Pay comparison and calculator

How much do armed officers, detectives and dog handlers earn?

Specialist police pay in England and Wales for 2026, role by role: the scale each role is paid on, the national allowances that apply, and what overtime, on-call and night work add. Then work out your own figures.

Compare roles with your hours Or read the short answers

Independent information, not advice · Checked 14 October 2026 · England and Wales (Scotland and Northern Ireland not covered)

Short answer

In England and Wales, specialist officers are not on a different pay scale. An armed officer, a detective constable, a dog handler, a traffic officer and a response officer at the same pay point are paid exactly the same basic salary: £32,255 to £52,015 for constables from 1 September 2026. The differences come from a short list of national allowances (the biggest role-specific one is the dog handler's allowance, £2,946 a year), from overtime, on-call and night work, and from discretionary local payments.

How much do detectives get paid in the UK?

A detective constable in England and Wales is paid the constable scale: £32,255 on joining, rising to £52,015 at the top (pay point 7) from 1 September 2026. A detective sergeant earns £55,443 to £58,175, a detective inspector £66,000 to £71,396 (up to £74,206 in the Met) and a detective chief inspector £72,806 to £75,709. There is no national detective allowance. Detectives earn more than uniform colleagues only through overtime, on-call, or a local payment some forces choose to make.

Detective pay and take-home by rank

How much do armed police get paid in the UK?

Armed police (authorised firearms officers, including specialist and counter terrorism firearms officers) are paid the normal constable scale: £32,255 to £52,015 from 1 September 2026, or the sergeant scale (£55,443 to £58,175) if they are sergeants. There is no national firearms allowance. Extra pay comes from overtime, night hours (10% of the hourly rate between 8pm and 6am), on-call days (£35 each) and, in some forces, a local payment of up to £5,000 a year.

Becoming a firearms officer

How much does a police dog handler earn in the UK?

A police dog handler is paid the constable scale (£32,255 to £52,015 from 1 September 2026) plus the national dog handler's allowance of £2,946 a year, so £35,201 to £54,961 before overtime. Each extra dog kept at home adds £1,473. The £2,946 rate has applied since 1 September 2025; the 2026 rate had not been published when we checked on 14 October 2026.

Becoming a dog handler

Constable scale, any role £32,255 to £52,015

Dog handler’s allowance £2,946 a year

Firearms or detective allowance None nationally

Compare specialist roles with your own hours

Pick a role, a rank, a pay point and your force. Add the overtime, on-call days and night hours you work or expect to work. The tool shows gross pay, take-home a month and a year, and how much of it comes from the role rather than the hours. It runs in your browser: nothing you enter is stored or sent.

1. Role, rank and force

Role

Rank

Pay point

Force

Only the Met, City of London and eight South East forces have location pay. The London and South East figures are the maximums; your force sets its own rate up to them.

2. Your hours (your own figures)

We do not fill these in for you: there is no reliable national figure for how much overtime or on-call each role works. Use your rota, recent payslips or the post advert.

Overtime hours a month

Paid at time and a third.

Rest day hours worked a month

At time and a half (short notice).

Public holiday hours a year

At double time.

Days on call a month

On-call allowance: £35 for each day.

Hours worked 8pm to 6am a month

Full hours only; 10% of your hourly rate.

Deployments away and local payments

Nights a year held in reserve away from home

£60 a night (mutual aid and similar).

Of those, nights without a proper room

£40 extra a night: no room of your own with an en suite.

Service critical skills payment a year

Only if your force pays one for this post. Up to £5,000.

Allowance rates

Latest published (from 1 Sept 2025)Expected from 1 Sept 2026 (not yet determined)

Only the dog handler's allowance and protection allowance change. "Expected" uses £3,049 for the dog allowance (£2,946 plus the 3.5% pay award, which is our assumption) and the announced £8 rise in each protection rate.

Armed response officer (AFO/ARV), constable point 7

Gross a year

£52,015

Take-home a month

£2,942

Take-home a year

£35,299

On top of the same rank’s basic pay

+£0 gross

+£0 after tax, NI and pension

Annual pay breakdown
Item	A year	Pension?
Basic pay	£52,015	Yes
Pension contribution (13.88%)	−£7,220
Income tax	−£6,445
National Insurance	−£3,051

Hourly rate for overtime and nights: £24.93 (basic pay × 6/12520). London Weighting is left out of the hourly rate.

This is an estimate from your inputs, not financial advice. It uses 2026/27 England and Wales tax and NI, the 2015 scheme contribution rates and a full year at these hours. Your payslip, tax code and force decide the real figures.

Armed response officer (AFO/ARV): what the rules say

Constable pay scale. There is no firearms allowance in the national allowances determination (Annex U).

National payments that can apply

Unsocial hours allowance for hours worked between 8pm and 6am
Overtime at time and a third, rest days at time and a half, public holidays at double time (constables and sergeants)
On-call allowance (£35 a day) if the post has an on-call rota
A service critical skills payment of up to £5,000 a year, only if your force has chosen to pay one for the role

Some forces use the service critical skills payment to recruit or keep firearms officers. It is discretionary, set locally and can be stopped.

