Police vs Army Salary
and Army Pay by Rank
(UK 2026)
A new police constable in England and Wales is paid £31,164 (about £32,255 from 1 September 2026, our calculation), against £27,282 for a new British Army soldier from 1 April 2026, so the police pay more at the start and at the top of the constable scale (£50,256). Army staff sergeants and above, and sergeants on higher trade bands, reach or pass a top-scale constable. Below: the 2026 Army pay scales by rank, what armed police and military police are paid, accommodation, overtime and pensions. Police figures from the Home Office pay determination; Army figures from the Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body 2026 report.
Independent explanatory guidance. Not affiliated with the Home Office or Ministry of Defence. Police figures are England and Wales; Police Scotland has a separate pay system. Information, not careers or financial advice.
The Short Answer: Who Earns More?
On base pay, police earn more at the start and top of the constable scale: £31,164 rising to £50,256 from 1 September 2025 (about £32,255 to £52,015 from 1 September 2026, our calculation), against £27,282 for a new soldier and £40,989 to £48,497 for an Army corporal. Soldiers, though, pay no pension contributions and have heavily subsidised housing.
- Army staff sergeants and above, and sergeants on higher trade bands, reach or pass a top-scale constable. Army figures include X-Factor, a pensionable addition of 14.5% at the full rate.
- Both 2015 pension schemes have a normal pension age of 60. Police officers pay 12.88% to 14.22% of pensionable pay into theirs; Armed Forces Pension Scheme members pay nothing.
- Armed police are paid on the same scale as other officers; there is no national firearms allowance (see below).
Base Pay Compared (2026)
Police and Army pay years start on different dates. Police pay changes on 1 September; the official police scale is the one from 1 September 2025, and the 3.5% award from 1 September 2026 had not been put into a published determination by 30 September 2026, so the 2026/27 police column is our calculation. Army pay changes on 1 April; the 1 April 2026 Army rates are official. Army other ranks are paid on one of four trade supplement bands; the lowest (band 1) and highest (band 4) are shown.
| Role | Entry / start | Top of scale | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Police constable (E&W), from 1 Sept 2025 | £31,164 | £50,256 | Official (Annex F). Seven pay points for officers appointed on or after 1 April 2013. |
| Police constable, from 1 Sept 2026 | £32,255 | £52,015 | Calculated: 2025 rates x 1.035. Point 4 becomes about £36,335. |
| Army private | £27,282 | £38,553 (band 1) / £41,164 (band 4) | From 1 April 2026. Increment levels with time in rank; trade band set by MOD job evaluation. |
| Army lance corporal | £35,310 (band 1) / £37,407 (band 4) | £38,553 (band 1) / £41,164 (band 4) | Shares the top three private pay levels. |
| Army corporal | £40,989 (band 1) / £44,322 (band 4) | £43,826 (band 1) / £48,497 (band 4) | Promotion rank. |
| Army sergeant | £46,022 (band 1) / £51,024 (band 4) | £50,598 (band 1) / £56,611 (band 4) | On higher bands, more than a top-scale constable. |
Sources: Home Office Circular 011/2026, Annex F (police, 1 September 2025), with our 3.5% calculation for 1 September 2026 (HCWS264); AFPRB 55th Report 2026, Appendix 1, Tables 1.1 and 1.4, accepted in full by government on 9 June 2026 (Army). Army figures include X-Factor. Police pay progression depends on meeting the pay progression standard.
A time-served increment ladder. A constable appointed since April 2013 reaches the top point (£50,256 from September 2025) after six annual increments, without needing promotion, provided they meet the pay progression standard each year.
Pay depends on rank, increment level within the rank and trade band. On the lowest band, pay above £40,000 starts at corporal (£40,989); a private on the highest band reaches £41,164.
Key Takeaway
A constable reaches a higher base salary without promotion than an Army private, lance corporal or corporal. In the Army, larger pay rises come mainly with rank and trade band, and the cash comparison leaves out housing and pension costs (sections 3 and 4).
