Police Scotland
Islands Allowance
Officers permanently posted to listed Scottish islands get the Islands Allowance on top of basic pay. It is set nationally, at four rates by island. Here is every island, every rate, the 2025 figures it replaced, what it is worth after tax, the island expenses that come with it and how an island posting compares with the mainland.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 23 October 2026 · Scotland unless stated
From 1 April 2026: £2,664.42 a year (rate 1: Yell, Brae, Barra, Tiree), £2,264.75 (rate 2: Lerwick and the Uists), £1,998.31 (rate 3: Orkney, Lewis, Islay, Mull) or £1,332.21 (rate 4: Skye, Bute, Arran, Great Cumbrae). It goes to officers of all ranks permanently posted to the island and is set nationally by the PNBS (Circular 2026/04). Island-based officers can also claim island expenses for trips to the mainland.
The four Islands Allowance rates from 1 April 2026
| Rate | Islands | A year | A month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rate 1 | Shetland (Yell), Shetland (Brae), Barra and Tiree | £2,664.42 | £222.04 |
| Rate 2 | Shetland (Lerwick), North Uist, Benbecula and South Uist | £2,264.75 | £188.73 |
| Rate 3 | Orkney, Isle of Lewis, Islay and Isle of Mull | £1,998.31 | £166.53 |
| Rate 4 | Skye, Isle of Bute, Arran and Great Cumbrae | £1,332.21 | £111.02 |
The four rates cover 16 island locations. Rate 1 is the most remote group and pays £1,332.21 a year more than rate 4. Rate 1 is exactly double rate 4 (£1,332.21 x 2 = £2,664.42). The allowance is paid on top of your basic pay from the Police Scotland pay scales and on top of any other allowances you qualify for (see every Police Scotland allowance).
The Islands Allowance is agreed through the Police Negotiating Board for Scotland and approved by Scottish Ministers. It is the same for every officer posted to a listed island, whatever their division. The handbook names PNBS Circular 2023/06 as the governing circular and Circular 2026/04 sets the current rates.
Every island, A to Z
| Island | Rate | From 1 Apr 2025 | From 1 Apr 2026 | A month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arran | Rate 4 | £1,287.16 | £1,332.21 | £111.02 |
| Barra | Rate 1 | £2,574.32 | £2,664.42 | £222.04 |
| Benbecula | Rate 2 | £2,188.16 | £2,264.75 | £188.73 |
| Great Cumbrae | Rate 4 | £1,287.16 | £1,332.21 | £111.02 |
| Islay | Rate 3 | £1,930.73 | £1,998.31 | £166.53 |
| Isle of Bute | Rate 4 | £1,287.16 | £1,332.21 | £111.02 |
| Isle of Lewis | Rate 3 | £1,930.73 | £1,998.31 | £166.53 |
| Isle of Mull | Rate 3 | £1,930.73 | £1,998.31 | £166.53 |
| North Uist | Rate 2 | £2,188.16 | £2,264.75 | £188.73 |
| Orkney | Rate 3 | £1,930.73 | £1,998.31 | £166.53 |
| Shetland (Brae) | Rate 1 | £2,574.32 | £2,664.42 | £222.04 |
| Shetland (Lerwick) | Rate 2 | £2,188.16 | £2,264.75 | £188.73 |
| Shetland (Yell) | Rate 1 | £2,574.32 | £2,664.42 | £222.04 |
| Skye | Rate 4 | £1,287.16 | £1,332.21 | £111.02 |
| South Uist | Rate 2 | £2,188.16 | £2,264.75 | £188.73 |
| Tiree | Rate 1 | £2,574.32 | £2,664.42 | £222.04 |
- An island not on this list does not attract the allowance under the 2026 circular.
- Shetland is split: Lerwick is rate 2, Yell and Brae rate 1. Orkney is listed as a single location at rate 3.
- The Western Isles are split three ways: Lewis is rate 3; North Uist, Benbecula and South Uist are rate 2; Barra is rate 1.
- The Clyde islands (Bute, Arran and Great Cumbrae) and Skye are all rate 4.
- The Inner Hebrides are split: Islay and Mull are rate 3; Tiree is rate 1.
Island by island: what each group gets
The figures below use the April 2026 rates. "Kept" is the amount left a year after Scottish income tax and National Insurance on top of a full-time salary (13.7% pension on basic pay, none on the allowance): for a new constable (£34,001), a constable on point 5 (£45,064) and a sergeant on point 4 (£61,036).
Shetland: Lerwick, Yell and Brae
Shetland is the only island group listed in three places. Officers posted to Shetland (Yell) or Shetland (Brae) get rate 1, £2,664.42 a year (£222.04 a month). Officers posted to Shetland (Lerwick) get rate 2, £2,264.75 a year (£188.73 a month). The difference is £399.67 a year, so the exact posting matters.
- Rate 1 kept: new constable £1,893.57; constable point 5 £1,891.74; sergeant point 4 £1,492.08.
- Rate 2 kept: new constable £1,609.80; constable point 5 £1,607.97; sergeant point 4 £1,268.26.