Getting in

Apply after probation, then selection, the initial firearms course and annual requalification.

All 15 roles: scale, allowance and route in

Each role’s usual rank is shown. A sergeant dog handler or a sergeant on a firearms team is paid the sergeant scale (£55,443 to £58,175), with the same allowances. Constables who joined before 1 April 2013 are on an older scale that starts at £33,969 but reaches the same £52,015.

Specialist roles in England and Wales, pay from 1 September 2026
Role	Basic pay scale	Role allowance	Read more
Response officer Constable scale	£32,255 to £52,015	None	How shift patterns affect your pay Overtime rates explained
Neighbourhood officer Constable scale	£32,255 to £52,015	None	The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee Shift patterns and pay
Armed response officer (AFO/ARV) Constable scale	£32,255 to £52,015	None	Firearms officer (AFO/ARV) explained Armed officer transfers Specialist fitness standards
Specialist firearms officer (SFO/CTSFO) Constable scale	£32,255 to £52,015	None	AFO to SFO to CTSFO Specialist fitness standards
Dog handler Constable scale	£32,255 to £52,015	Dog handler’s allowance £2,946 a year (+50% per extra dog)	Police dog handler explained Specialist fitness standards
Detective constable (PIP2) Constable scale	£32,255 to £52,015	None	Detective salary by rank The National Investigators’ Exam Detective entry routes
Detective sergeant Sergeant scale	£55,443 to £58,175	None	Detective salary by rank The sergeants’ exam
Detective inspector Inspector scale	£66,000 to £71,396 Met/City £68,788 to £74,206	None	Detective salary by rank Why inspector pay can feel flat
Roads policing (traffic) Constable scale	£32,255 to £52,015	None	Roads policing explained
Public order (PSU) Constable scale	£32,255 to £52,015	None	Overtime and rest day rates Can police be made to work overtime?
Protection officer (core protection duties) Constable scale	£32,255 to £52,015	Protection allowance £40 to £125 a qualifying shift	Firearms officer explained Armed officer transfers
Child abuse and public protection investigator Constable scale	£32,255 to £52,015	None	Detective salary by rank Post-incident support and TRiM
Surveillance officer Constable scale	£32,255 to £52,015	None	Overtime rates explained
Mounted officer Constable scale	£32,255 to £52,015	None	Every police allowance explained
Marine unit officer Constable scale	£32,255 to £52,015	None	Every police allowance explained

“Role allowance” means a payment you get because of the role itself. Everything else (overtime, on-call, nights, deployments) is paid to any officer in any role who works those hours. That is why only two rows have one.

Role by role: what applies and how you get in

The same facts the tool shows, for every role. “National payments that can apply” means the payment exists in the national rules and fits how the role can be worked. Whether you get it depends on your own hours and post.

Response officer

Constable pay scale. No role allowance: response is the default posting for most new constables.

National payments that can apply

Unsocial hours allowance for hours worked between 8pm and 6am
Overtime at time and a third, rest days at time and a half, public holidays at double time (constables and sergeants)

Your shift pattern decides how many night hours you work, so the unsocial hours allowance varies by force and team.

Getting in: Most constables start on response after initial training.

How shift patterns affect your pay Overtime rates explained

Neighbourhood officer

Constable pay scale. No role allowance.

National payments that can apply

Unsocial hours allowance for hours worked between 8pm and 6am
Overtime at time and a third, rest days at time and a half, public holidays at double time (constables and sergeants)

How many night hours you work depends on your team’s rota, which your force sets.

Getting in: An internal application or posting, usually after probation.

The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee Shift patterns and pay

Armed response officer (AFO/ARV)

Constable pay scale. There is no firearms allowance in the national allowances determination (Annex U).

National payments that can apply

Unsocial hours allowance for hours worked between 8pm and 6am
Overtime at time and a third, rest days at time and a half, public holidays at double time (constables and sergeants)
On-call allowance (£35 a day) if the post has an on-call rota
A service critical skills payment of up to £5,000 a year, only if your force has chosen to pay one for the role

Some forces use the service critical skills payment to recruit or keep firearms officers. It is discretionary, set locally and can be stopped.

Getting in: Apply after probation, then selection, the initial firearms course and annual requalification.

Firearms officer (AFO/ARV) explained Armed officer transfers Specialist fitness standards

Specialist firearms officer (SFO/CTSFO)

Constable pay scale, the same as an AFO. Annex U has no firearms allowance at any tier.

National payments that can apply

Unsocial hours allowance for hours worked between 8pm and 6am
Overtime at time and a third, rest days at time and a half, public holidays at double time (constables and sergeants)
On-call allowance (£35 a day) if the post has an on-call rota
A service critical skills payment of up to £5,000 a year, only if your force has chosen to pay one for the role

Any extra payment is a local service critical skills payment. Away from home and hardship allowances can apply on deployments where officers are held in reserve.

Getting in: Usually from experienced AFOs, through further competitive selection and training.

AFO to SFO to CTSFO Specialist fitness standards

Dog handler

Constable pay scale plus the dog handler's allowance: £2,946 a year from 1 September 2025, and 50% more for each extra dog kept at home. It is an allowance, so it is not pensionable.

