BTP Pay Scales
and Allowances
What British Transport Police officers are paid in 2026/27: every constable pay point, why BTP's 13 four-weekly pay days change the sums, London and South East allowances by station, sergeant pay, free rail travel, leave and what BTP does not publish.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 23 October 2026 · Great Britain unless stated
A new BTP constable starts on £33,609 (pay point 2), rising year on year to £52,014 after five years. BTP pays every four weeks, so that is 13 pay days of £2,585.31 gross at the start. Inner London officers get £9,044.75 of allowances on top from day one of training; South East stations pay £3,105, £2,000 or £1,000. BTP follows the national 3.5% award from September 2026.
Work out your BTP take-home pay per four-week period
Pick your pay point and station. The BTP take-home pay calculator divides by 13 pay days, adds the London or South East allowance for your station and shows tax, National Insurance and the pension deduction for each four-week pay day. A monthly police calculator will not get BTP right.
Open the BTP take-home calculatorBTP pay at a glance
- Starting salary: £33,609 a year on pay point 2 for new PCEP recruits.
- After five years: £52,014, the top of the constable scale (point 7).
- Pay days: every four weeks in arrears, 13 a year. £2,585.31 gross per period at the start.
- Inner London: £5,783.75 London Allowance plus £3,261 London Weighting = £9,044.75 a year, from day one of training.
- South East: £3,105, £2,000 or £1,000 a year depending on the station.
- 2026 award: 3.5% from September 2026, the same award as Home Office forces.
- Rail travel: free on duty, Oyster card in London and a home-to-work concession of 70 or 8 miles.
- Leave: 22 days, 25 after two years, up to 30 with 20 years' service.
- Pension: BTP's own fund (BTPFSF CARE section), not the Police Pension Scheme 2015.
BTP published only two constable figures for 2026/27: £33,609 (point 2) and £52,014 (point 7). Points 3 to 6 are our calculation from BTP's 2025/26 figures plus the 3.5% award and every one is labelled. All four-weekly figures are gross: before tax, National Insurance and pension.
The BTP constable pay scale 2026/27
BTP's transferee pack says BTP "operates on the same Windsor Salary Scale as Home Office forces" and numbers its constable scale from point 2. New Police Constable Entry Programme (PCEP) recruits start on point 2. BTP's live adverts give the 2026/27 starting salary of £33,609, "rising year-on-year to £52,014 after five years". The 2025/26 column is from the transferee pack (version 14, July 2026).
| Pay point | 2025/26 (BTP transferee pack) | 2026/27 | Where the 2026/27 figure comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Point 2 (new PCEP recruits start here) | £32,472 | £33,609 | Published by BTP in its live adverts and role page |
| Point 3 | £33,789 | £34,972 (our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) | Not published by BTP: our calculation, labelled |
| Point 4 | £35,106 | £36,335 (our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) | Not published by BTP: our calculation, labelled |
| Point 5 | £37,737 | £39,058 (our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) | Not published by BTP: our calculation, labelled |
| Point 6 | £43,038 | £44,544 (our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) | Not published by BTP: our calculation, labelled |
| Point 7 (top of the scale, reached after five years) | £50,256 | £52,014 | Published by BTP in its live adverts and role page |
BTP has not published the 2026/27 figures for points 3 to 6. We multiplied each 2025/26 figure by 1.035 (the 3.5% award) and rounded to the pound. The same sum on point 2 gives exactly BTP's published £33,609. On point 7 it gives £1 more than BTP's £52,014, so we use BTP's figure there. Check your contract or payslip for your own point.
If you are already a serving officer elsewhere, BTP's transferee pack says your "basic salary, including increment date, will be maintained on transfer". See the BTP transferee guide.