- Island expenses: officers on Mid Yell, Unst and Whalsay get one paid trip to Lerwick each calendar month for themselves and dependants (ferry fare to mainland Shetland plus mileage to and from Lerwick), on top of the general entitlement to three return trips to the mainland a year.
Orkney
Orkney is listed as one location at rate 3: £1,998.31 a year (£166.53 a month). The rate table does not split Orkney by island, so the handbook sets one figure for an Orkney posting.
- Kept: new constable £1,420.63; constable point 5 £1,418.80; sergeant point 4 £1,119.05.
- Island expenses: three return trips to the mainland a year, subject to conditions.
Western Isles: Lewis, the Uists, Benbecula and Barra
The Western Isles span three rates. Isle of Lewis is rate 3 (£1,998.31); North Uist, Benbecula and South Uist are rate 2 (£2,264.75, £266.44 more than Lewis); Barra is rate 1 (£2,664.42, a further £399.67 on top).
- Lewis kept: new constable £1,420.63; constable point 5 £1,418.80; sergeant point 4 £1,119.05.
- Uists and Benbecula kept: new constable £1,609.80; constable point 5 £1,607.97; sergeant point 4 £1,268.26.
- Barra kept: new constable £1,893.57; constable point 5 £1,891.74; sergeant point 4 £1,492.08.
- Island expenses: Barra officers and their dependants get three paid return trips to Oban each financial year on top of concessionary travel. Other Western Isles postings have the general three return trips a year.
Inner Hebrides: Tiree, Islay and Mull
Tiree is rate 1 (£2,664.42 a year, £222.04 a month). Islay and the Isle of Mull are rate 3 (£1,998.31 a year, £166.53 a month).
- Tiree kept: new constable £1,893.57; constable point 5 £1,891.74; sergeant point 4 £1,492.08.
- Islay and Mull kept: new constable £1,420.63; constable point 5 £1,418.80; sergeant point 4 £1,119.05.
- Island expenses: Tiree officers and dependants get three paid return trips to Oban each financial year on top of concessionary travel. Islay and Mull have the general three return trips a year.
Skye and the Clyde islands: Bute, Arran and Great Cumbrae
Skye, the Isle of Bute, Arran and Great Cumbrae are all rate 4: £1,332.21 a year (£111.02 a month), the lowest of the four rates and exactly half of rate 1.
- Kept: new constable £947.70; constable point 5 £945.87; sergeant point 4 £746.04.
- Island expenses: the general three return trips to the mainland a year, if you are posted to and living on the island.
Islands not on the list
Harris, Coll, Colonsay, Jura, Raasay, the Small Isles and the smaller Orkney and Shetland islands are not separate entries in the rate table. The circular lists 16 locations and no others. If you are posted somewhere not named, ask payroll which location, if any, your posting is treated as.
How much it rose from 2025 to 2026
PNBS Circular 2026/04 gives three figures for each island: the rate from 1 April 2025, the same rate adjusted for the 0.4% inflation guarantee for 2025/26 and the rate from 1 April 2026. The memorandum says the relevant allowances went up 4% from 1 April 2025 and 3.5% from 1 April 2026, adjusted for the inflation guarantee.
| Rate | 1 Apr 2025 | 1 Apr 2025 (IG) | 1 Apr 2026 (IG) | Rise in 2026 | Rise since the first 2025 figure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rate 1 | £2,564.45 | £2,574.32 | £2,664.42 | +£90.10 (3.5%) | +£99.97 |
| Rate 2 | £2,179.78 | £2,188.16 | £2,264.75 | +£76.59 (3.5%) | +£84.97 |
| Rate 3 | £1,923.33 | £1,930.73 | £1,998.31 | +£67.58 (3.5%) | +£74.98 |
| Rate 4 | £1,282.23 | £1,287.16 | £1,332.21 | +£45.05 (3.5%) | +£49.98 |
The inflation guarantee was paid because the 2025/26 deal promised each year's rise would be at least 1 percentage point above average CPI for the calendar year; the circulars record an extra 0.4% for 2025/26. Whether the 2026 test (average 2026 CPI above 2.5%) adds anything for 2026/27 is due to be confirmed by 31 January 2027. Track it on the Police Scotland pay rise 2027/28 tracker.
What the inflation guarantee added to each rate for 2025/26, the gap between the first two columns:
- Rate 1: £9.87 a year (from £2,564.45 to £2,574.32), which then carried into the April 2026 rate.
- Rate 2: £8.38 a year (from £2,179.78 to £2,188.16), which then carried into the April 2026 rate.
- Rate 3: £7.40 a year (from £1,923.33 to £1,930.73), which then carried into the April 2026 rate.
- Rate 4: £4.93 a year (from £1,282.23 to £1,287.16), which then carried into the April 2026 rate.
Each of those is about 0.4% of the rate before the 2025 rise, which is consistent with the 0.4% guarantee being applied to the pre-2025 rate. That is our reading of the figures; the circular does not show the calculation.