National payments that can apply

Unsocial hours allowance for hours worked between 8pm and 6am
Overtime at time and a third, rest days at time and a half, public holidays at double time (constables and sergeants)
On-call allowance (£35 a day) if the post has an on-call rota

The allowance is national. Overtime and call-outs depend on how your force runs its dog section.

Getting in: Apply after probation; selection, a suitable home for the dog, then an initial course and periodic licensing.

Police dog handler explained Specialist fitness standards

Detective constable (PIP2)

Constable pay scale. There is no detective allowance: the Police Federation asked for one (about £1,250) in 2026, the police chiefs did not support it and the pay review body made no recommendation.

National payments that can apply

Overtime at time and a third, rest days at time and a half, public holidays at double time (constables and sergeants)
On-call allowance (£35 a day) if the post has an on-call rota
Unsocial hours allowance for hours worked between 8pm and 6am
A service critical skills payment of up to £5,000 a year, only if your force has chosen to pay one for the role

The police chiefs told the pay review body that forces can already use the service critical skills payment for detective roles. Whether yours does is a local decision.

Getting in: Pass the National Investigators’ Exam and the detective training programme, or join on a detective entry programme.

Detective salary by rank The National Investigators’ Exam Detective entry routes

Detective sergeant

Sergeant pay scale, the same as a uniform sergeant. No detective allowance.

National payments that can apply

Overtime at time and a third, rest days at time and a half, public holidays at double time (constables and sergeants)
On-call allowance (£35 a day) if the post has an on-call rota
Unsocial hours allowance for hours worked between 8pm and 6am
A service critical skills payment of up to £5,000 a year, only if your force has chosen to pay one for the role

Sergeants are still paid overtime. If the post has an on-call rota, the on-call allowance applies on each day you are on call.

Getting in: Promotion through the sergeants’ exam and a force selection process, usually from detective constable.

Detective salary by rank The sergeants’ exam

Detective inspector

Inspector pay scale (higher points in the Met and City of London). No detective allowance, and inspectors are not paid overtime.

National payments that can apply

On-call allowance (£35 a day) if the post has an on-call rota
Unsocial hours allowance for hours worked between 8pm and 6am

Inspectors who work a rest day or public holiday get time off in lieu, not overtime pay (Annex H).

Getting in: Promotion through the inspectors’ exam and a force process.

Detective salary by rank Why inspector pay can feel flat

Roads policing (traffic)

Constable pay scale. No roads policing allowance in Annex U.

National payments that can apply

Unsocial hours allowance for hours worked between 8pm and 6am
Overtime at time and a third, rest days at time and a half, public holidays at double time (constables and sergeants)
On-call allowance (£35 a day) if the post has an on-call rota

Some posts, such as collision investigation, may carry an on-call rota. Your force decides which posts do and how often.

Getting in: Apply after probation; advanced and pursuit driving courses, then specialist training.

Roads policing explained

Public order (PSU)

Constable pay scale. Public order training adds no allowance of its own.

National payments that can apply

Overtime at time and a third, rest days at time and a half, public holidays at double time (constables and sergeants)
Away from home overnight allowance (£60 a night) when held in reserve away from your normal place of duty
Hardship allowance (£40 a night) on top if you are held in reserve without a room of your own with an en suite

Mutual aid deployments and events drive the extra pay. How often you are deployed varies widely.

Getting in: Public order trained officers usually keep their normal role and are brought together into a unit for events and deployments. Training and fitness requirements apply.

Overtime and rest day rates Can police be made to work overtime?

Protection officer (core protection duties)

Constable pay scale plus the protection allowance for core protection duties: £40, £90 or £125 a qualifying shift for constables and sergeants (rates 1, 2 and 3), with £8 more on each rate announced from 1 September 2026.

National payments that can apply

Unsocial hours allowance for hours worked between 8pm and 6am
Overtime at time and a third, rest days at time and a half, public holidays at double time (constables and sergeants)
On-call allowance (£35 a day) if the post has an on-call rota (not on a day you get protection allowance rate 2 or 3)

The PRRB was told protection officers are based in the Met (mainly Royalty and Specialist Protection). Officers from other forces can qualify while deployed to London on core protection duties.

Getting in: Usually from firearms officers, through Met selection.

Firearms officer explained Armed officer transfers

Child abuse and public protection investigator

Constable pay scale (often as a detective constable). No national allowance for the role.

National payments that can apply

Overtime at time and a third, rest days at time and a half, public holidays at double time (constables and sergeants)
On-call allowance (£35 a day) if the post has an on-call rota
A service critical skills payment of up to £5,000 a year, only if your force has chosen to pay one for the role

Any extra payment for hard-to-fill investigative posts is a local service critical skills payment.

Getting in: Requirements are set by each force; many of these posts are detective posts.

Detective salary by rank Post-incident support and TRiM

Surveillance officer

Constable pay scale. No surveillance allowance in Annex U.

National payments that can apply

Overtime at time and a third, rest days at time and a half, public holidays at double time (constables and sergeants)
On-call allowance (£35 a day) if the post has an on-call rota
Unsocial hours allowance for hours worked between 8pm and 6am
A service critical skills payment of up to £5,000 a year, only if your force has chosen to pay one for the role

There is no published national figure for how much overtime surveillance officers work. Ask the unit before you apply.