Paid every four weeks: 13 pay days a year
BTP's transferee pack says "BTP employees are paid every four weeks in arrears", within seven days of the end of each four-week period. Four weeks into 52 is 13, so you get 13 pay days a year, each worth the annual figure divided by 13. Here is the gross amount for every constable point, rounded to the penny:
| Pay point | 2026/27 a year | Gross per four-week period (a year / 13) | What a monthly (/12) tool would show |
|---|---|---|---|
| Point 2 | £33,609 | £2,585.31 | £2,800.75 |
| Point 3 | £34,972 (our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) | £2,690.15 (our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) | £2,914.33 (our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) |
| Point 4 | £36,335 (our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) | £2,795.00 (our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) | £3,027.92 (our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) |
| Point 5 | £39,058 (our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) | £3,004.46 (our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) | £3,254.83 (our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) |
| Point 6 | £44,544 (our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) | £3,426.46 (our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) | £3,712.00 (our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) |
| Point 7 | £52,014 | £4,001.08 | £4,334.50 |
These figures are gross: before income tax, National Insurance, the pension contribution and the Federation subscription. Because each figure is rounded to the penny, 13 periods can differ from the annual figure by a few pence. The right-hand column shows what a tool that divides by 12 would tell you, which is the subject of the next section.
What "in arrears" means for your first pay day
You are paid for a four-week period after it ends, within seven days. So your first pay day can be up to about five weeks after your first day, depending on where your start date falls in BTP's pay cycle. BTP does not publish its pay calendar, so ask the recruitment team when your first pay day falls and whether the first period is paid pro rata. Budget for that gap, especially if you are moving to London for training.
Why a monthly pay calculator misleads for BTP
Most police pay calculators divide the salary by 12, because Home Office forces pay monthly. For BTP that gives a pay packet that is too big and a pension deduction built for a different scheme:
| Monthly tool (/12) | BTP reality (/13) | |
|---|---|---|
| Pay days a year | 12 | 13 |
| Gross per pay day on £33,609 | £2,800.75 | £2,585.31 |
| Gross per pay day on £52,014 | £4,334.50 | £4,001.08 |
| Gross per pay day on £33,609 plus Inner London allowances | £3,554.48 | £3,281.06 |
| Pay days in one calendar month | Always one | Usually one; at least one month a year has two |
| Pension and tax treatment | Usually built for the Police Pension Scheme | BTP officers are in the BTPFSF CARE section, rate not published |
On the starting salary, a /12 calculator shows £2,800.75 per pay day when the real gross pay day is £2,585.31: £215.44 too much every time. Over the year it evens out (you get one more pay day), but rent, bills and loan repayments go out monthly, so a monthly budget built on the /12 figure will run short in most months.
Budget on the four-weekly figure and treat the extra pay day as a bonus month. The BTP take-home pay calculator divides by 13, adds your station allowance and explains how it handles BTP's unpublished pension rate.
Year-by-year progression
BTP says pay rises "year-on-year" from £33,609 to £52,014 after five years: five steps from point 2 to point 7. The table shows each step on the 2026/27 scale. Real pay will also move with each annual pay award, so later years should be higher in cash terms by the time you reach them.
| Service | Pay point | 2026/27 a year | Gross per four-week period | Rise on the year before |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On joining | Point 2 | £33,609 | £2,585.31 | |
| After 1 year | Point 3 | £34,972 (our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) | £2,690.15 (our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) | £1,363 (uses our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) |
| After 2 years | Point 4 | £36,335 (our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) | £2,795.00 (our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) | £1,363 (uses our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) |
| After 3 years | Point 5 | £39,058 (our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) | £3,004.46 (our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) | £2,723 (uses our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) |
| After 4 years | Point 6 | £44,544 (our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) | £3,426.46 (our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) | £5,486 (uses our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) |
| After 5 years | Point 7 | £52,014 | £4,001.08 | £7,470 (uses our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) |
The biggest steps come late: the move to point 6 and then to point 7. Over the five steps basic pay rises by £18,405 a year, from £2,585.31 to £4,001.08 gross per four-week period, before any pay awards.
Inner London: London Allowance and London Weighting
Officers stationed within a 16-mile radius of Charing Cross station get two London payments, according to BTP's 2025/26 allowances by station sheet. BTP's role page and the Inner London advert give the 2026/27 amounts and say they are paid "from day 1 of training":
| Inner London payment | 2025/26 | 2026/27 | Per four-week period (2026/27 / 13) |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Allowance | £5,588.18 | £5,783.75 | £444.90 |
| London Weighting Allowance | £3,150 | £3,261 | £250.85 |
| Total | £8,738 | £9,044.75 | £695.75 |
Added to the starting salary that is £42,653.75 a year, which is why the Inner London advert's headline says "Over £42,600 earnings from day one". Per four-week period the two allowances add £695.75 gross.