The old name "Distant Islands Allowance" is not used in the current handbook or circulars. If you see it on another site, the figures are probably out of date too.
Who gets it
- All ranks permanently posted to an island, for the length of the posting (handbook 4.10, PNBS Circular 2023/06). There is no rank limit: constables, sergeants, inspectors and superintending ranks all qualify.
- Planned temporary transfers to an island where you must live there temporarily.
- Not mainland officers deployed to an island at short notice who cannot get home overnight: they get the Overnight Disruption Allowance (£82.07 a night) instead.
- Both: an island-based officer deployed away from their usual place of duty on the island at short notice who cannot get home overnight can claim the Overnight Disruption Allowance as well as keeping the Islands Allowance.
- Suspension: it continues while you are suspended from duty.
- Length of service: the handbook sets no service condition, so probationers posted to an island qualify on the same terms.
The test is the posting, not where you were born or where your family lives. An officer from Stornoway posted to Inverness does not get it; a mainland officer posted to Stornoway does.
| Situation | What you get | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Permanently posted to a listed island | Islands Allowance at the island's rate, for the length of the posting | Island expenses if you live on the island |
| Planned temporary transfer to an island, required to live there | Islands Allowance | The Overnight Disruption Allowance does not apply to planned temporary transfers |
| Mainland officer sent to an island at short notice, cannot get home | Overnight Disruption Allowance, £82.07 a night | No Islands Allowance |
| Island officer sent away from their usual island duty place at short notice, cannot get home | Islands Allowance continues plus Overnight Disruption, £82.07 a night | Additional Disruption or Minimum Standards may also apply (federated ranks) |
| Island officer attending a course as a candidate | Islands Allowance continues | Overnight Disruption does not apply to courses; Minimum Standards can apply on residential training, except probationer training |
| Island officer suspended from duty | Islands Allowance continues | Handbook 4.10 |
| Island-born officer posted to the mainland | No Islands Allowance | The test is the posting, not where you come from |
Rank makes no difference to the Islands Allowance itself. It does make a difference to what else you get while posted: constables and sergeants are paid overtime and rest day pay, while inspecting and superintending ranks get another rest day and, for short-notice rest days, the Short-notice Rest Day Working Allowance. Additional Disruption and Minimum Standards are for federated ranks only. See allowances by rank.
Do you have to live on the island?
The handbook's wording differs between the two entitlements. The difference matters if you could commute by ferry:
- Islands Allowance, permanent postings: handbook 4.10 says it is paid to officers permanently posted to an island for the duration of that posting. The page we read does not add a residence condition for permanent postings.
- Islands Allowance, temporary transfers: only planned temporary transfers that require you to reside on the island temporarily qualify.
- Island expenses: handbook 5.4 applies to officers posted to and living on an island, so the mainland trips depend on living there.
So an officer permanently posted to Bute or Great Cumbrae but living on the mainland should not assume island expenses apply. Whether Police Scotland applies a residence test to the allowance for permanent postings is not stated on the handbook page; ask payroll before you plan around it.
Island expenses: trips to the mainland
Separate from the allowance, the handbook's section 5.4 (PNBS Circular 2025/05, Islands allowance and island expenses) pays for travel off the island. It applies to officers posted to and living on an island.
| Who | What can be claimed |
|---|---|
| Officers posted to and living on an island | The cost of three return trips to the mainland a year, subject to conditions |
| Officers on Mid Yell, Unst and Whalsay | One paid trip to Lerwick each calendar month, for the officer and dependants: the ferry fare to mainland Shetland and mileage to and from Lerwick |
| Officers on Barra and Tiree | Three paid return trips to Oban per financial year, for the officer and dependants, in addition to concessionary travel: the ferry fare to Oban and mileage to and from Oban |
Dependants covered by the handbook:
- a co-habiting partner;
- dependent children under 18 who normally live with you;
- children in full-time education on the mainland for their first qualification;
- disabled children who normally live with you;
- dependants over 65 who normally live with you on the island.
A sergeant on Barra gets the rate 1 allowance of £2,664.42 a year. On top of that the family can claim three paid return trips to Oban in each financial year (ferry fare plus mileage to and from Oban), in addition to any concessionary travel. A teenager at university on the mainland for a first qualification still counts as a dependant for these trips.
The handbook does not set a cash value on the trips, so we have not put a figure on them.
Note that the handbook's island expenses list names Unst and Whalsay, which are not separate locations in the Islands Allowance rate table. Check with payroll which allowance rate applies if you are posted there.
