Police Scotland Overtime
& Rest Day Calculator
Work out what a Police Scotland shift extension, recall, rest day or public holiday pays under the PNBS police officer handbook and what you keep after Scottish income tax and National Insurance.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 22 October 2026 · Scotland unless stated
Constables and sergeants get time and a third for overtime, paid for each completed 15 minutes. A rest day worked with less than 8 days' notice is double time; 8 to under 18 days is time and a half; 18 days or more earns another rest day. Public holidays are double time with a 4-hour minimum. The hourly rate is annual pay x 6/12520: £21.60 for a constable on £45,064.
Your shift
Police Scotland rules (PNBS police officer handbook). Worked out in your browser; nothing is sent or stored.
What you are due
Before tax
£50.39
1.75 hours at time and a third (£28.79 an hour)
Take-home
£35.78
after £10.58 Scottish income tax and £4.03 NI
You keep
71p in £1
Top band after pension: Intermediate (21%)
You can take time off in lieu (TOIL) instead of payment: the choice is yours, not the service's.
Take-home treats this as extra pay in the 2026/27 tax year on top of your salary of £45,064: Scottish income tax after the 13.7% pension on your salary (overtime itself is not pensionable) and National Insurance at 8% up to £50,270 a year and 2% above. PAYE works month by month, so a single payslip can differ. Not modelled: inspecting ranks' Short-notice Rest Day Working Allowance (£112.05 under 48 hours' notice, at least 4 hours worked), advancement or deferment of start times, part-time additional hours and mileage.
Police Scotland officers are paid under the Police Service of Scotland Regulations 2013 and PNBS determinations. The rest day notice bands, the hourly rate formula and the tax bands are different from England and Wales. If you serve in England or Wales, use our police overtime calculator.
Police Scotland hourly and overtime rates 2026
Hourly rate = annual pay x 6/12520 (PNBS handbook 2.11), from the 1 April 2026 scales (PNBS Circular 2026/01, inflation guarantee adjusted). Overtime applies only to constables and sergeants.
| Rank and point | Annual pay | Hourly | x 1 1/3 | x 1 1/2 | x 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constable On commencing | £34,001 | £16.29 | £21.73 | £24.44 | £32.59 |
| Constable 1 | £36,995 | £17.73 | £23.64 | £26.59 | £35.46 |
| Constable 2 | £39,988 | £19.16 | £25.55 | £28.75 | £38.33 |
| Constable 3 | £42,377 | £20.31 | £27.08 | £30.46 | £40.62 |
| Constable 4 | £43,683 | £20.93 | £27.91 | £31.40 | £41.87 |
| Constable 5 | £45,064 | £21.60 | £28.79 | £32.39 | £43.19 |
| Constable 6 | £46,321 | £22.20 | £29.60 | £33.30 | £44.40 |
| Constable 7 | £47,440 | £22.73 | £30.31 | £34.10 | £45.47 |
| Constable 8 | £48,940 | £23.45 | £31.27 | £35.18 | £46.91 |
| Constable 9 | £51,842 | £24.84 | £33.13 | £37.27 | £49.69 |
| Constable 10 | £52,873 | £25.34 | £33.78 | £38.01 | £50.68 |
| Constable 11 | £54,597 | £26.16 | £34.89 | £39.25 | £52.33 |
| Sergeant 1 | £56,455 | £27.06 | £36.07 | £40.58 | £54.11 |
| Sergeant 2 | £57,637 | £27.62 | £36.83 | £41.43 | £55.24 |
| Sergeant 3 | £59,312 | £28.42 | £37.90 | £42.64 | £56.85 |
| Sergeant 4 | £61,036 | £29.25 | £39.00 | £43.88 | £58.50 |
The PNBS rules the calculator applies
| Situation | Who | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Kept on at the end of a shift | Constables and sergeants | Time and a third for each completed 15 minutes |
| Recalled between shifts, starting 2300 to 0700, no attendance | Constables and sergeants | Minimum 1 hour at time and a third |
| Recalled between shifts, starting 2300 to 0700, attending | Constables and sergeants | Minimum 4 hours at time and a third plus travelling time |
