.5R net income, committed expenditure, no reliance on equity; 11.6.10R and 11.6.11G child maintenance and alimony as committed expenditure; 11.6.18R interest rate test (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Bank of England / PRA: PS19/26, High loan to income lending (14 October 2026) : firm-level 15% limit removed from 28 October 2026; aggregate kept consistent with 15% at 4.5 times income or more (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Bank of England: Record of the Financial Policy Committee meeting, 25 September 2026 : the FPC's loan to income flow recommendation (accessed 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Stamp Duty Land Tax, reliefs and exemptions : property transferred because of divorce or dissolution is exempt; no return needed (accessed 19 October 2026)
- HMRC SDLT Manual SDLTM00550: exempt transactions on the ending of a marriage or civil partnership : court orders, agreements, judicial separation; not available if someone else is involved (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Finance Act 2003, Schedule 3 : para 3: transactions in connection with divorce, dissolution or separation (accessed 19 October 2026)
- HMRC SDLT Manual SDLTM09820: higher rates, purchasing without your spouse or civil partner : spouses tested together unless separated by order, deed, or likely permanently (accessed 19 October 2026)
- HMRC SDLT Manual SDLTM09797: higher rates, divorce and civil partnership dissolution : interest in the former home ignored from 22 November 2017 where a property adjustment order applies (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Revenue Scotland: LBTT3006, transactions in connection with a divorce : LBTT exemption on divorce, nullity or legal separation (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Revenue Scotland: ADS rules for particular transactions and buyers : ADS relief from 1 April 2024 for an interest kept in a former shared home under an order or agreement (accessed 19 October 2026)
- HMRC: HS281 Capital Gains Tax, civil partners and spouses (2026) : no gain, no loss after separation; Private Residence Relief for the spouse who moves out (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Pensions (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/267) : 2015 scheme contribution bands from 1 April 2026 (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Federation of England and Wales: join the Fed : subscription £26.31 a month from 1 January 2026 (accessed 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Money and property when you divorce or separate, apply for a consent order : £62 court fee (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, section 24B : a pension sharing order does not take effect until the final order (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Child Support Act 1991, Schedule 1 : the child maintenance formula the calculator uses (accessed 19 October 2026)
On this topic elsewhere
More in this guide series
Pension tools for after the settlement
Disclaimer
PolicePay.co.uk is an independent reference site. It is not a law firm or a financial adviser, is not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority or authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority, and this page is general information, not legal, financial or pension advice. Every divorce settlement depends on the facts, and pension sharing is decided by agreement or by a court. Figures from our calculators are estimates on stated assumptions: the scheme administrator's cash equivalent and the court order are what count. For decisions about your settlement, speak to a family solicitor and, where the pension is a large part of the money, a pension on divorce expert. Details apply to England and Wales unless stated. Details are as checked on 19 October 2026.