What you keep after tax
The allowance is paid through payroll and taxed as pay. These are the amounts kept a year after Scottish income tax and National Insurance, on top of a full-time salary with the 13.7% pension on basic pay and no pension taken from the allowance (as our calculators assume; see pension).
| Officer | Basic pay | Rate 1 | Rate 2 | Rate 3 | Rate 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constable, commencing | £34,001 | £1,894 | £1,610 | £1,421 | £948 |
| Constable, point 2 | £39,988 | £1,892 | £1,608 | £1,419 | £946 |
| Constable, point 5 | £45,064 | £1,892 | £1,608 | £1,419 | £946 |
| Constable, point 8 | £48,940 | £1,712 | £1,488 | £1,339 | £946 |
| Constable, point 11 | £54,597 | £1,492 | £1,268 | £1,119 | £746 |
| Sergeant, point 4 | £61,036 | £1,492 | £1,268 | £1,119 | £746 |
| Inspector, point 1 | £67,491 | £1,492 | £1,268 | £1,119 | £746 |
| Chief inspector, point 1 | £76,087 | £1,492 | £1,268 | £1,119 | £746 |
| Officer | Rate 1 | Rate 2 | Rate 3 | Rate 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constable, commencing | £157.80 | £134.15 | £118.39 | £78.98 |
| Constable, point 2 | £157.64 | £134.00 | £118.23 | £78.82 |
| Constable, point 5 | £157.64 | £134.00 | £118.23 | £78.82 |
| Constable, point 8 | £142.66 | £124.01 | £111.57 | £78.83 |
| Constable, point 11 | £124.34 | £105.69 | £93.25 | £62.17 |
Why the share kept changes: up to constable point 8 your taxable pay after pension sits in the 21% intermediate band and you pay 8% NI, so you keep about 71% of a rate 4 allowance. A rate 1 allowance on top of point 8 pushes part of it into the 42% band, so the share kept falls to 64%. From point 9 and every rank above, your taxable pay is already in the 42% band but your gross pay is above £50,270, so NI is 2% and you keep about 56%. The full explanation is in Scottish income tax for police officers 2026/27.
Across a career on one island
The allowance is a flat amount, but what you keep depends on where your basic pay sits. This table follows a constable posted to Lewis (rate 3, £1,998.31) through every constable pay point and on to the sergeant scale, at April 2026 pay and rates. The share kept drops once taxable pay reaches the 42% band (from constable point 9, £51,842), then stays flat because NI falls to 2% at the same time.
| Pay point | Basic pay | Kept a year | Kept a month | Share kept |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constable, on commencing | £34,001 | £1,420.63 | £118.39 | 71% |
| Constable, point 1 | £36,995 | £1,418.80 | £118.23 | 71% |
| Constable, point 2 | £39,988 | £1,418.80 | £118.23 | 71% |
| Constable, point 3 | £42,377 | £1,418.80 | £118.23 | 71% |
| Constable, point 4 | £43,683 | £1,418.80 | £118.23 | 71% |
| Constable, point 5 | £45,064 | £1,418.80 | £118.23 | 71% |
| Constable, point 6 | £46,321 | £1,418.80 | £118.23 | 71% |
| Constable, point 7 | £47,440 | £1,418.80 | £118.23 | 71% |
| Constable, point 8 | £48,940 | £1,338.88 | £111.57 | 67% |
| Constable, point 9 | £51,842 | £1,119.05 | £93.25 | 56% |
| Constable, point 10 | £52,873 | £1,119.05 | £93.25 | 56% |
| Constable, point 11 | £54,597 | £1,119.05 | £93.25 | 56% |
| Sergeant, point 1 | £56,455 | £1,119.05 | £93.25 | 56% |
| Sergeant, point 2 | £57,637 | £1,119.05 | £93.25 | 56% |
| Sergeant, point 3 | £59,312 | £1,119.05 | £93.25 | 56% |
| Sergeant, point 4 | £61,036 | £1,119.05 | £93.25 | 56% |
Constables move up the scale by annual increments over 11 years (see Police Scotland pay scales), so a constable who arrives on an island early in service will see the value of the allowance fall slightly in later years even though the gross amount rises with each pay award.
What a remoter island is worth after tax
If you are choosing between postings, the useful number is the difference between two rates after tax, not the gross gap. The gross gap between rate 1 and rate 4 is £1,332.21 a year; between neighbouring rates it is £399.67, £266.44 and £666.10. After Scottish tax and NI:
| Officer | Rate 1 vs rate 4 | Rate 1 vs rate 2 | Rate 2 vs rate 3 | Rate 3 vs rate 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constable, commencing | £945.87 | £283.77 | £189.17 | £472.93 |
| Constable, point 2 | £945.87 | £283.77 | £189.17 | £472.93 |
| Constable, point 5 | £945.87 | £283.77 | £189.17 | £472.93 |
| Constable, point 8 | £765.90 | £223.82 | £149.21 | £392.88 |
| Constable, point 11 | £746.04 | £223.82 | £149.21 | £373.02 |
| Sergeant, point 4 | £746.04 | £223.82 | £149.21 | £373.02 |
| Inspector, point 1 | £746.04 | £223.82 | £149.21 | £373.02 |
| Chief inspector, point 1 | £746.04 | £223.82 | £149.21 | £373.02 |
For example, a constable on point 5 choosing between Lerwick (rate 2) and Yell (rate 1) would keep about £283.77 a year more on Yell, about £23.65 a month. Set that against the travel time to Lerwick, which island expenses only partly cover (one paid trip a month from Mid Yell).