BTP sets these allowance amounts itself. The BTP Authority's October 2025 papers say its 2025 London Allowance decision "put the Force on a par with the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police". We do not compare the amounts here because we have not checked the Met's figures on a like-for-like basis.
The rule is the 16-mile radius of Charing Cross. The Inner London advert names King's Cross, Euston, Waterloo, Clapham Junction, Stratford, West Ham, Wembley and Croydon as example postings (not a full list). See BTP divisions and postings.
The South East Allowance by station
Outside the 16-mile radius, some B Division and C Division stations pay a South East Allowance. BTP's 2025/26 sheet puts stations in three tiers. The 2026 adverts publish the top tier at £3,105: the Basingstoke and C Division adverts say so for Basingstoke and Milton Keynes. The Stevenage, Colchester, Southend, Brighton and Guildford advert says "either £3105, £2000 or £1000 depending on location".
| Tier | 2025/26 | 2026/27 | Per four-week period | Stations (BTP's 2025/26 allowances sheet) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top | £3,000 | £3,105 (published in BTP's 2026 adverts) | £238.85 | Guildford, Ebbsfleet, Luton, Stevenage, Reading, Oxford, Slough, Milton Keynes, Benfleet, Maidstone, Southend, Ashford and Colchester (2025/26 sheet), plus Basingstoke (2026 advert) |
| Middle | £2,000 | £2,000 (as BTP's 2026 advert words it; uprating not stated) | £153.85 | Gatwick, Portsmouth, Southampton, Brighton and Bournemouth (2025/26 sheet) |
| Lower | £1,000 | £1,000 (as BTP's 2026 advert words it; uprating not stated) | £76.92 | Cambridge (2025/26 sheet) |
The top tier went from £3,000 to £3,105, a 3.5% rise. BTP's 2026 advert still says £2,000 and £1,000 for the other two tiers and BTP has not said whether they were uprated for 2026/27. We show the figures as BTP words them.
Basingstoke is not on the 2025/26 sheet, but its 2026 advert pays £3,105. If your station is not listed, ask BTP which tier applies before you rely on a figure.
Part-time officers
BTP's allowances sheet says allowances are paid pro rata for part-time officers. For example, an officer working half of full-time hours in Inner London would receive half of £9,044.75: £4,522.38 a year (our arithmetic). BTP's part-time page describes a part-time pattern of at least 20 hours a week at four London locations, but no part-time constable vacancy was open on 23 October 2026.
Starting pay by location
The same £33,609 basic salary applies everywhere in Great Britain. Your station decides the allowance on top. For a new recruit on point 2:
| Where you are posted | Location allowances a year | Point 2 plus allowances, a year | Gross per four-week period | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inner London (within 16 miles of Charing Cross) | £9,044.75 | £42,653.75 | £3,281.06 | Paid from day one of training |
| South East top tier (£3,105) | £3,105 | £36,714 | £2,824.15 | |
| South East middle tier (£2,000) | £2,000 | £35,609 | £2,739.15 | BTP's 2026 advert still says £2,000; it has not said whether this tier was uprated for 2026/27. |
| South East lower tier (£1,000) | £1,000 | £34,609 | £2,662.23 | BTP's 2026 advert still says £1,000; it has not said whether this tier was uprated for 2026/27. |
| Elsewhere in England, Wales or Scotland (no location allowance) | None | £33,609 | £2,585.31 |
Station examples by tier: Inner London: For example King's Cross, Euston, Waterloo, Clapham Junction, Stratford, West Ham, Wembley and Croydon (Inner London advert). South East top tier: Guildford, Ebbsfleet, Luton, Stevenage, Reading, Oxford, Slough, Milton Keynes, Benfleet, Maidstone, Southend, Ashford and Colchester (2025/26 sheet), plus Basingstoke (2026 advert). South East middle tier: Gatwick, Portsmouth, Southampton, Brighton and Bournemouth (2025/26 sheet). South East lower tier: Cambridge (2025/26 sheet). Elsewhere in England, Wales or Scotland: For example Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Cardiff, Bristol, Truro, Swindon, Leicester and every Scotland (D Division) post.
Scotland (D Division) has no location allowance on BTP's sheet. For where each division sits and how posting preferences work, see BTP divisions and postings.