| Recalled between 0700 and 2300 | Constables and sergeants | Each completed 15 minutes at time and a third plus travelling time where it applies |
| Rest day, less than 8 days' notice | Constables and sergeants | Double time: minimum 1 hour, or 4 hours plus travelling time if attending |
| Rest day, 8 to under 18 days' notice | Constables and sergeants | Time and a half: the same minimums |
| Rest day, 18 days' notice or more | Constables and sergeants | Another rest day |
| Kept on from a shift into a rest day | Constables and sergeants | Double time for each completed 15 minutes |
| Rest day worked | Inspecting and superintending ranks | Another rest day; Short-notice Rest Day Working Allowance under 48 hours' notice |
| Public holiday | All federated ranks | Minimum 4 hours at double time plus travelling time; another public holiday under 8 days' notice |
| Public holiday | Superintending ranks | Another rest day |
Relevant travelling time is a fixed 1.5 hours for the return journey, reduced so that duty plus travel is no more than 6 hours (handbook 1.9). It needs an extra journey from home, so it does not apply when a recall runs into your normal shift.
How much of your overtime you keep
Overtime is taxed at your top Scottish rate after your 13.7% pension, plus National Insurance at 8% up to £50,270 a year and 2% above. These figures assume full-time basic pay, the standard Personal Allowance and no other income.
| Officer | Basic pay | Top Scottish band after pension | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Constable on commencing | £34,001 | Basic (20%) | 72p |
| Constable point 5 | £45,064 | Intermediate (21%) | 71p |
| Constable point 8 | £48,940 | Intermediate (21%) | 71p |
| Constable point 11 | £54,597 | Higher (42%) | 56p |
| Sergeant point 1 | £56,455 | Higher (42%) | 56p |
| Sergeant point 4 | £61,036 | Higher (42%) | 56p |
Scottish 42% starts at £43,663 of taxable pay, below the NI upper limit of £50,270. For an officer paying 13.7% pension, 42% only starts once gross pay is above about £50,594, which is already past the NI limit, so the usual top rate is 42% plus 2%. Without the pension (for example after opting out), pay between those points loses 50p in every £1 (42% plus 8%). Read our Scottish income tax guide for officers.
What we corrected in October 2026
- Our Police Scotland salary calculator used to divide pay by 1,930 hours. For a constable on £45,064 that gave £23.35 an hour; the PNBS formula gives £21.60, so overtime was overstated by about 8%.
- Our general overtime calculator's Scotland mode used 2025/26 tax bands, picked the band before pension and charged 2% NI in the Scottish 42% band. It now uses 2026/27 bands, the band after the 13.7% pension and NI by gross pay.
- The rest day presets in Scotland mode now follow the Scottish 8 and 18 day notice bands.
Not modelled or not verified
- The rate for travelling time. The handbook gives the hours, not the rate on the pages we read, so we show the hours only.
- Advancement or deferment of start time without due notice and part-time officers' additional hours (plain time up to 40 hours a week).
- How days of notice are counted (handbook 1.5): check it for a borderline case.
- Allowances triggered by disruption, such as the Excessive Rest Day Disruption Allowance (£25.99 on the fourth and later disrupted rest day in 42 days): see our allowances guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Police Scotland overtime calculated?
Your hourly rate is your annual pay x 6/12520 (PNBS handbook 2.11), which is a week's pay (annual / 52 1/6) divided by 5 days of 8 hours. Casual overtime at the end of a shift is paid at time and a third for each completed 15 minutes, or taken as time off at your choice.
What is the Police Scotland rest day rate?