Getting in: Internal selection; requirements are set by each force.

Overtime rates explained

Mounted officer

Constable pay scale. Unlike dog handlers, there is no national allowance for mounted officers.

National payments that can apply

Overtime at time and a third, rest days at time and a half, public holidays at double time (constables and sergeants)
Unsocial hours allowance for hours worked between 8pm and 6am

Not every force has a mounted section. Any extra pay comes from the same overtime and national payments as any constable.

Getting in: Internal selection; requirements are set by each force.

Every police allowance explained

Marine unit officer

Constable pay scale. No marine allowance in Annex U.

National payments that can apply

Overtime at time and a third, rest days at time and a half, public holidays at double time (constables and sergeants)
On-call allowance (£35 a day) if the post has an on-call rota
Unsocial hours allowance for hours worked between 8pm and 6am

Not every force has a marine unit. If the post has an on-call rota, the on-call allowance applies.

Getting in: Internal selection; requirements are set by each force.

Every police allowance explained

Same hours, same pay: the honest comparison

To show where the money really comes from, here are six roles at the top of the constable scale, outside London, all working the same illustrative month: 8 overtime hours, 2 on-call days and 40 hours between 8pm and 6am. These hours are our example, not a typical figure for any role.

Constable point 7, 8 overtime hours, 2 on-call days, 40 night hours a month
Role	Gross a year	Take-home a month	Role allowance
Armed response officer (AFO/ARV)	£57,242	£3,281	None
Specialist firearms officer (SFO/CTSFO)	£57,242	£3,281	None
Detective constable (PIP2)	£57,242	£3,281	None
Roads policing (traffic)	£57,242	£3,281	None
Response officer	£57,242	£3,281	None
Dog handler	£60,188	£3,428	£2,946 dog handler’s allowance

The armed officer, the specialist firearms officer, the detective, the traffic officer and the response officer come out at exactly £57,242. The dog handler gets £2,946 more because of the allowance. In real life the hours differ between roles, and that is what drives most of the difference people see on payslips.

Why people think specialists earn more

Specialist posts are often worked differently: more planned operations, more call-outs, more deployments away. Those hours are paid, so some specialists do take home more. But the same hours on response would pay the same. If you are choosing a role for the money, ask the team how much overtime and on-call it really involves, and whether that is voluntary.

The national allowances that can apply

Every national police allowance in England and Wales is in one document: Annex U to the Police Regulations 2003, last amended by Home Office Circular 011/2026 (in force from 1 September 2025). These are the ones that matter for specialist roles. London Weighting (£3,260) and the London and South East allowances depend on your force, not your role.

Annex U allowances relevant to specialist roles (rates from 1 September 2025)
Allowance	Amount	Who and when	Pensionable?
Dog handler’s allowance	£2,946 a year; +£1,473 for each extra dog	Officers who keep a force dog at home. Paid for the dog’s care on rest days and public holidays.	No
On-call allowance	£35 a day	Constable to chief superintendent, for each day with any time on call.	No
Unsocial hours allowance	10% of the hourly rate	Constable to chief inspector, for each full hour worked between 8pm and 6am.	No
Away from home overnight allowance	£60 a night	Constable to chief inspector, held in reserve away from the normal place of duty (for example on mutual aid). Not for training courses or routine enquiries.	No
Hardship allowance	£40 a night	Any officer held in reserve without proper accommodation (a room of their own with an en suite).	No
Protection allowance	Rate 1 £40; rate 2 £90 (PC/PS) or £125 (inspector/CI); rate 3 £125 or £160	Core protection duties only. +£8 on each rate announced from 1 September 2026.	No
Service critical skills payment	Up to £5,000 a year	At the chief officer’s discretion, for roles with skills in short supply or that are hard to fill. Allowed for time served up to 30 June 2029.	No
Bonus payment	£50 to £2,000	One-off, at the chief officer’s discretion, for outstandingly demanding, unpleasant or important work.	No
Motor vehicle allowance (essential user)	£1,239 a year lump sum plus HMRC mileage	Officers the chief officer decides must have their own car available for duty.	No

What is not on the list matters as much. There is no firearms allowance, no detective allowance, no roads policing allowance, no mounted allowance and no public order allowance. The dog handler’s allowance and the protection allowance are the only payments tied to a particular kind of post.

Overtime, rest days and night hours

For most specialists the real money is in hours, so it is worth knowing exactly how they are paid. The hourly rate is your basic annual pay × 6/12520 (£25 an hour at constable point 7, to the penny £24.93). London Weighting is left out of it.