Worked example: a new Inner London recruit
A PCEP recruit on the current Inner London campaign starts training from April 2027 on point 2, with the Inner London allowances from day one. On 2026/27 rates, each four-week payslip looks like this before tax, National Insurance and pension:
| Line on the payslip | Per four-week period | Over 13 periods (a year) |
|---|---|---|
| Basic pay, point 2 | £2,585.31 | £33,609 |
| London Allowance | £444.90 | £5,783.75 |
| London Weighting Allowance | £250.85 | £3,261 |
| Gross pay | £3,281.06 | £42,653.75 |
| Police Federation subscription (if you join) | minus £19.50 | minus £253.50 |
| Gross less the Federation subscription | £3,261.56 | £42,400.25 |
| Income tax, National Insurance and pension | Use the BTP take-home pay calculator | Not estimated here: BTP does not publish the pension contribution rate |
So the gross figure to plan around is £3,281.06 per four-week pay day, 13 times a year. Take-home will be noticeably lower once income tax, National Insurance and the pension contribution come off; work it out with the BTP take-home pay calculator.
The same recruit over two years
| Period | Pay point | Basic a year | Plus Inner London allowances | Gross per four-week period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 (from day one of training) | Point 2 | £33,609 | £42,653.75 | £3,281.06 |
| Year 2 | Point 3 | £34,972 (our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) | £44,016.75 (our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) | £3,385.90 (our calculation: 2025/26 figure x 1.035) |
Two things will change these numbers. First, the 2027 pay award, which had not been announced on 23 October 2026. Second, the step to point 3 after a year. Neither is in the table, so treat it as a floor on today's rates rather than a forecast.
How BTP pay is set
BTP is not a Home Office force, but its officers' pay follows the Home Office award. The legal and practical position, from primary sources:
- The law. Under section 29 of the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003 the BTP Authority must follow rules issued by the Secretary of State on terms and conditions, which may "require the adoption of specified scales or ranges of pay or allowances". Section 36 lets the Authority make regulations on conditions of service and section 46 requires consultation with a Federation-nominated body.
- The practice. The BTP Authority's October 2025 papers say: "Long standing precedent means that BTPA follow HMG decisions on police pay." Its 2025/26 annual report says the Police Remuneration Review Body's recommendation was implemented that year.
- The scale. BTP "operates on the same Windsor Salary Scale as Home Office forces" (transferee pack).
- The history. BTPA records that the Federation and Superintendents' Association cited a pay parity right from the Wright Report of 1979 and that BTPA accepted the report is clear on 100% parity with Home Office officers on pay (but not on pensions).
- Allowances. BTP sets some allowance amounts itself, such as its London and South East allowances by station.
The 2026 pay award
The BTP Federation reports a 3.5% award for officers of all ranks from September 2026. The Police Remuneration Review Body had recommended 3.9%. London Allowance maximums, London Weighting and the South East Allowance maximum all went up by 3.5% too. We did not find a BTP Authority paper formally adopting the 2026 award, but BTP's own adverts already use the uprated figures (£33,609, £52,014, £5,783.75 and £3,261), each of which matches a 3.5% rise on BTP's 2025/26 figure. For the national picture see the police pay rise 2026/27 guide.
BTP sergeant pay
BTP's transferee pack gives three sergeant points for 2025/26. BTP has not published 2026/27 sergeant figures and we have not calculated any, because the pack is the only BTP source for sergeant pay.
| Sergeant pay point | 2025/26 a year (BTP transferee pack) | 2025/26 per four-week period (/13) | 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Point 2 | £53,568 | £4,120.62 | Not published by BTP |
| Point 3 | £54,660 | £4,204.62 | Not published by BTP |
| Point 4 | £56,208 | £4,323.69 | Not published by BTP |
The per-period column applies BTP's four-weekly pay to the 2025/26 figures. Transferees join mainly at constable rank, occasionally at sergeant and above. There is no transfer on promotion. Specialist roles come only after the two-year probation.
