Police Now
Salary Calculator
See what a Police Now officer earns and takes home in any of the 43 England and Wales forces: each year of the two-year programme, on to the top of the constable scale and on promotion to sergeant. Free, no sign-up, nothing stored.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 19 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
Police Now officers are paid on their force's constable scale from day one. On 2026/27 rates, a new constable on pay point 1 earns £32,255 gross in a force with no location pay, about £1,904 a month after tax, NI, pension, a Plan 2 loan and Federation subs. The Met starts recruits on point 2 and with London pay that is £43,688 gross (about £2,470 a month). Specialism does not change pay.
Free calculator
Police Now salary and take-home pay
Pick a force and your loans. Pay is the national constable scale from 1 September 2026 plus the force's location pay, after tax, National Insurance, pension and any loans and subscription you choose. Nothing you enter leaves this page.
The first group lists forces with Police Now roles in the March 2027 entry or the July 2026 cohort. That is not a promise of roles in the next window.
For labelling only. Every specialism is paid on the same constable scale; only the force changes the figure.
England courses started 1 September 2012 to 31 July 2023; Wales undergraduate courses from 1 September 2012. English students whose course started from 1 August 2023 are on Plan 5, which starts repaying at a lower threshold (£25,000) than Plan 2 (£29,385).
Take-home in year 1: Neighbourhood, North Wales Police, point 1
£1,904 a month
From £32,255 a year gross (£32,255 basic, no location pay in this force). Take-home £22,852 a year.
Year 2 take-home
£1,964 a month
Top of scale (year 7)
£2,746 a month
Sergeant on promotion
£2,911 a month
Year by year
One pay point a year on your appointment anniversary. Today's rates throughout: future pay awards are not added.
| Year | Stage | Point | Gross a year | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Programme year 1 (academy, then force) | 1 | £32,255 | £22,852 | £1,904 |
| 2 | Programme year 2 | 2 | £33,609 | £23,567 | £1,964 |
| 3 | After the programme | 3 | £34,972 | £24,288 | £2,024 |
| 4 | After the programme | 4 | £36,335 | £24,997 | £2,083 |
| 5 | After the programme | 5 | £39,058 | £26,125 | £2,177 |
| 6 | After the programme | 6 | £44,544 | £28,973 | £2,414 |
| 7 | After the programme | 7 | £52,015 | £32,956 | £2,746 |
| Sgt | Sergeant, on promotion | 2 | £55,443 | £34,937 | £2,911 |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Where the money goes
- Gross pay
- £2,688 a month
- Income tax
- -£259
- National Insurance
- -£131
- Pension (12.88% of £32,255 pensionable pay)
- -£346
- Student loan (Plan 2)
- -£21
- Police Federation subscription
- -£26
- Take-home
- £1,904 a month
Federation subscriptions qualify for tax relief. In North Wales you claim it from HMRC yourself: about £63 a year back, not included above.
What gets you this salary
Pay is the same on every specialism. What decides whether you get it is the assessment centre interview and, after the offer, the 15m bleep test to level 5.4. Practise an interview answer free in the mock interview (90-day pass £39.99) and train with the Fitness Pass Suite (£19.99). The mock interview uses College of Policing values, not Police Now's own framework.
Estimate only, on 2026/27 tax rules and the pay rates from 1 September 2026. Your payslip depends on your tax code, start date, overtime, allowances and any local payments. PolicePay is independent of Police Now.
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The March 2027 entry has closed. Police Now says applications for the March 2028 start open early next year and has not given a date. Leave your email and we will tell you when the window opens, with the forces and the closing date we can find. You can add up to two forces too. Occasional emails, written by hand. Unsubscribe any time.
Worked examples from the calculator
The same inputs (pay point 1, Plan 2 loan, Federation member) in three forces Police Now recruited for recently, worked out when this page was built:
| Force | Gross a year | Location pay | Take-home a month | Year 7 take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Wales | £32,255 | None | £1,904 | £2,746 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | £34,325 | £2,070 South East Allowance | £2,013 | £2,865 |
| Metropolitan Police (point 1) | £42,334 | £10,079 London Weighting and Allowance | £2,410 | £3,237 |
| Metropolitan Police (point 2) | £43,688 | £10,079 London Weighting and Allowance | £2,470 | £3,237 |
Without a student loan or Federation subscription, North Wales year 1 take-home is £1,952 a month. The gap between a Plan 2 and a Plan 5 loan at this salary is about £33 a month.
Reading your result
- The headline is year 1. That is the year Police Now's "starting salary" describes: the academy and the rest of your first year in force, all on the same pay.
- The shaded rows are the programme. Years 1 and 2 are Police Now's two years. From year 3 you are a constable or detective constable in your force like any other, still moving up a point a year.
- Monthly figures are an average. They are the annual figure divided by 12. A real first payslip may be a part month and an emergency tax code can take more at first; it is refunded through later payslips.
- "Where the money goes" follows the year you pick. Look at year 5 or 6 to see the pension band step up and student loan repayments grow as pay rises.