How extra hours are paid (constable point 7 examples)
Type of hours	Rate	Point 7 example	Who
Overtime (staying on, recall, early start without notice)	Time and a third	£33 an hour at pay point 7	Constables and sergeants
Rest day worked at short notice	Time and a half	£37 an hour	Constables and sergeants
Public holiday worked	Double time	£50 an hour	Constables and sergeants
Hours between 8pm and 6am	Plus 10%	£2.49 an hour on top	Constable to chief inspector

Overtime is for constables and sergeants only. Detective inspectors, firearms inspectors and other inspecting ranks get time off in lieu for rest days and public holidays, not overtime pay.
Notice matters for rest days. If you are required to work a rest day with less than 15 days’ notice, you are paid time and a half (with a 4-hour minimum in most cases); with 15 days’ notice or more you get another rest day instead.
On-call is not overtime. The £35 a day is for being available. If you are called in, the hours worked are paid on top under the overtime rules.
Night hours are counted in full hours between 8pm and 6am, at 10% of the hourly rate.

The detail, including the 30-minute disregard and time off instead of pay, is in police overtime rates explained.

Detectives: DC, DS, DI and DCI pay

“Detective” is a role and a qualification, not a rank. A detective constable (accredited at the second level of the Professionalising Investigation Programme, PIP2) is paid exactly what a uniform constable is paid at the same pay point. The same is true at every rank.

Detective constable: £32,255 to £52,015.
Detective sergeant: £55,443 to £58,175. Take-home at the top is about £3,285 a month before overtime.
Detective inspector: £66,000 to £71,396, or £68,788 to £74,206 in the Met and City of London.
Detective chief inspector: £72,806 to £75,709, or £75,619 to £78,510 in London.

Is a detective allowance coming?

Not yet. In its 2026 evidence the Police Federation proposed a detective allowance of about £1,250 a year, rising with pay awards. The National Police Chiefs’ Council said police regulations do not currently support skills-based allowances, that a detective allowance should wait for wider reform, and that forces can already use targeted payments to attract and keep detectives. The pay review body said it could not reach a view on the proposal because it had not been costed or worked through, and made no recommendation.

Becoming a detective

Every route to detective constable goes through the National Investigators’ Exam. Our NIE guide has the dates, the pass mark and a free mini mock. If you want structured practice, the NIE exam prep toolkit is a paid PolicePay product with timed mocks and progress tracking.

Firearms officers: AFO, SFO and CTSFO pay

Armed officers are paid the scale for their rank. An authorised firearms officer on an armed response vehicle, a specialist firearms officer and a counter terrorism specialist firearms officer who are all constables at pay point 7 earn the same £52,015 basic. Annex U has no firearms allowance at any level.

What can make armed officers’ pay higher:

Overtime and rest days from planned operations, events and short-notice deployments, at the rates above.
Night hours on a 24-hour armed response rota, at 10% of the hourly rate for each full hour between 8pm and 6am.
On-call, if the post has an on-call rota.
Away from home and hardship allowances when held in reserve away from your normal place of duty.
The protection allowance, but only for core protection duties, which the pay review body notes are based in the Met.
A local service critical skills payment, if your force pays one for firearms roles.

Selection, training and requalification are covered in firearms officer (AFO/ARV) explained, and moving force as an armed officer in armed police transfers.

Dog handlers: the one role with its own national allowance

The dog handler’s allowance is paid to an officer who keeps a force dog at home, for the care the dog needs on rest days and public holidays. From 1 September 2025 it is £2,946 a year (about £246 a month before tax). An officer who keeps two force dogs at home gets £4,419: each extra dog adds half the first-dog rate.

Constable dog handler, pay point 1: £35,201 gross, about £2,128 a month take-home.
Constable dog handler, pay point 7: £54,961 gross, about £3,133 a month, against £2,942 for the same constable without a dog.
It is not pensionable. It is an allowance, not pay, so it adds to take-home but not to your police pension.

Constable dog handler with one dog, every pay point (outside London, no extra hours)
Pay point	Basic pay	Gross with allowance	Take-home a month	More a month than without
Point 1	£32,255	£35,201	£2,128	+£177
Point 2	£33,609	£36,555	£2,198	+£177
Point 3	£34,972	£37,918	£2,268	+£177
Point 4	£36,335	£39,281	£2,338	+£177
Point 5	£39,058	£42,004	£2,452	+£177
Point 6	£44,544	£47,490	£2,731	+£177
Point 7	£52,015	£54,961	£3,133	+£191

The take-home gain is a little under the £246 a month gross, because tax and National Insurance are taken from the allowance but pension contributions are not. Higher up the scale more of it falls in the 2% National Insurance band, so the gain is slightly larger.

What is the 2026 rate?

Not confirmed when we checked on 14 October 2026. The pay review body says a 2023 police chiefs’ review recommended the allowance should rise automatically with each pay award, and it recommended £3,060 from 1 September 2026 alongside a 3.9% pay rise. The Government awarded 3.5% instead and its statement did not mention this allowance. If it follows the 3.5%, it would be about £3,049. The calculator lets you switch to that figure, clearly marked as not yet determined.

Allowance rates

Get an email when the 2026 allowance rates are published

The Home Office had not published the 2026/27 allowances determination (Annex U) when we checked on 14 October 2026, so the new dog handler's and protection allowance rates are not confirmed. Leave your email and we will tell you when they are. We write and send these ourselves.

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Local payments: what your force can choose to add

Two Annex U payments let a chief officer pay more for a particular post or piece of work. Neither is guaranteed, and neither follows you to another force.