British Army Pay Scales 2026/27 by Rank
The 2026 Armed Forces pay award is 3.6% from 1 April 2026, accepted in full by government on 9 June 2026 (HCWS101). It takes the starting salary for other ranks to £27,282 and for officers to £35,925. Figures are annual base pay including X-Factor (14.5% at the full rate for full-time regulars) and exclude allowances. Ranks are matched to the AFPRB tables by NATO rank code, using the MOD's own glossary.
| Army rank | NATO code | Band 1 (lowest) | Band 4 (highest) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private | OR-2 | £27,282 – £38,553 | £27,282 – £41,164 |
| Lance Corporal | OR-3 | £35,310 – £38,553 | £37,407 – £41,164 |
| Corporal | OR-4 | £40,989 – £43,826 | £44,322 – £48,497 |
| Sergeant | OR-6 | £46,022 – £50,598 | £51,024 – £56,611 |
| Staff Sergeant | OR-7 | £51,615 – £60,271 | £57,830 – £65,249 |
| Warrant Officer Class 2 | OR-8 | £56,024 – £60,271 | £63,358 – £65,249 |
| Warrant Officer Class 1 | OR-9 | £64,704 – £67,201 | £66,560 – £68,982 |
| Army officer rank | NATO code | Base pay range (1 Apr 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Second Lieutenant / Lieutenant | OF-1 | £35,925 – £47,351 |
| Captain | OF-2 | £54,716 – £64,852 |
| Major | OF-3 | £68,624 – £81,960 |
| Lieutenant Colonel | OF-4 | £95,850 – £110,806 |
| Colonel | OF-5 | £115,881 – £127,272 |
| Brigadier | OF-6 | £137,874 – £143,406 |
| Major General | OF-7 | £151,825 – £164,054 |
| Lieutenant General | OF-8 | £181,743 – £210,000 |
| General | OF-9 | £227,179 – £254,531 |
Source: Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body Fifty-Fifth Report 2026, Appendix 1 (Tables 1.1, 1.4 and 1.5), on GOV.UK; award and effective date per the government announcement of 9 June 2026. Rank codes from the MOD tri-service glossary (some regiments use Colour Sergeant at OR-7). Bands 2 and 3 fall between the two shown. Specialist pay spines (aircrew, nursing, medical, Special Forces, Military Provost Guard Service and others) differ and are not shown. Major (OF-3) excludes the RAF engineer officer levels that run higher. Police pay by rank is in our police ranks guide.
Do Armed Police Get Paid More?
Not by national rule. In England and Wales, firearms officers are paid on the same rank pay scale as every other officer: a constable earns £31,164 to £50,256 from 1 September 2025 (about £32,255 to £52,015 from 1 September 2026, our calculation). The national allowances are listed in Annex U of the Police Regulations 2003, and none of them is a firearms or armed-duty allowance. What an armed officer can receive beyond basic pay comes from the same rules as everyone else, plus some discretionary payments that depend on the force. For the role itself (selection, training and requalification), see our firearms officer (AFO) guide.
| Payment (Annex U) | Who / how much | Firearms-specific? |
|---|---|---|
| Overtime | Constables and sergeants (regulation 25; inspectors are not eligible, PRRB para 3.146) | No |
| Unsocial hours allowance | 10% of hourly pay for hours worked 8pm to 6am; constable to chief inspector | No |
| On-call allowance | £35 for each day on call (from 1 Sept 2025) | No |
| Protection Allowance | Officers on core protection duties: £40, £90 or £125 a shift for constables and sergeants; rates up £8 from 1 Sept 2026 | Linked to protection duty; for rates 2 and 3, one condition is being required to be fit for firearms or conductive energy device duty |
| Service critical skills payment | Up to £5,000 a year at the chief officer's discretion, for skills in short supply or hard-to-fill roles (chief superintendent and below) | Not named; a force may use it for any qualifying role |
| Bonus payment | £50 to £2,000 one-off, for outstandingly demanding, unpleasant or important work | No |
Source: Annex U (Allowances), Circular 011/2026, paragraphs 8, 10, 13, 13a and 15; Protection Allowance increase from HCWS264. Inspector and chief inspector Protection Allowance rates are £40, £125 and £160.