- Compare forces, not specialisms. Changing the specialism changes only the label. Changing the force from one with no location pay to the Met adds £10,079 a year gross like for like and the Met's point 2 start adds £1,354 more: about £566 a month after deductions in year 1 in all. The calculator picks point 2 for the Met; you can switch it.
Forces with recent Police Now roles
The calculator lists these forces first. They are the forces Police Now named for the March 2027 entry (now closed) or the July 2026 cohort. The next window's forces are not yet published, so treat this as a guide to where Police Now has recruited, not where it will.
| Specialism | Academy | Recent forces with roles |
|---|---|---|
| Neighbourhood | 8 weeks | Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Northamptonshire and North Wales (March 2027 roles); Met and West Midlands (July 2026 cohort) |
| Detective | 13 weeks | North Wales (March 2027 roles) |
| Economic Crime | 13 weeks | Dorset (March 2027 roles) |
| Counter Terrorism | 13 weeks | Metropolitan Police (March 2027 roles); Met and West Midlands (July 2026 cohort) |
How the calculator works
- Basic pay. The national constable scale for officers appointed on or after 1 April 2013, from 1 September 2026: £32,255 at point 1, £33,609 at point 2, rising to £52,015 at point 7. These are the official 2025/26 figures plus the 3.5% award, rounded to the nearest pound.
- Location pay. London Weighting and London Allowance at the Met and City of London; the South East Allowance in Bedfordshire, Essex, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Surrey, Sussex and Thames Valley. Every other force adds nothing.
- One point a year. Constables move up a point on each anniversary of appointment. While on probation you do not need to meet the pay progression standard to move up; afterwards you do and the calculator assumes you meet it. From point 1 you reach the top in year 7; from point 2, in year 6.
- Deductions. Income tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates, the 2015 scheme pension contribution on pensionable pay, your student loan plan and Postgraduate Loan worked month by month as payroll does and the Federation subscription if ticked.
- Sergeant. Sergeants appointed since 1 September 2020 join at sergeant pay point 2, £55,443, plus the same location pay.
How our figures line up with Police Now's
Police Now publishes ranges and a few force figures. Here is how each one matches what the calculator works out:
| Police Now figure | What it matches | Calculator |
|---|---|---|
| £32,256 (North Wales, Northamptonshire) | Point 1 from September 2026, as announced | £32,255 (£1 rounding) |
| £34,326 (Hampshire and Isle of Wight) | Point 1 plus the £2,070 South East Allowance | £34,325 (£1 rounding) |
| £43,689 (top of the start range) | Met point 2 plus London Weighting and London Allowance | £43,688 (£1 lower; see below) |
| £42,210 (Met counter terrorism) | Met point 2 on the 2025/26 rates, before the September 2026 award | £43,688 on 2026/27 rates |
| £50,256 to £59,964 (within seven years) | The lower figure is point 7 on the 2025/26 rates | £52,015 to £62,094 on 2026/27 rates |
| £53,568 to £63,276 (sergeant) | The lower figure is sergeant point 2 on the 2025/26 rates | £55,443 to £65,522 on 2026/27 rates |
The top of Police Now's start range is £1 more than point 2 (£33,609) plus London Weighting (£3,260) plus London Allowance (£6,819) in our data. The Home Office rounds pay figures to £3 steps, which gives London Weighting £3,261 (the figure the Defence Police Federation publishes) and exactly £43,689, so rounding is the likely reason. Its seven-year and sergeant ranges look like last year's rates and their upper ends are £30 below last year's point 7 or sergeant point 2 plus London Weighting and the maximum London Allowance; we could not reconcile that £30. The Police Now salary guide goes through each figure.
Assumptions
- Full time, whole year. Annual figures assume you are paid for the whole year at that point. Your first tax year will be part-year and an emergency tax code can make the first payslips look different.
- Standard tax code. A £12,570 personal allowance and England and Wales income tax rates (Welsh rates are currently the same).
- Today's money. Every year uses the pay rates from 1 September 2026 and 2026/27 tax rules. Future pay awards, which have been annual, are not added, so later years are likely to be understated in cash terms.
- Pension band. The 2015 scheme band (12.88%, 13.88% or 14.22%) is set from that year's pensionable pay. The scheme actually uses the previous scheme year's pensionable earnings, so the band can lag a year after a pay rise.
- Location pay at the published rate. The Met and City of London pay the maximum London Allowance and South East forces pay the rate in our data. Annex U lets chief officers set the South East Allowance up to the maximum, so check your force's figure.
- Pay progression standard met. After probation each increment needs an annual review, no live formal stage 1 or 2 action and required training. The calculator assumes you meet it every year.
What is not included
- Overtime, the unsocial hours allowance (10% of the hourly rate for hours between 8pm and 6am) and on-call allowance (£35 a day).
- Local payments, such as recruitment and retention payments some forces make for hard-to-fill roles. There is no national detective allowance.
- Salary sacrifice schemes, childcare, cycle to work and similar deductions.
- Police Now's academy accommodation and meals, which Police Now says are covered and any relocation support, which varies by force.