Service critical skills payment: up to £5,000 a year for a role whose skills are essential and in short supply, or that is hard to fill (it has stayed vacant, retention has been poor, or officers have been stopped from moving on). The force must set out the role, the amount, how often it is paid and any conditions in writing. It can be paid on joining, on qualifying, monthly, quarterly or annually, for time served up to 30 June 2029.
Bonus payment: a one-off £50 to £2,000 for outstandingly demanding, unpleasant or important work.

The pay review body reported that national spending on targeted variable pay fell from £12.0 million in 2023/24 to £8.1 million in 2024/25, mostly because of force budgets, and that use is still inconsistent between forces. So treat any local payment as a bonus, not as part of the salary you plan around, and ask for the terms in writing.

Worked examples

Five officers, worked out with the same engine as the calculator: 2026/27 England and Wales tax and NI and the 2015 scheme contribution rates. The hours are illustrations we chose, not typical figures for the role.

Worked examples, a full year at these hours
Officer	Gross a year	Take-home a month	Note
Dog handler, constable point 7, one dog, no extra hours	£54,961	£3,133	£2,298 a year more than the same constable without a dog
Armed response (AFO), constable point 5 (£39,058), 10 overtime hours, 4 on-call days and 30 night hours a month	£44,407	£2,596	£3,851 a year from the hours, not from being armed
Detective sergeant, point 4, Met, 8 overtime hours and 2 on-call days a month	£72,663	£3,965	Includes £3,260 London Weighting and £6,819 London Allowance
Detective inspector, point 3, outside London, 10 extra hours and 3 on-call days a month	£72,656	£3,896	The 10 extra hours earn no overtime pay at inspector rank
Public order (PSU) constable, point 4, 20 rest day hours a month, 6 nights away (2 without a proper room)	£43,044	£2,564	Away from home £360 and hardship £80 a year

The armed officer’s extra £5,349 gross comes entirely from the hours: £2,995 overtime, £1,680 on-call and £674 for night hours. A response officer working the same hours would get the same. The detective inspector’s overtime hours are not paid at all, because inspectors are not entitled to overtime.

Reading your payslip as a specialist

Payroll labels differ between forces, but every pound on a specialist’s payslip should come from one of the lines below. If you are getting something not on the list, ask payroll what it is and whether it is permanent.

Where each payslip line comes from
Line	Rule and rate	Pensionable?	Who gets it
Basic pay	Annex F pay scale for your rank and point	Yes	Every officer
London Weighting	Annex F, £3,260 a year	Yes	Met and City of London
London or South East Allowance	Annex U paras 3 and 5, set locally up to a maximum	No	Met, City and eight South East forces
Dog handler’s allowance	Annex U para 2, £2,946 a year	No	Officers keeping a force dog at home
On-call	Annex U para 13, £35 a day	No	Posts with an on-call rota
Unsocial hours	Annex U para 10, 10% of the hourly rate	No	Constable to chief inspector, 8pm to 6am
Overtime, rest day, public holiday	Annexes G and H	No	Constables and sergeants
Away from home, hardship	Annex U paras 11 and 12, £60 and £40 a night	No	Held in reserve away from your normal place of duty
Service critical skills payment	Annex U para 15, up to £5,000 a year	No	Only where your force has awarded one

Pension contributions only come off pensionable lines. If your contribution changes when you start a specialist post, ask why: allowances should not change it.
National Insurance is worked out on each month’s pay. A large overtime month can put more of that month’s pay above the monthly upper limit, where NI is 2% rather than 8%.
When overtime reaches your payslip depends on your force’s pay calendar and claim deadlines, so a busy month may show up a month or more later.

More on each line in understanding your police payslip.

What counts for your pension

Police pensions are built on pay. Under the 2015 scheme, pensionable earnings are the pay you are entitled to as an officer (regulation 33). Allowances are set separately under regulation 34 of the Police Regulations 2003, so none of the payments on this page counts: not the dog handler’s allowance, not on-call, not overtime, not night hours, not a service critical skills payment. London Weighting is the exception, because it is pay.

That has two effects. Pension contributions (12.88% to 14.22%) are taken only from basic pay and London Weighting, so allowances and overtime reach your take-home with only tax and NI taken off. And a specialist post that pays more through allowances and overtime builds no more pension than the same rank on response.

Scotland and Northern Ireland

This page covers England and Wales only. Police Scotland officers are paid under agreements of the Police Negotiating Board for Scotland, with their own scales and allowance rates; see Police Scotland pay scales. PSNI officers in Northern Ireland have their own arrangements, which we do not cover here.

Myths

“Firearms officers get danger money.” There is no national firearms or risk allowance. Pay is the rank scale.
“CID pays more.” Detectives are on the same scales. Any difference is overtime, on-call or a local payment.
“The dog allowance counts towards your pension.” It is an allowance, not pay, so it does not.
“Detective inspectors get paid for all their extra hours.” Inspectors are not paid overtime. They get on-call days and time off in lieu for rest days and public holidays.
“CTSFOs are on a higher pay band.” They are on the constable or sergeant scale like any other officer.
“A retention payment is part of your salary.” A service critical skills payment is discretionary, has conditions, and can stop.