The service critical skills payment can only be paid for time served in eligible roles between 1 July 2021 and 30 June 2029 (Annex U, paragraph 15(h)). In 2024/25, 9% of full-time constables received one, with a median of £875 (PRRB 2026 report, Tables E.2 and E.3); those figures cover all roles, not just firearms officers. More broadly, the NPCC told the PRRB that Targeted Variable Pay, the discretionary targeted payments forces can make, helps retain experienced specialists in highly technical areas "such as firearms, investigation and public protection" (para C.34). The PRRB found Targeted Variable Pay is applied inconsistently across forces, and service spending on it fell from £12.0 million in 2023/24 to £8.1 million in 2024/25 (paras 2.108 to 2.109).
So, do armed police get paid more? Basic pay is the same. Any extra comes from overtime, on-call and unsocial hours (which depend on the rota), the Protection Allowance if the officer is on protection duty, or a discretionary local payment. Ask the force, or its Police Federation branch, whether it currently pays anything to firearms officers; we do not quote figures for individual forces because we could not verify them.
Military Police Pay
Military police are soldiers, not Home Office police officers, so their pay comes from the Armed Forces pay system. The AFPRB 2026 report publishes no separate pay table for the Royal Military Police. Soldiers on the main pay spines are paid by rank, increment level and one of four trade supplement bands; MOD allocates each trade to a band through job evaluation and publishes the criteria internally (AFPRB report, Appendix 1). On those spines pay runs from £27,282 for a new entrant to £68,982 at the top of warrant officer class 1 (band 4), from 1 April 2026.
We could not confirm which trade band applies to the Royal Military Police: the Army's recruitment page for the role refused automated access when we tried to read it on 1 October 2026. Check the role page on the Army jobs site, or ask an Army careers adviser, for the current figures.
The Military Provost Guard Service has its own pay spine in the report (Table 1.7): £24,438 at entry, £36,394 to £38,908 at OR-4, and up to £58,309 at the top of OR-9, from 1 April 2026. The Ministry of Defence Police, a civilian police force, is not covered by either the AFPRB or the Home Office tables on this page, and we have not verified its pay.
Allowances & Additional Pay
This is where the direct comparison starts to diverge. Police extra pay comes mainly from hours worked; Army extra value comes mainly from X-Factor, which is already in the salary figures, and from subsidised accommodation.
- Overtime: constables and sergeants are compensated for overtime under regulation 25 of the Police Regulations 2003, and for working rest days and public holidays under regulation 26, at rates set in Home Office determinations. In 2024/25, 93% of full-time constables received overtime; the median was £2,401 (PRRB 2026, Tables E.2 and E.3).
- London: Met and City of London officers receive London Weighting of £3,150 (from 1 September 2025) and a London Allowance set by the Commissioner up to a maximum of £6,588. Both rise by 3.5% from 1 September 2026 (about £3,260 and £6,819 on our calculation).
- On-call and unsocial hours: £35 a day on call; 10% of hourly pay for hours worked between 8pm and 6am (Annex U).
- X-Factor: a pensionable addition to pay reflecting the conditions of service life, 14.5% at the full rate and already included in the pay tables above (AFPRB report).
- Operational Allowance: paid only when designated for particular operations, and exempt from income tax under section 297A of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003.
- Other targeted pay: recruitment and retention payments, skills payments and compensatory allowances, all raised by 3.6% from 1 April 2026 (HCWS101). Amounts depend on trade and role.
What the official data says about the gap
Police constable: top-scale base pay
£50,256 from 1 September 2025. Among full-time constables
who received overtime in 2024/25, the median was £2,401 a
year. Housing is paid for privately.
Army corporal (band 1): £40,989 to £43,826
from 1 April 2026, with no member pension contribution. MOD
told the AFPRB that a private in the best-condition (Band A)
three or four bedroom family home pays 12% to 17% of salary
for it, against 36.3% of income for a private renter on a
median household income in England (AFPRB report, para
8.39).