Our full police salary calculator adds overtime, unsocial hours, on-call, other allowances and salary sacrifice for any rank and force.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a Police Now officer take home a month?
It depends almost entirely on the force. In a force with no location pay, such as North Wales, year 1 on pay point 1 is £32,255 gross, about £1,904 a month after tax, National Insurance, pension, a Plan 2 student loan and the Federation subscription. At the Met, which starts new recruits on pay point 2, London Weighting and the London Allowance take year 1 to £43,688 gross, about £2,470 a month. These are our estimates on 2026/27 rules.
Does the specialism change Police Now pay?
No. Neighbourhood, Detective, Economic Crime and Counter Terrorism officers are all constables (or trainee detective constables) on the same national constable pay scale. What changes the figure is the force, because London and some South East forces add location pay and whether the force starts new constables on pay point 1 or 2. There is no national detective allowance.
Am I paid during the Police Now academy?
Yes. Police Now says you are paid a salary from day one, including at the residential academy, by the force that appoints you. Year 1 in the calculator covers the academy and the rest of your first year.
Which student loan plan should I choose?
Choose the plan on your Student Loans Company account. Most English graduates who started university between September 2012 and July 2023 are on Plan 2 (9% of pay over £29,385). English students whose course started on or after 1 August 2023 are on Plan 5, which starts at £25,000, so it takes more from a starting salary: in North Wales in year 1, about £54 a month against £21 on Plan 2. Welsh undergraduates are on Plan 2, Scottish on Plan 4 and Northern Irish on Plan 1.
Why does the calculator show £1 less than Police Now?
Police Now quotes £32,256 for a new constable from 1 September 2026, which is the figure the Government announced. Our pay data takes the official 2025/26 point 1 (£31,164) plus 3.5%, which is £32,254.74 and rounds it to £32,255. The £1 carries through every force at point 1.
Is the pension taken from all my pay?
No. The 2015 scheme contribution is charged on pensionable pay: basic pay, plus London Weighting at the Met and City of London. The London Allowance and the South East Allowance are not pensionable, so no pension is taken on them. In Hampshire, for example, the year 1 contribution is £4,154 a year, worked on £32,255 rather than the full £34,325.
Should I tick Police Federation membership?
Tick it if you plan to join. Membership is optional and costs £26.31 a month from January 2026. The subscription qualifies for tax relief: at the Met and West Yorkshire HMRC says relief goes through payroll and in other forces you claim it from HMRC, which the calculator shows as a separate figure.
Does the calculator include overtime or shift allowances?
No. It shows contractual pay only: basic pay and the location pay every officer in the force receives. Overtime, the unsocial hours allowance, on-call allowance and any local payments are extra and vary person to person. Our full police salary calculator lets you add them.
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.
- Police Now: National Graduate Programme : starting salary £32,256 to £43,689 depending on location; £50,256 to £59,964 within seven years; sergeant £53,568 to £63,276; salary from day one (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now: Neighbourhood job description (March 2027 roles) : North Wales and Northamptonshire £32,256; Hampshire and Isle of Wight £34,326; salary paid from day one at the academy; 22 days' leave rising to 30 (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now: Counter Terrorism job description (March 2027 roles) : Metropolitan Police £42,210 (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Home Office Circular 011/2026: Annex F (pay) : 2025/26 constable scale (point 1 £31,164, point 2 £32,472, point 7 £50,256); sergeant point 2 £53,568; point 2 start option from 1 April 2025; one point a year on the appointment anniversary; probationers need not meet the pay progression standard; sergeants join at point 2; London Weighting £3,150 (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Home Office Circular 011/2026: Annex U (allowances) : London Allowance maximum £6,588; South East Allowance £3,000 or £2,000 by force; no detective allowance (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Written ministerial statement HCWS264: police pay award 2026/27 (15 July 2026) : the 3.5% award from 1 September 2026 accepted in full (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Metropolitan Police: We've accepted the challenge. Will you? (12 October 2026) : new recruits start on a salary of more than £43,000 (pay point 2 with London pay) (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Pensions (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/267) : 2015 scheme contribution bands from 1 April 2026: 12.88%, 13.88%, 14.22% (accessed 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: which student loan repayment plan you are on : who is on Plans 1, 2, 4 and 5 and the Postgraduate Loan (accessed 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: collection of student loans from 6 April 2026 (payroll specification) : thresholds and how payroll works out each month's deduction (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Federation of England and Wales: Join the Fed : £26.31 a month from 1 January 2026, claimable against income tax (accessed 19 October 2026)
- HMRC List 3: approved professional organisations : Federation subscription relief given through payroll at the Met and West Yorkshire (accessed 19 October 2026)
On this topic elsewhere
More in this guide series
More for graduate applicants
Disclaimer
PolicePay.co.uk is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with Police Now, the College of Policing or any police force. It does not recruit or assess applicants. Police Now sets its own eligibility, selection and programme content and changes them between cohorts: check Police Now's own pages and your invitation before relying on anything here. Practice material on this page is original PolicePay material, not Police Now's. Details are as checked on 19 October 2026.