Police officer earnings 2026: ONS puts the typical full-time officer on £52,569, up 5.4%
The ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, published today, puts median full-time annual pay for police officers at sergeant and below at £52,569. That is 28.5% above the median for all full-time employees. Here is what the figures include and what they mean for your own pay.
What it means for you
- The typical full-time officer at sergeant and below earned £52,569 in the tax year to 5 April 2026, according to the ONS. That is gross pay, so it includes overtime and allowances, not just basic salary.
- That is 28.5% more than the median for all full-time employees (£40,911), by our calculation.
- These are survey medians, not your pay. Your own pay depends on your rank, pay point, force and allowances, so check your figure with a calculator rather than comparing yourself with the median.
- The 3.5% award from 1 September 2026 came after the survey period, so it is not in these figures.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) published its Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) for 2026 at 9:30am today, 22 October 2026. ASHE is the ONS's main source of earnings by occupation. It is based on a 1% sample of jobs from HMRC's PAYE records and covers the whole UK. The occupation tables include three policing groups: police officers (sergeant and below), senior police officers and police community support officers (PCSOs). All 2026 figures are provisional; the final figures follow in October 2027.
Police earnings in ASHE 2026
- £52,569 Median full-time annual pay, officers at sergeant and below ONS ASHE 2026
- 5.4% Increase on 2025 ONS ASHE 2026
- 28.5% Above the median for all full-time employees (by our calculation) ONS ASHE 2026
- £1,025.20 Median full-time weekly pay, April 2026 ONS ASHE 2026
Four figures from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2026 (provisional). Median full-time gross annual pay for police officers at sergeant and below was £52,569, up 5.4% on 2025. That is 28.5% above the median for all full-time employees, by our calculation. Median full-time gross weekly pay in April 2026 was £1,025.20.
The headline numbers
For full-time police officers at sergeant and below, median gross annual pay was £52,569, up 5.4% on the revised 2025 figure of £49,887. The annual figures cover the tax year that ended on 5 April 2026 and only include employees who had been in the same job for more than a year. The ONS rates this estimate as precise (a coefficient of variation of 1.2%).
For all full-time employees in the UK, median gross annual pay was £40,911, up 4.5% from £39,157. By our calculation, the typical full-time officer at sergeant and below earned 28.5% more than the typical full-time employee.
| Full-time employees | Median gross annual pay, 2026 | Change on 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Senior police officers | £70,573 | 5.6% |
| Police officers (sergeant and below) | £52,569 | 5.4% |
| All full-time employees | £40,911 | 4.5% |
| Police community support officers | £36,182 | 1.3% |
Median full-time annual pay, 2026
Bar chart of median full-time gross annual pay in the tax year to 5 April 2026: senior police officers £70,573; police officers at sergeant and below £52,569; all full-time employees £40,911; PCSOs £36,182.
The senior police officers estimate comes from a much smaller sample, so it is less certain: the ONS rates it as reasonably precise. The PCSO estimate is rated precise.
Weekly pay in April 2026
ASHE also measures pay for one pay period in April. For full-time officers at sergeant and below, median gross weekly pay in April 2026 was £1,025.20, up 9.2% on April 2025 (£938.70). For all full-time employees it was £811.20, up 5.8% from £766.60. Senior police officers' median was £1,401.80 a week and PCSOs' £725.40.
Weekly pay rose faster than annual pay, partly because they measure different periods. The weekly figure is a snapshot of April 2026; the annual figure is the whole of the 2025/26 tax year. Treat the 9.2% with care: the ONS says its year-on-year changes are not adjusted for changes in who is in the sample, which can move a median independently of what individuals are paid.
Men and women
Among full-time officers at sergeant and below, median annual pay was £54,267 for men and £49,412 for women. By our calculation, the women's median was 8.9% lower. This is a simple comparison of medians. It does not take account of rank mix, length of service, pay point or overtime, so it is not the same as unequal pay for the same work. For all full-time employees the ONS gives £43,934 for men and £37,471 for women.
What these figures are and are not
- Gross pay, not basic salary. ASHE gross pay includes overtime, shift and other allowances as well as basic pay. It is before tax, National Insurance and pension contributions.
- Medians, not pay scales. The median is the middle job: half earned more and half less. Your own figure comes from your rank and pay point on the police pay scales, plus any allowances and overtime.
- UK-wide. The figures cover all UK employees in each occupation, not just the 43 forces in England and Wales.
- Before the 2026 award. The 3.5% rise from 1 September 2026 came after both the April 2026 survey date and the tax year the annual figures cover.
What it means for your pay
If you want to know where you sit, start with your own numbers rather than the median. The free police salary calculator works out your take-home pay from your rank, pay point and allowances. If overtime makes up a big part of what you earn, our guide to police overtime explains the rates and rules.
The figures are also useful if you are weighing up a move out of policing. Our guide to jobs for ex-police officers compares common second careers using the same ONS survey (2026 figures). For PCSOs and police staff, the 2026 staff pay talks are still going on; our police staff pay rise tracker has the latest.
Sources
- ONS, Employee earnings in the UK: 2026 (22 October 2026). Release at 9:30am on 22 October 2026. Median weekly earnings for full-time employees £811.20 in April 2026, up 5.8% from £766.60. Median gross annual earnings for full-time employees in the same job for at least a year £40,911, up 4.5% from £39,157. 2026 estimates are provisional; final data in October 2027. Accessed 22 October 2026.
- ONS, Earnings and hours worked, occupation by four-digit SOC: ASHE Table 14, 2026 provisional (22 October 2026). Full-time sheets. Table 14.7a (annual gross pay, tax year to 5 April 2026, same job for more than a year): police officers (sergeant and below, SOC 3312) median £52,569, change 5.4%; senior police officers (SOC 1162) £70,573, 5.6%; PCSOs (SOC 6311) £36,182, 1.3%; all full-time employees £40,911, 4.5%; officers men £54,267, women £49,412; all full-time men £43,934, women £37,471. Table 14.7b coefficients of variation for the medians: officers 1.2%, senior officers 6.1%, PCSOs 2.5%. Table 14.1a (weekly gross pay, April 2026): officers £1,025.20, change 9.2%; senior officers £1,401.80; PCSOs £725.40; all full-time employees £811.20. Notes sheet: 1% PAYE sample, UK coverage, changes not adjusted for composition. Accessed 22 October 2026.
- ONS, ASHE Table 14, 2025 revised (22 October 2026). Full-time sheets, 2025 revised: police officers (sergeant and below) median annual gross pay £49,887 (Table 14.7a) and median weekly gross pay £938.70 (Table 14.1a). Accessed 22 October 2026.
- House of Commons written statement HCWS264, Police workforce (Home Secretary, 15 July 2026). The 2026/27 officer pay award of 3.5% from 1 September 2026, after the April 2026 survey date. Accessed 22 October 2026.
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About this article
Written by Andrew Thomas, Founder, PolicePay. Before publishing, every figure and claim was checked against the primary sources above in a separate, independent check. Articles are not published until that check passes. Read About Police Pay News for how we choose stories, check facts, use AI tools and stay independent. Our news standards set the rules.