Questions to ask before you apply for a specialist post

What shift pattern does the team work, and how many night hours a month does that mean?
Is there an on-call rota? How many days a month, and how often are people actually called in?
How much overtime does the team work, and is it voluntary or rostered?
How often are deployments away from home, and is accommodation usually a room of your own with an en suite?
Does the force pay a service critical skills payment for this post? Ask for the amount, the conditions and the review date in writing.
For dog handlers: is your home suitable, and how many dogs would you keep there?
Is there a minimum period you must stay in the post (a tenure or lock-in)?
Do the training and requalification days change your shift pattern or rest days?
If you are about to be promoted, will the post move you off overtime (inspector and above)?

Not verified

We looked for these on 14 October 2026 and could not confirm them, so the page does not rely on them.

The 2026/27 dog handler’s allowance. No 2026 Annex U determination had been published. £3,049 is our 3.5% illustration, not an official figure.
The new protection allowance rates. The +£8 rise is reported by Police Professional as accepted; the determination is not yet published.
The written statement itself. The Parliament page blocked our checker, so what it says about allowances comes from the site’s earlier reading and Police Professional’s report.
How much overtime and on-call each role works. We found no national published figures by role, so the tool uses your own hours and the page gives no “typical” numbers.
Which forces pay a service critical skills payment for firearms, detective or other roles, and how much. There is no national list.
The exact 2026/27 pay points. Ours are the 2025/26 official points plus 3.5%, rounded to the pound; the Home Office table may differ by a few pounds.

Your role, your hours

The tool above works out any of the 15 roles at any rank and pay point, with your overtime, on-call and night hours. For a full payslip with student loan and other deductions, use the police salary calculator.

Back to the comparison tool

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How much do detectives get paid in the UK?

Do detectives get paid more than uniform officers?

Not in basic pay. A detective constable is on the same scale as any constable, and a detective sergeant the same as a sergeant. There is no detective allowance in the national allowances determination (Annex U). The Police Federation asked the pay review body for a detective allowance of about £1,250 in 2026; the police chiefs did not support it, saying forces can already use targeted payments, and the review body made no recommendation.

How much do armed police get paid in the UK?

Is there a firearms allowance for police officers?

No national one. Annex U, which lists every national police allowance, has no firearms allowance at any tier. Some forces use the service critical skills payment (up to £5,000 a year, at the chief officer's discretion) to recruit or keep firearms officers. It is local, can be stopped, and may not follow you if you transfer.

Do specialist firearms officers (SFO and CTSFO) earn more than AFOs?

Not on the pay scale. SFOs and CTSFOs are paid the same constable or sergeant scale as AFOs. Any difference comes from overtime, on-call, deployments away from home (£60 a night when held in reserve) and any local payment.

How much does a police dog handler earn in the UK?

How much is the police dog handler allowance in 2026?

£2,946 a year, the rate in force from 1 September 2025 (Annex U, Home Office Circular 011/2026). The pay review body recommended £3,060 from 1 September 2026 at its proposed 3.9% pay rise, but the Government awarded 3.5% and its statement did not mention this allowance. If it rises with the pay award, as a 2023 police chiefs' review recommended, it would be about £3,049. That is not confirmed.

Is the dog handler allowance pensionable?

No. Police pensions are built on pay. The dog handler's allowance is an allowance set under regulation 34 of the Police Regulations 2003 (Annex U), not pay under regulation 24, so it does not count as pensionable earnings under regulation 33 of the Police Pensions Regulations 2015. It is taxed and subject to National Insurance like pay.

What is the police on-call allowance?

£35 for each day on which you spend any time on call, for constables up to chief superintendents (Annex U para 13). It rose from £25 to £35 from 1 September 2025. If you are called in, the hours worked are paid separately under the overtime rules (constables and sergeants).

Do specialist officers get paid overtime?

Constables and sergeants in every role are paid overtime at time and a third, rest days worked at short notice at time and a half, and public holidays at double time. Inspectors and above, including detective inspectors and detective chief inspectors, are not paid overtime; they get time off in lieu for rest days and public holidays.

What is a service critical skills payment?

A discretionary payment of up to £5,000 a year that a chief officer can make for a role whose skills are in short supply or that is hard to fill (Annex U para 15). It is part of what policing calls targeted variable pay. The pay review body reported national spending on it fell from £12.0 million to £8.1 million between 2023/24 and 2024/25, and that use is inconsistent between forces.

What do detective sergeants and detective inspectors earn?

A detective sergeant is paid £55,443 to £58,175, a detective inspector £66,000 to £71,396 (£68,788 to £74,206 in the Met and City of London), and a detective chief inspector £72,806 to £75,709 (£75,619 to £78,510 in London), from 1 September 2026. These are the uniform scales.

Does this apply in Scotland or Northern Ireland?

No. This page covers England and Wales. Police Scotland officers are paid under the Police Negotiating Board for Scotland, with their own scales and allowance rates, and the PSNI has its own arrangements. See our Police Scotland pay scales page for Scottish figures.