An island posting vs the same job on the mainland
The cleanest way to see what the allowance is worth is to compare the same officer, same rank and pay point, with and without it. Pension is 13.7% of basic pay in both columns; Scottish income tax and NI are worked out on the whole year and shown as a monthly average.
| Officer | Island | Allowance | Take-home on the mainland | Take-home on the island | Difference a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constable, point 5 | Isle of Lewis | Rate 3: £1,998.31 | £2,581.06 | £2,699.29 | +£118.23 |
| Sergeant, point 4 | Barra | Rate 1: £2,664.42 | £3,278.13 | £3,402.47 | +£124.34 |
| Inspector, point 1 | Shetland (Lerwick) | Rate 2: £2,264.75 | £3,536.62 | £3,642.31 | +£105.69 |
| Constable, commencing | Skye | Rate 4: £1,332.21 | £2,026.12 | £2,105.10 | +£78.98 |
Basic pay £45,064. On the mainland: pension £6,173.77, tax £5,318.02, NI £2,599.52, take-home £30,972.69 a year (£2,581.06 a month).
On Lewis the rate 3 allowance of £1,998.31 is added. Pension does not change; tax rises to £5,737.66 and NI to £2,759.38. Take-home is £32,391.49 a year (£2,699.29 a month): an extra £1,418.80 a year, or £118.23 a month.
Over five years at today's rates and pay the allowance is £9,991.55 gross and about £7,094.00 after tax and NI. That ignores increments (which would move this constable up the scale) and any future rises (which are not yet agreed).
Basic pay £67,491 plus the rate 2 allowance of £2,264.75. Pension stays at £9,246.27 a year (13.7% of basic pay only). Because the inspector's taxable pay is already in the 42% band and gross pay is over £50,270, the allowance is taxed at 42% plus 2% NI.
Take-home rises from £3,536.62 to £3,642.31 a month: £105.69 more, or £1,268.26 a year. Inspectors are not paid overtime, so the allowance is a larger share of the extra pay an island inspector sees than it is for a constable.
A new constable on £34,001 posted to Skye gets rate 4, £1,332.21 a year. Their taxable pay is in the lower Scottish bands, so they keep a larger share: take-home rises from £2,026.12 to £2,105.10 a month, £78.98 more (£947.70 a year). After a year's service they move to £36,995 and the allowance rises with each pay award.
We have no official figure for island living costs, so this is the pay side only. Add island expenses (above) for the travel side. To run your own numbers, select your island's rate in the Police Scotland salary calculator.
Deployments, overtime and time away
Sent off the island at short notice
If you are based on an island and are deployed away from your usual place of duty at short notice and cannot get home overnight, you keep the Islands Allowance and can claim the Overnight Disruption Allowance as well (handbook 4.10). Time on an overnight ferry counts either as duty time or towards the overnight allowances, not both: a booked cabin points to accommodation; a ferry used as transport is duty time (handbook 4.2).
A constable posted to Tiree (rate 1, £2,664.42 a year) is sent to Glasgow at short notice for 3 nights. They keep the Islands Allowance and claim 3 x £82.07 = £246.21 Overnight Disruption Allowance. Travel to and from the deployment counts as duty hours, so a long ferry and road journey can create overtime at time and a third under the normal rules.
Overtime and rest days on an island
Island officers work under the same PNBS overtime, rest day and public holiday rules as everyone else, with the same hourly rate (annual pay x 6/12520). Our calculators work the hourly rate from basic pay only: the handbook's pay calculation formula refers to annual pay and we have not found a statement that the Islands Allowance counts towards it. See overtime and rest day working and the Police Scotland overtime calculator. If you are in a designated on-call role, the on-call allowance applies too.
Here is what a sergeant on point 2 (£57,637) posted to Orkney earns for common kinds of extra duty, priced with the same PNBS rules as our overtime calculator. The hourly rate is £57,637 x 6/12520 = £27.62. These sums are on top of the £1,998.31 Islands Allowance, which does not change.
| Situation | Rate | Hours paid | Gross | Also due |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kept on 47 minutes at the end of a shift (casual overtime) | Time and a third | 0.75 h | £27.62 | None |
| Called in on a rest day with 5 days' notice, 6 hours at the station | Double time | 6 h | £331.46 | None |
| Rest day with 12 days' notice, 8 hours | Time and a half | 8 h | £331.46 | None |
| Recalled at 0200 to an incident, 90 minutes | Time and a third | 4 h | £147.32 | 1.5 h travelling time due (rate not stated in the handbook pages we read) |
| Working 1 January with 3 days' notice, 8 hours | Double time | 8 h | £441.95 | Another public holiday as well (less than 8 days’ notice) |
- Casual overtime counts completed 15-minute periods only, so 47 minutes pays as 45.
- Rest day work with less than 8 days' notice is double time; 8 to under 18 days is time and a half; 18 days or more gets another rest day instead of pay. Attending a station, incident or court means a minimum of 4 hours.
- A recall between 2300 and 0700 attending an incident pays a minimum of 4 hours at time and a third, plus relevant travelling time.