We do not add these into a single "equivalent salary": the value of subsidised housing depends on where you are posted and whether you would live in it anyway.
Accommodation & Living Costs
Housing is usually the biggest cost for a working adult, and it is where the two jobs differ most.
Police
Officers in England and Wales rent or buy in the open market. The help available is location pay: London Weighting and London Allowance in the Met and City of London, and a South East Allowance of up to £3,000 or £2,000 in some forces near London (from 1 September 2025). A legacy replacement allowance reaches very few officers (0.1% of full-time constables in 2024/25, PRRB Table E.2).
Army
Service Family Accommodation (SFA) and Single Living Accommodation (SLA) are charged well below market rents. MOD data put the SFA subsidy at £926 to £3,627 a month (a 76% to 80% discount) and the SLA subsidy at £855 to £1,018 a month (81% to 96%). MOD says the subsidy recognises the restrictions and mobility of Service life, and is reviewing it (AFPRB report, paras 8.37 to 8.38).
Takeaway
A soldier living in Service accommodation can have more left after housing than the gap in base pay suggests. A police officer chooses where to live but pays the full cost.
Pension Comparison (Long-Term Security)
Both jobs come with a defined benefit career average pension. Section 10 of the Public Service Pensions Act 2013 gives police officers and members of the armed forces the same normal pension age of 60, and the same deferred pension age (state pension age, or 65 if higher) for anyone who leaves before then.
| Scheme | Type | Normal pension age | Member contribution | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Police (2015 scheme, E&W) | Career average | 60 | 12.88% / 13.88% / 14.22% | Bands from 1 April 2026 (SI 2026/267): up to £37,035; over £37,035 and under £79,588; £79,588 or more. |
| Armed Forces (AFPS 15) | Career average | 60 | 0% | Linked Early Departure Payments scheme for some who leave before 60 (rules in JSP 905). |
What this means in cash
Same pension age, very different cost. A constable on £50,256 pays 13.88% of pensionable pay into the 2015 scheme from 1 April 2026; a soldier pays nothing into AFPS 15. Earlier versions of this page said Army pensions were tied to state pension age while police pensions were not; that was wrong for serving members of both 2015 schemes. Accrual rates and benefits differ between the schemes, and we do not say which is better for any individual.
Hours, Overtime and Deployment
Police: paid for extra hours
Constables and sergeants are paid for overtime and for cancelled rest days and public holidays, so extra hours usually mean extra pay. It varies with operational demand and is taxed in the normal way. Inspectors are not entitled to overtime (PRRB 2026 report, para 3.146).
Army: no hourly overtime
The Armed Forces pay tables have no overtime element; X-Factor is the standing compensation for the demands of Service life. The MOD's working patterns survey recorded an Army average of 43.4 hours a week in 2024/25, from a 12% response rate (AFPRB report, paras 4.7 to 4.8).
| Extra pay | Police: varies with overtime worked | Army: mostly fixed, plus allowances for specific duties or operations |
To see what overtime is worth after tax on your own pay, use the free police overtime calculator or read police overtime explained.
Legal Status & Risk Profile
Officers hold the office of constable. Their conduct is governed by police misconduct regulations, and serious complaints and incidents, including some involving use of force, can be investigated by the IOPC.
Soldiers are subject to military law under the Armed Forces Act 2006, can be posted anywhere and deployed on operations, and may spend long periods away from family.
Long-Term Earning Ceiling
From 1 September 2025: sergeant £53,568 to £56,208; inspector £63,768 to £68,982 outside London; chief superintendent up to £115,785. With the 3.5% award from 1 September 2026, sergeant becomes about £55,443 to £58,175 and inspector £66,000 to £71,396 (our calculation).
Non-commissioned pay rises with rank and band, up to £68,982 for a warrant officer class 1 on band 4. The commissioned route runs from £35,925 (second lieutenant) to £81,960 at the top of major and £110,806 at the top of lieutenant colonel.