Evidence

Sources and how we checked them

Every rate on this page comes from the documents below, read on 14 October 2026. Pay scales are the 2025/26 official points plus the 3.5% award, from the same data file as every PolicePay pay page. Spotted something out of date? See our corrections policy.

Annex U (amendment): allowances, Home Office Circular 011/2026 (determination made 11 June 2026, in force from 1 September 2025) : Dog handler's allowance £2,946 and the extra dog rule; on-call £35; unsocial hours 10%; away from home £60; hardship £40; protection allowance rates; service critical skills payment up to £5,000 to 30 June 2029; bonus payments; motor vehicle allowance. No detective or firearms allowance. Accessed 14 October 2026.
Home Office Circular 011/2026: Annexes F, U and DA (published 31 July 2026) : The 2025/26 pay award determinations. Accessed 14 October 2026.
Police Remuneration Review Body, 12th report (2026) : Para 4.57 and Appendix F (dog handlers' allowance and its £3,060 recommended rate); paras 4.98 to 4.105 (protection allowance, +£8); paras 4.161 to 4.167 (detective allowance proposal, NPCC view, no recommendation); paras 2.102 to 2.112 (targeted variable pay, spending £12.0m to £8.1m); para 1.2 (on-call £25 to £35 from 2025). Accessed 14 October 2026.
Written statement HCWS264, Police workforce pay and conditions (15 July 2026) : 3.5% from 1 September 2026; London Weighting and the London and South East allowance maxima up 3.5%. No mention of the dog handler's allowance (as reported; the page itself blocked our checker). Accessed 14 October 2026.
Police Professional, Pay award confirmed at 3.5 per cent (15 July 2026) : Secondary: "All Protection Allowance rates will rise by £8 from 1 September"; nothing on the dog handler's allowance or on-call. Accessed 14 October 2026.
The Police Pensions Regulations 2015, regulation 33 (pensionable earnings) : Pensionable earnings are pay; allowances are not pay. Accessed 14 October 2026.
The Police Regulations 2003, regulation 34 (allowances) : Allowances are determined separately from pay (regulation 24). Accessed 14 October 2026.
Annex G to the Police Regulations 2003 (overtime) : Overtime for constables and sergeants; one twenty-fourth of a day's pay for each completed 15 minutes (time and a third). Accessed 14 October 2026.

On this topic elsewhere

Detective salary by rank → DC, DS, DI and DCI pay and take-home. Specialist roles and lateral moves → How selection works for each unit: eligibility, boards, fitness, vetting and tenure. Firearms officer (AFO/ARV) explained → Selection, training, requalification and pay. Police dog handler explained → Selection, licensing, the dog at home and the allowance. Roads policing explained → Driving courses, collision investigation and pay. Every police allowance → London, South East, hardship and more. Overtime rates explained → When 1.33, 1.5 and 2.0 apply. Police salary calculator → Take-home by rank, pay point and force. Police pay scales 2026 → Every rank and pay point.

Disclaimer

PolicePay.co.uk is an independent reference site. It is not affiliated with any police force, the Home Office, the National Police Chiefs’ Council or the Police Federation. This page is general information, not financial, tax or career advice, and figures are estimates. Allowances, local payments and working patterns vary by force and post: check your force’s policy and your payslip. Details are as checked on 14 October 2026.

How much do armed officers, detectives and dog handlers earn?

How much do detectives get paid in the UK?

How much do armed police get paid in the UK?

How much does a police dog handler earn in the UK?

Compare specialist roles with your own hours

Your estimate

Armed response officer (AFO/ARV): what the rules say

All 15 roles: scale, allowance and route in

Role by role: what applies and how you get in

Response officer

Neighbourhood officer

Armed response officer (AFO/ARV)

Specialist firearms officer (SFO/CTSFO)

Dog handler

Detective constable (PIP2)

Detective sergeant

Detective inspector

Roads policing (traffic)

Public order (PSU)

Protection officer (core protection duties)

Child abuse and public protection investigator

Surveillance officer

Mounted officer

Marine unit officer

Same hours, same pay: the honest comparison

The national allowances that can apply

Overtime, rest days and night hours

Detectives: DC, DS, DI and DCI pay

Is a detective allowance coming?

Firearms officers: AFO, SFO and CTSFO pay

Dog handlers: the one role with its own national allowance

What is the 2026 rate?

Get an email when the 2026 allowance rates are published

Local payments: what your force can choose to add

Worked examples

Reading your payslip as a specialist

What counts for your pension

Scotland and Northern Ireland

Myths

Questions to ask before you apply for a specialist post

Not verified

Your role, your hours

Frequently asked questions

How much do detectives get paid in the UK?

Do detectives get paid more than uniform officers?

How much do armed police get paid in the UK?

Is there a firearms allowance for police officers?

Do specialist firearms officers (SFO and CTSFO) earn more than AFOs?

How much does a police dog handler earn in the UK?

How much is the police dog handler allowance in 2026?

Is the dog handler allowance pensionable?

What is the police on-call allowance?

Do specialist officers get paid overtime?

What is a service critical skills payment?

What do detective sergeants and detective inspectors earn?

Does this apply in Scotland or Northern Ireland?

Sources and how we checked them

On this topic elsewhere

Disclaimer