Free rail travel for BTP officers
Rail travel is the benefit most people ask about. It is also easy to overstate. What BTP's own pages and packs say:
| Travel | What BTP says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| On duty, anywhere on National Rail | Free travel for all police officers and Special Constables when on duty, in uniform or not, on showing the warrant card | BTP role page |
| Oyster card in London | Issued for duty, travel to and from work and leisure; not valid on National Rail. The Inner London advert: "Free Oyster Card for personal and duty travel" | BTP role page; advert 1736 |
| Home to your main place of work | Apply for a residential pass or privilege season ticket, subject to eligibility | BTP role page |
| How far it covers | 70 miles free in London and the South East; 8 miles elsewhere, then usually a heavily reduced rate | BTP recruitment and transferee packs |
| Who decides | Concessions are granted at the discretion of the Rail Delivery Group | BTP packs |
| Off-duty leisure travel on National Rail | Not offered beyond the above | BTP FAQs |
In plain terms: free train travel on duty, an Oyster card in London that you can use off duty plus a residential pass or privilege season ticket that covers your commute up to 70 miles (London and the South East) or 8 miles (elsewhere). Off-duty leisure trips on National Rail are not included, a point Police Oracle has reported as a source of frustration for officers (secondary source).
The 70-mile and 8-mile limits apply between your home and your principal work location, subject to eligibility and the Rail Delivery Group's discretion. If cheap commuting matters to you, check the distance from where you would live to the stations on the campaign you apply for.
Annual leave and other benefits
BTP's role page gives the leave detail; the adverts headline "25 days annual leave, increasing with service". The role page detail is:
| Service | Annual leave (BTP role page) |
|---|---|
| Under 2 years | 22 days |
| After 2 years | 25 days |
| With 20 years' service | 30 days (the maximum) |
Other conditions BTP publishes for officers:
| Benefit | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Shifts | 12-hour rotating shifts with varying start and finish times; patterns differ from station to station | BTP FAQs; transferees page |
| Maternity and adoption | 26 weeks' full pay after a qualifying period; paid paternity leave | BTP role page |
| Police Federation | Membership from day one: £19.50 per four weeks, deducted from pay (£253.50 a year over 13 periods, our arithmetic) | BTP Federation FAQs |
| Cycle to work | Offered | BTP role page; advert 1746 |
| Electric vehicle salary sacrifice | After six months' service, through NHS Fleet Solutions | BTP role page; advert 1746 |
| Blue Light Card | Eligible | BTP role page |
| Eye tests | Free | BTP role page |
| Armed Forces Covenant | Silver award | BTP role page |
BTP's recruitment pack says annual leave cannot be taken during the training phase or the on-area phase that follows it. See BTP training.
Overtime, rest days and other allowances
BTP does not publish its overtime, rest day, public holiday or on-call rules on its recruitment pages. Its pay follows the Home Office award, but we could not confirm whether BTP mirrors the Home Office overtime rates exactly, so we do not quote any rates or run an overtime calculation for BTP.
- Overtime and rest day rates: BTP does not publish them on its recruitment pages.
- On-call allowance: BTP does not publish it on its recruitment pages.
- Shift allowance for officers: not mentioned; the 12-hour rotating shifts are part of the role.
If overtime matters to your budget, ask BTP or the BTP Federation how it is calculated before you rely on it. Build your budget on basic pay plus your station allowance.
Your pension: BTP's own fund
BTP officers are not in the Police Pension Scheme 2015. New officers join the CARE section of the British Transport Police Force Superannuation Fund (BTPFSF), run by Railpen; it is the only section open to new joiners. The fund's public pages do not publish the member contribution rate, which is why we do not estimate take-home pay on this page. Our BTP pension scheme guide explains the fund, how it differs from the Home Office scheme and what transferees need to know.
On allowances: the fund's 2024 report says pensionable salary is "basic salary plus, where appropriate, pensionable allowances such as London Weighting". Whether London Allowance and South East Allowance count as pensionable for CARE members is not published.
BTP PCSO pay in brief
BTP Police Community Support Officers are police staff on a different scale: £29,483.96 rising to £33,012.03 in 2026/27, a shift allowance of up to 20% (at least 15% after the 8 weeks of training) and a £4,775 London allowance in Inner London. Their pension is a defined contribution plan, not the officers' fund. The full picture is on our BTP PCSO guide.
Special Constables are volunteers: they are not paid a salary but get a duty allowance and free rail travel on duty. See BTP Special Constables.