- Public holidays (1 January and 25 December are the two fixed ones) pay a minimum of 4 hours at double time. Less than 8 days' notice also earns another public holiday.
- Inspectors and above are not paid overtime: see the short-notice rest day allowance.
Leave, sickness and family leave
The handbook says the Islands Allowance continues while suspended. Section 4.11 adds that an allowance you regularly receive to meet an expense is payable during absence from duty, such as maternity or adoption leave, for up to a month, after which the chief constable can suspend it. Whether the Islands Allowance counts as such an expense allowance is not stated. If you are planning maternity or adoption leave on an island, ask payroll how it will be treated and read Police Scotland maternity pay. Your annual leave entitlement is the same as on the mainland.
Is it pensionable?
The handbook page on the Islands Allowance does not say whether it is pensionable and we have not found a PNBS statement that does. Our calculators take no pension from it. If pension is being deducted from it on your payslip, ask payroll for the basis.
If the allowance is not pensionable, nothing changes: no pension comes off it and it builds no pension. If your payslip does take pension from it, 13.7% of £1,998.31 is £273.77 a year before tax relief and it would build £35.62 a year of 2015 scheme pension (£1,998.31 ÷ 56.1), revalued while you serve.
This is a conditional illustration, not a statement of the rule.
For how the 2015 Scottish scheme works see Police Scotland pension explained and the Police Scotland pension calculator.
Moving to an island posting
- Serving Police Scotland officers: island posts are filled through Police Scotland's internal processes. If the chief constable considers your move necessary for the exigencies of duty or the efficiency of the service, removal expenses can be claimed (handbook 5.3): removal costs, selling or (with approval) renting out your old home, buying a new one and, for an owned former home, mortgage interest, rent and council tax for the first 26 weeks. Expenses must be necessary, reasonable and backed by receipts.
- Transferees from England, Wales, PSNI or BTP: Police Scotland lists all substantive ranks and runs a talent bank when there are no general transferee vacancies. Pay is set at the equivalent Police Scotland point for your service. See transferring to Police Scotland.
- Rejoiners: Police Scotland's rejoiner page says it is particularly interested in rural and remote postings in Argyll and in Highlands and Islands. Only former Police Scotland officers who completed probation can rejoin by that route.
- New recruits: the application form asks for three posting location preferences. An island preference is not a guarantee of an island post.
Before accepting an island posting, check which rate applies to the exact location (Shetland and the Western Isles are split), whether the move is one the chief constable will treat as necessary for removal expenses and how island expenses will work for your household.
Questions to ask before you accept
- Is the posting permanent, or a planned temporary transfer that requires me to live on the island? Both attract the allowance; a short-notice deployment does not.
- Which listed location is it treated as? That decides the rate (1 to 4).
- Will removal expenses be paid under handbook 5.3? If so, which items (removal, sale or letting of my current home, purchase costs, 26 weeks of mortgage interest, rent and council tax)?
- How do I claim island expenses, what conditions apply to the three return trips a year and does my household qualify as dependants?
- Is pension taken from the allowance on payroll? (The handbook does not say.)
- If I work part-time or plan to, is the allowance paid in full or pro rata? (The handbook does not say.)
- If the role is designated on-call, how often will I be on call and how are recalls handled given the travel involved?
- How will the move affect my promotion plans? Promotion is by selection after the qualifying diploma or the PLDP; see promotion in Police Scotland.
Compared with London and South East pay in England and Wales
Police Scotland has no regional weighting. The Islands Allowance is its only location payment. In England and Wales the location payments are London Weighting (Police Regulations 2003 Annex F) and the London and South East England allowances (Annex U), as held in our England and Wales tools.
| Payment | Amount | Who | Pensionable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Police Scotland Islands Allowance | £1,332.21 to £2,664.42 a year | Officers of all ranks permanently posted to one of 16 listed island locations | Not stated in the handbook |
| London Weighting (England and Wales) | £3,260 a year | Metropolitan and City of London police officers | Yes |
| London Allowance (England and Wales) | Up to £6,819 a year | Metropolitan and City of London police officers | No |
| South East England Allowance (England and Wales) | Up to £2,070 or up to £3,105 a year, by force | Officers in some forces around London | No |
The biggest Scottish rate (£2,664.42) is below London Weighting alone (£3,260). A Met constable can get London Weighting and the London Allowance together. For the England and Wales side see police London Weighting and for basic pay Police Scotland vs England pay.
Where the rules come from
Four PNBS documents govern what island officers get. Knowing which is which helps when you raise a query with payroll or the Scottish Police Federation.
| Document | What it covers |
|---|---|
| PNBS Circular 2023/06 | Named in handbook 4.10 as the governing circular for the Islands Allowance: who qualifies, temporary transfers, short-notice deployments and suspension |
| PNBS Circular 2025/05 | Islands allowance and island expenses: named in handbook 5.4 for the mainland trips |
| PNBS Circular 2025/09 | The 2025/26 and 2026/27 pay agreement: 4% and 3.5% rises on relevant allowances and the inflation guarantee |
| PNBS Circular 2026/04 | The current rates for every island from 1 April 2025, 1 April 2025 (inflation guarantee adjusted) and 1 April 2026 |
| PNBS police officer handbook 4.10, 4.12 and 5.4 | The plain-English summary of the rules and the rates table, on pnb.scot |
PNBS agreements are approved by Scottish Ministers, who then make formal determinations; the Scottish Police Authority implements them. When rates change, the circular comes first and the handbook's rates table can lag behind: on 22 October 2026 the handbook still showed a 2025 figure for one other allowance. If the two disagree, the latest circular is the one to quote.