If you are required to work a rest day with less than 8 days' notice you get double time; with at least 8 and less than 18 days' notice, time and a half; with 18 days or more, another rest day instead. The minimum is 1 hour, or 4 hours plus relevant travelling time if you attend a station, incident or court (PNBS handbook 2.5).
Do inspectors get overtime in Police Scotland?
No. Overtime is only for constables and sergeants (PNBS handbook 2.3). Inspecting and superintending ranks get another rest day for rest day working and the Short-notice Rest Day Working Allowance (£112.05 from 1 April 2026) when the notice is under 48 hours and they work at least 4 hours. Inspecting ranks are paid for public holiday working.
What do you get for working a public holiday in Police Scotland?
All federated ranks get a minimum of 4 hours at double time plus relevant travelling time. With less than 8 days' notice you also get another public holiday. Superintending ranks get another rest day. The public holidays are 1 January and 25 December.
Is the first 30 minutes of overtime unpaid in Police Scotland?
The Scottish handbook does not contain the England and Wales rule that the first 30 minutes on four occasions a week are unpaid. Casual overtime in Scotland is paid for each completed 15 minutes worked.
What is a recall to duty worth?
Time and a third. If the recall starts between 2300 and 0700 the minimum is 1 hour, or 4 hours plus travelling time if you must attend a station, incident or court. Between 0700 and 2300 you are paid for each completed 15 minutes plus travelling time where it applies (Quick Reference C).
Is overtime pensionable in Police Scotland?
No pension contribution is taken from overtime in our calculators and it does not build pension. Your 13.7% contribution comes off basic pay before tax, which is why your Scottish tax band is worked out after it.
How much of my overtime will I keep?
It depends on your pay. A constable on £45,064 keeps about 71p of each £1 of overtime: Scottish intermediate rate (21%) plus 8% National Insurance. Officers whose taxable pay after pension is above £43,662 pay 42% tax.
Can I take time off instead of overtime pay?
Yes. The handbook says the decision to take time off in lieu rather than payment is the officer's, not the service's.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 22 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.
- PNBS police officer handbook, 2.3 Overtime : overtime only for constables and sergeants (accessed 22 October 2026)
- PNBS handbook, Quick Reference B: casual overtime : time and a third per completed 15 minutes; TOIL at the officer's choice (accessed 22 October 2026)
- PNBS handbook, Quick Reference C: recall to duty : 2300 to 0700 minimums; travelling time (accessed 22 October 2026)
- PNBS handbook, 2.5 Required to work on a rest day : 8 and 18 day notice bands; minimums; detained into a rest day (accessed 22 October 2026)
- PNBS handbook, 2.6 Required to work on a public holiday : all federated ranks; minimum 4 hours double time; another public holiday under 8 days (accessed 22 October 2026)
- PNBS handbook, 1.9 Travelling time : 1.5 hours for the return journey, reduced so duty plus travel is at most 6 hours (accessed 22 October 2026)
- PNBS handbook, 2.11 Calculation of pay : annual x 6/12520; week = annual / 52 1/6; a day's pay = week / 5 (accessed 22 October 2026)
- PNBS handbook, 4.9 Short-notice Rest Day Working Allowance : under 48 hours' notice, at least 4 hours worked; amount from PNBS Circular 2026/04 (accessed 22 October 2026)
- PNBS Circulars 2026/01 and 2026/04 : pay points and allowance rates from 1 April 2026 (accessed 22 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Scottish Income Tax : 2026 to 2027 bands (accessed 22 October 2026)
On this topic elsewhere
More in this guide series
Police Scotland calculators and related guides
Disclaimer
PolicePay.co.uk is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with Police Scotland, the Scottish Police Authority, the Police Negotiating Board for Scotland, the Scottish Police Federation or the Scottish Public Pensions Agency. This page is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Pay and conditions are set through the PNBS and approved by Scottish Ministers and SPPA's figures are the only official pension figures, so check the PNBS handbook, your payslip and your Annual Benefit Statement before relying on anything here. Details are as checked on 22 October 2026.