Myths and facts about BTP pay
| You may have read | What BTP's own sources say |
|---|---|
| BTP pay is negotiated separately from other forces | No. BTP follows the Home Office award recommended by the Police Remuneration Review Body and uses the same Windsor constable scale. The BTP Authority says long-standing precedent means it follows government decisions on police pay. |
| BTP officers are paid monthly | BTP employees are paid every four weeks in arrears: 13 pay days a year. |
| The BTP starting salary is £31,164 | That figure is on BTP's older Graduate Programme and Detective Constable Accelerated Scheme pages and is the 2024/25 scale. BTP's live adverts give £33,609. |
| The London allowances start once training ends | BTP says the Inner London allowances of £9,044.75 are paid from day one of training. |
| Every South East station pays the same allowance | There are three tiers: £3,105, £2,000 and £1,000, set by station. |
| BTP officers travel free by train whenever they like | Free on duty, an Oyster card in London and a home-to-work concession of 70 or 8 miles. No off-duty leisure travel on National Rail. |
| BTP officers are in the Police Pension Scheme 2015 | No. They join the CARE section of the BTP Force Superannuation Fund, run by Railpen. |
| New BTP officers get 25 days' leave | Adverts say 25 days increasing with service, but BTP's role page gives 22 days rising to 25 after two years. |
Know the pay. Now check the campaign.
BTP recruits by location for a few weeks at a time. See which campaigns are open and when they close, then work out your own four-weekly take-home pay.
What we could not verify
- BTP's own 2026/27 figures for constable points 3 to 6 (ours are labelled calculations).
- Any 2026/27 sergeant figure: BTP has not published one, so none is shown.
- Whether the £2,000 and £1,000 South East tiers were uprated for 2026/27.
- Whether London Allowance and South East Allowance are pensionable for CARE members.
- BTP's overtime, rest day, public holiday and on-call rules.
- The BTPFSF CARE member contribution rate and accrual rate.
- A BTP Authority paper formally adopting the 2026 award (BTP's adverts already use the uprated figures).
- BTP's pay calendar and how a part-period at the start is paid.
- Pay for inspectors and above: not in the BTP sources we checked.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the BTP starting salary in 2026?
£33,609 a year for a new Police Constable Entry Programme (PCEP) recruit, which is pay point 2 on the national constable scale. BTP's adverts say it rises year on year to £52,014 after five years. In Inner London BTP adds £9,044.75 of allowances from day one of training.
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, so each pay packet is the annual figure divided by 13: £2,585.31 gross per period on £33,609.
How much is the BTP London allowance?
For officers in Inner London (within 16 miles of Charing Cross) BTP pays a London Allowance of £5,783.75 and a London Weighting Allowance of £3,261 in 2026/27: £9,044.75 a year in total, from day one of training.
Which BTP stations get the South East Allowance?
Top tier (£3,105 in 2026/27): Guildford, Ebbsfleet, Luton, Stevenage, Reading, Oxford, Slough, Milton Keynes, Benfleet, Maidstone, Southend, Ashford and Colchester (2025/26 sheet), plus Basingstoke (2026 advert). Middle tier: Gatwick, Portsmouth, Southampton, Brighton and Bournemouth (2025/26 sheet). Lower tier: Cambridge (2025/26 sheet). BTP's 2026 advert gives the two lower tiers as £2,000 and £1,000 without saying whether they were uprated.
How much does a BTP sergeant earn?
BTP's transferee pack gives 2025/26 sergeant pay of £53,568, £54,660 and £56,208 (points 2 to 4). BTP has not published 2026/27 sergeant figures, so we do not quote any.
Did BTP officers get the 2026 pay rise?
The 2026 award was 3.5% for officers of all ranks from September 2026 (the Police Remuneration Review Body had recommended 3.9%). BTP's own live adverts already use the uprated figures (£33,609, £52,014, £5,783.75 and £3,261). We did not find a BTP Authority paper formally adopting it.
Is BTP pay the same as other police forces?
BTP uses the same Windsor constable scale as Home Office forces and follows the Home Office pay award. What differs is how it is paid (every four weeks), the allowances BTP sets by station and the pension (BTP's own fund, not the Police Pension Scheme).
Do BTP officers get free train travel?