Step by step: checking your Islands Allowance
- Find your location in the A to Z table. Use the exact location (Lerwick, Yell or Brae for Shetland; Lewis, the Uists, Benbecula or Barra for the Western Isles).
- Check the annual rate and divide by 12. From your April 2026 pay the monthly line should be the "A month" figure above, before tax.
- Check the start date. It applies for the duration of a permanent posting, or from the start of a planned temporary transfer that requires you to live on the island.
- Check pension. Our calculators assume none is taken. If your payslip shows pension on it, ask payroll which rule they apply.
- Check your tax code starts with S. As a Scottish taxpayer the allowance is taxed at the Scottish rates.
- Treat island expenses as a separate entitlement. Keep receipts for ferry fares and a log of mileage for each trip.
- If you are deployed off the island at short notice, claim the Overnight Disruption Allowance for each night you cannot get home.
- When the posting ends, expect the allowance to stop with it.
An island posting from start to finish
- Offer of the posting. Confirm whether it is permanent or a planned temporary transfer and which listed location it counts as. Ask the removal expenses question now, not after you move.
- The move. Keep every receipt. Removal expenses must be necessary, reasonable and backed by receipts; mortgage interest, rent and council tax on an owned former home can be covered for the first 26 weeks (the Authority can extend this).
- First payslip on the island. Check the Islands Allowance line matches the monthly figure for your rate and starts from your posting date. Check whether pension has been taken from it.
- Each year. Plan your three mainland return trips (or monthly Lerwick or Oban trips where they apply) and claim them as island expenses. Watch for the April pay award: the allowance rises with relevant allowances.
- Deployments. If sent away from your island duty place at short notice and you cannot get home, claim the Overnight Disruption Allowance on top.
- Promotion or a new post. If you stay on the island the allowance continues at any rank. If you move to another listed island the rate changes to that island's rate.
- End of the posting. The allowance is paid for the duration of the posting, so it stops when you leave. Check your final island payslip for any part-month.
Terms used on this page
- PNBS: the Police Negotiating Board for Scotland, where the Official Side and Staff Side agree officer pay and allowances. Agreements are approved by Scottish Ministers.
- Circular: the PNBS document that carries an agreement. Circulars form a single numbered series, such as 2026/04.
- Handbook: the PNBS police officer handbook on pnb.scot, which summarises the rules section by section.
- Rate 1 to 4: the four Islands Allowance amounts. Rate 1 is the highest.
- Permanent posting: being posted to an island for an open-ended period. The allowance runs for the duration of the posting.
- Planned temporary transfer: a planned move to an island for a set period that requires you to live there temporarily. It attracts the allowance.
- Short-notice deployment: being sent at short notice to work away from your usual place of duty. It attracts the Overnight Disruption Allowance if you cannot get home, not the Islands Allowance.
- Island expenses: paid travel to the mainland for island-based officers and their dependants (handbook 5.4).
- Inflation guarantee (IG): the 2025/26 and 2026/27 deal's promise that each year's rise is at least 1 percentage point above average CPI. It added 0.4% for 2025/26.
- Pensionable: pay from which the 13.7% member contribution is taken and on which 2015 scheme pension builds at 1/56.1.
Common mistakes
- Assuming one figure for every island. There are four rates, from £1,332.21 to £2,664.42.
- Calling it locally set. It is national.
- Quoting the old name or old rates. "Distant Islands Allowance" figures are out of date.
- Expecting it for short-notice island deployments. That is the Overnight Disruption Allowance.
- Forgetting island expenses. The three mainland trips a year (or the monthly Lerwick and the Oban trips) are a separate claim.
- Treating it like London Weighting. London Weighting is pensionable England and Wales pay; the handbook does not say the Islands Allowance is pensionable.
- Working out take-home with England and Wales tax. Island officers are Scottish taxpayers: the 21% and 42% bands change what you keep.
Work out your own figures
More for Scottish officers: ranks and pay, promotion, McCloud remedy, detective ranks and the Police Scotland officers hub.
What we could not verify
- Whether the Islands Allowance is pensionable. The handbook page does not say.
- Whether part-time officers receive it pro rata.
- Whether a residence test applies to the allowance for permanent postings (it is stated only for temporary transfers and for island expenses).
- Whether it counts towards the hourly rate used for overtime.
- Whether it continues beyond a month of maternity, adoption or sick leave (section 4.11 covers expense allowances, without naming this one).
- The conditions attached to the three return trips a year under island expenses. Also which allowance rate applies on Unst and Whalsay.