Balanced conclusion
Army pay up to corporal tops out below a top-scale police constable; Army staff sergeants and above (and sergeants on higher trade bands) reach or exceed it. Army officers from captain upwards (from £54,716) are paid more than a top-scale constable. Promotion is competitive in both careers, so these are ceilings, not predictions.
Work out your own police pay
If you are weighing a move into policing, the free Police Salary Calculator shows take-home pay after tax, National Insurance and pension contributions for any rank and pay point and your force, including London Weighting. The force finder compares forces if you have not chosen one yet.
What we could not verify
- The official 2026/27 police pay points. The 3.5% award from 1 September 2026 was announced, but the amended Annex F had not been published at 30 September 2026. Our figures may differ by a pound or two from the final table.
- Which trade supplement band applies to the Royal Military Police (MOD publishes the allocation internally), and the pay of the Ministry of Defence Police.
- Whether, and how much, any individual force currently pays firearms officers through discretionary payments.
- The amount of the Operational Allowance and the Early Departure Payment rules, which we have not summarised.
Stay Updated on Public Sector Pay Comparisons
We update these comparisons when police pay awards and Armed Forces settlements are published.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who earns more, police or army in the UK?
On base pay, a police constable earns more at the start and at the top of the scale. A new constable is paid £31,164 from 1 September 2025 (£32,255 from 1 September 2026 on our calculation) against £27,282 for a new soldier from 1 April 2026. A top-scale constable (£50,256; £52,015 calculated) out-earns an Army corporal (£40,989 to £48,497). Army staff sergeants and above, and sergeants on higher trade bands, reach or pass it. Soldiers also have heavily subsidised accommodation and pay no pension contributions.
Do armed police get paid more?
Not by national rule. Firearms officers are paid on the same rank pay scale as every other officer, and Annex U of the Police Regulations 2003 contains no firearms allowance. They can receive the allowances any officer can (overtime, on-call, unsocial hours), the Protection Allowance if on core protection duties, and, at a chief officer's discretion, a service critical skills payment of up to £5,000 a year. Whether a force pays firearms officers anything extra is local policy.
How much do armed police get paid in the UK?
The same as other officers of the same rank. In England and Wales a constable is paid £31,164 to £50,256 from 1 September 2025 (Annex F), which becomes about £32,255 to £52,015 from 1 September 2026 with the 3.5% award (our calculation; the official table was not yet published at 30 September 2026). Overtime and allowances vary by person and force.
How much do military police get paid in the UK?
The AFPRB 2026 report has no separate pay table for the Royal Military Police. Army other ranks on the main pay spines earn from £27,282 (new entrant) up to £68,982 (warrant officer class 1, highest band) from 1 April 2026; the trade supplement band for each trade is set by MOD job evaluation and published internally. We could not confirm which band applies to the RMP. The Military Provost Guard Service has its own spine, from £24,438 to £58,309.
What are the British Army pay scales for 2026?
From 1 April 2026 (3.6% award, accepted on 9 June 2026), base pay including X-Factor on the lowest trade band is: private £27,282 to £38,553; lance corporal £35,310 to £38,553; corporal £40,989 to £43,826; sergeant £46,022 to £50,598; staff sergeant £51,615 to £60,271; warrant officer class 2 £56,024 to £60,271; warrant officer class 1 £64,704 to £67,201. Officers run from £35,925 (second lieutenant) to £254,531 (general). Source: AFPRB 55th Report, Appendix 1.
What is the starting salary for a British soldier in 2026?
£27,282 a year from 1 April 2026, including X-Factor, up £948 from £26,334 (AFPRB 55th Report, Table 1.1; HCWS101). On the lowest trade band a private can progress to £38,553, and to £41,164 on the highest band.
How much does a lance corporal or corporal earn?
From 1 April 2026 a lance corporal earns £35,310 to £38,553 on the lowest trade band and £37,407 to £41,164 on the highest. A corporal earns £40,989 to £43,826 on the lowest band and £44,322 to £48,497 on the highest (AFPRB 55th Report, Tables 1.1 and 1.4).