Free National Rail travel on duty with the warrant card, an Oyster card in London for duty, commuting and leisure and a residential pass or privilege ticket for home-to-work travel: 70 miles free in London and the South East or 8 miles elsewhere, at the Rail Delivery Group's discretion. There is no off-duty leisure travel on National Rail.
How much annual leave do BTP officers get?
BTP's role page says 22 days rising to 25 days after two years' service, up to a maximum of 30 days with 20 years' service. Adverts headline 25 days increasing with service.
What pension do BTP officers get?
BTP officers join the CARE section of the British Transport Police Force Superannuation Fund, run by Railpen, not the Police Pension Scheme 2015. The member contribution rate is not published on the fund's public pages.
Do BTP officers get paid overtime?
BTP does not publish its overtime, rest day, public holiday or on-call rules on its recruitment pages, so we cannot say whether it mirrors the Home Office rates exactly. Ask BTP before you rely on overtime in a budget.
How much do BTP PCSOs earn?
£29,483.96 rising to £33,012.03 in 2026/27, plus a shift allowance of up to 20% and £4,775 London allowance in Inner London. PCSOs are police staff with a separate pension.
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 careers: Police Officer (Full Time) : starting salary £33,609 rising to £52,014 after five years; Inner London allowances from day one of training; rail travel; 22 to 30 days' leave; maternity; benefits (accessed 23 October 2026)
- BTP advert 1736: Police Officer, Inner London : £33,609, £5,783.75 and £3,261; "Over £42,600 earnings from day one"; free Oyster card (accessed 23 October 2026)
- BTP advert 1746: Police Officer, Stevenage, Colchester, Southend, Brighton and Guildford : South East Allowance "either £3105, £2000 or £1000 depending on location"; cycle to work and EV salary sacrifice (accessed 23 October 2026)
- BTP advert 1783: Police Officer, Basingstoke : £3,105 South East Allowance at Basingstoke (accessed 23 October 2026)
- BTP advert 1775: Police Officer, Truro, Swindon, Yeovil, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Coventry, Milton Keynes and Leicester : £3,105 at Milton Keynes; no allowance named for the other towns (accessed 23 October 2026)
- BTP Transferee/Rejoiner Recruitment Pack (PDF, 8 Jul 2026, attached to advert 793) : 2025/26 constable points 2 to 7 and sergeant points 2 to 4; Windsor scale; paid every four weeks in arrears; rail mileage; pension enrolment (accessed 23 October 2026)
- BTP Allowances by Station (PDF, 2025/26 rates, attached to advert 793) : 2025/26 London and South East allowances by station; 16 miles of Charing Cross rule; pro rata for part-time (accessed 23 October 2026)
- BTP Recruitment Information Pack (PDF, 9 Oct 2025, attached to advert 1720) : rail travel concessions and Rail Delivery Group discretion; 2025/26 London allowance (accessed 23 October 2026)
- BTP careers: FAQs : 12-hour rotating shifts; no off-duty leisure rail travel (accessed 23 October 2026)
- BTP Federation: Police pay award 2026 : 3.5% from September 2026; PRRB recommended 3.9%; London and South East allowances uprated (accessed 23 October 2026)
- BTP Federation: FAQs : Federation subscription £19.50 per four weeks (accessed 23 October 2026)
- Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003, section 29 : Secretary of State rules may require specified scales of pay or allowances (accessed 23 October 2026)
- BTPA Full Authority agenda pack, 9 October 2025 (PDF) : BTPA follows government decisions on police pay (para 8); 2025 London Allowance decision (accessed 23 October 2026)
- BTPA Annual Report and Accounts 2025/26 (PDF) : PRRB recommendation implemented in 2025/26 (accessed 23 October 2026)
- BTPA consultation summary on the police staff pension scheme, March 2021 (PDF) : Wright Report 1979 pay parity (accessed 23 October 2026)
- BTP Force Superannuation Fund (Railpen): paying into the CARE section : CARE section is the only section open to new joiners (accessed 23 October 2026)
- BTPFSF Report and Accounts 2024 (PDF) : pensionable salary includes pensionable allowances such as London Weighting (accessed 23 October 2026)
- BTP careers: Police Community Support Officers : PCSO pay and shift allowance (accessed 23 October 2026)
- BTP careers: Graduate Programme : stale 2024/25 salary text (£31,164 to £48,231) (accessed 23 October 2026)
On this topic elsewhere
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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.