Do soldiers pay for accommodation?
Yes, but it is heavily subsidised. MOD data in the AFPRB 2026 report put the subsidy on Service Family Accommodation at £926 to £3,627 a month (a 76% to 80% discount on average rents) and on single living accommodation at £855 to £1,018 a month. Police officers in England and Wales generally pay market rents or mortgages.
Is the army pension better than the police pension?
Both 2015 schemes are career average schemes with a normal pension age of 60, set by section 10 of the Public Service Pensions Act 2013. The big difference is cost: Armed Forces Pension Scheme members pay 0% contributions, while police 2015 scheme members pay 12.88% to 14.22% of pensionable pay from 1 April 2026. Which is better for a person depends on their service and plans; we do not give a view.
Can police earn more with overtime?
Constables and sergeants can be paid overtime under regulation 25 of the Police Regulations 2003, with rest-day and public-holiday working compensated under regulation 26. In 2024/25, 93% of full-time constables received overtime, with a median of £2,401 (PRRB 2026 report, Tables E.2 and E.3). Inspectors are not entitled to overtime (para 3.146). The Armed Forces pay tables have no hourly overtime element.
Is army pay tax-free?
No. Base pay is taxable. The Operational Allowance is exempt from income tax under section 297A of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003, but it is only paid when designated for specific operations. Police pay and allowances are taxable in the normal way.
Does police pay increase faster than army pay?
The structures differ. A constable appointed since April 2013 moves up seven pay points with annual increments, subject to the pay progression standard, reaching the top after six increments without promotion. Army pay also has annual increment levels within each rank, but larger rises generally come with promotion and trade band.
Sources
- Armed Forces' Pay Review Body Fifty-Fifth Report 2026 (CP 1567) Appendix 1 Tables 1.1 to 1.5 and 1.7 (all Army pay figures, 1 April 2026), X-Factor at 14.5%, accommodation subsidy data (paras 8.37 to 8.39), working hours (para 4.8).
- Written ministerial statement HCWS101, Armed Forces Workforce (9 June 2026) Government accepts the AFPRB 3.6% award in full, backdated to 1 April 2026; starting salary for other ranks £27,282.
- GOV.UK: Armed Forces personnel receive third consecutive above inflation pay rise (9 June 2026) Government announcement of the 2026 Armed Forces award.
- Home Office Circular 011/2026: Annexes F, U and DA, Police Regulations 2003 Police pay scales from 1 September 2025 (Annex F); allowances including on-call, unsocial hours, Protection Allowance, service critical skills payment and bonus payments (Annex U).
- Written ministerial statement HCWS264, Police workforce (15 July 2026) 3.5% police award from 1 September 2026; London Weighting and allowance maxima up 3.5%; Protection Allowance rates up £8.
- Police Remuneration Review Body, Twelfth Report on England and Wales 2026 (CP 1629) Overtime and allowance receipt and medians, 2024/25 (Tables E.2, E.3); Targeted Variable Pay (paras 2.102 to 2.112, C.34); Protection Allowance (paras 4.98 to 4.104).
- Public Service Pensions Act 2013, section 10 Normal pension age of 60 for police and armed forces schemes; deferred pension age linked to state pension age.
- GOV.UK: Armed forces pensions Armed Forces Pension Scheme members pay 0% contributions.
- The Police Pensions (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/267) Police 2015 scheme member contributions of 12.88%, 13.88% and 14.22% from 1 April 2026.
- Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003, section 297A Operational Allowance paid to members of the armed forces is exempt from income tax.
- Police Regulations 2003, regulations 25 and 26 Overtime, and duty on rest days and public holidays, compensated as the Home Secretary determines.
- MOD: Tri-service glossary of terms and abbreviations NATO rank codes used to match Army ranks to the AFPRB pay tables (for example OR-2 private, OR-4 corporal, OF-3 major).
All sources read on 1 October 2026. The Army jobs site could not be read by our tools on that date.