- The 2024/25 rates: Circular 2026/04 gives only 2025 and 2026 figures.
- Whether the rates would be restated again if the 2026 inflation guarantee triggers (the Official Side statement is due by 31 January 2027).
- Any 2027/28 rates: no circular had been published when we checked on 23 October 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the Police Scotland Islands Allowance?
From 1 April 2026 it is £2,664.42, £2,264.75, £1,998.31 or £1,332.21 a year depending on the island (PNBS Circular 2026/04).
Which islands get the Police Scotland Islands Allowance?
Rate 1: Shetland (Yell), Shetland (Brae), Barra and Tiree. Rate 2: Shetland (Lerwick), North Uist, Benbecula and South Uist. Rate 3: Orkney, Isle of Lewis, Islay and Isle of Mull. Rate 4: Skye, Isle of Bute, Arran and Great Cumbrae.
How much is the Islands Allowance a month?
From 1 April 2026: £222.04 (rate 1), £188.73 (rate 2), £166.53 (rate 3) or £111.02 (rate 4), before tax.
What was the Islands Allowance in 2025?
From 1 April 2025, after the inflation guarantee adjustment: £2,574.32 (rate 1), £2,188.16 (rate 2), £1,930.73 (rate 3) and £1,287.16 (rate 4). The April 2026 rates are 3.5% higher.
Is the Islands Allowance set locally?
No. It is a national allowance agreed through the Police Negotiating Board for Scotland with four rates by island. Our site used to say it was set locally; that was wrong.
Who qualifies for the Islands Allowance?
Officers of all ranks permanently posted to a listed island, for as long as the posting lasts. Officers on a planned temporary transfer to an island who must live there temporarily also qualify (PNBS handbook 4.10).
Do officers sent to an island at short notice get it?
No. Mainland officers deployed to an island at short notice who cannot get home overnight get the Overnight Disruption Allowance (£82.07 a night from April 2026) instead.
Can island officers also claim the Overnight Disruption Allowance?
Yes. An officer entitled to the Islands Allowance can also claim the Overnight Disruption Allowance when deployed away from their usual island place of duty at short notice and unable to get home overnight.
Is the Islands Allowance paid while suspended?
Yes. The handbook says an officer entitled to it continues to receive it while suspended from duty.
Is the Islands Allowance pensionable?
The PNBS handbook page on the allowance does not say. Check your payslip or ask payroll. Our salary calculator takes no pension from it.
What are island expenses?
A separate entitlement (handbook 5.4, PNBS Circular 2025/05). Officers posted to and living on an island can claim three return trips to the mainland a year, subject to conditions. Officers on Mid Yell, Unst and Whalsay get one paid trip to Lerwick a month; officers on Barra and Tiree get three paid return trips to Oban a financial year on top of concessionary travel.
Can my family's travel be claimed under island expenses?
The handbook covers a co-habiting partner, dependent children under 18 who normally live with you, children in full-time mainland education for their first qualification, disabled children who normally live with you and dependants over 65 who normally live with you on the island.
How much of the Islands Allowance do I keep after tax?
It depends on your pay. A constable on point 5 keeps about £1,419 of the £1,998.31 rate 3 allowance; a sergeant on point 4 keeps about £1,119.
Is the Islands Allowance the same as London Weighting?
No. It is a Scottish allowance for listed islands. London Weighting (£3,260 a year) is an England and Wales payment for the Met and City of London police and is pensionable. Police Scotland has no regional weighting.
Is it the same as the Distant Islands Allowance?
Distant Islands Allowance is an older name. The current handbook and circulars call it the Islands Allowance.
What is the Islands Allowance for Orkney and Shetland?
Orkney is rate 3, £1,998.31 a year. Shetland is split: Lerwick is rate 2 (£2,264.75) while Yell and Brae are rate 1 (£2,664.42).
What is the Islands Allowance for Skye, Arran and Bute?
Skye, Arran, the Isle of Bute and Great Cumbrae are all rate 4: £1,332.21 a year, £111.02 a month, from 1 April 2026.
Do part-time officers get the full Islands Allowance?
The handbook page does not say whether it is paid pro rata. Ask payroll before you change your hours.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 23 October 2026. Rules and figures change, so check the source for the date you are reading this. Where we could not confirm something from an official or independent source, the page says so rather than guessing. Spotted something out of date? See our corrections policy.
- PNBS Circular 2026/04, Allowances (30 January 2026) : rates and islands from 1 April 2025, 1 April 2025 (IG adjusted) and 1 April 2026 (IG adjusted) (accessed 23 October 2026)
- PNBS police officer handbook, 4.10 Islands Allowance : who qualifies; temporary transfers; short-notice deployments; combined claims; suspension; governing circular 2023/06 (accessed 23 October 2026)
- PNBS police officer handbook, 4.12 Allowance rates : island-by-island rate table (accessed 23 October 2026)
- PNBS police officer handbook, 5.4 Island expenses : mainland trips, Mid Yell, Unst and Whalsay, Barra and Tiree, dependants; PNBS Circular 2025/05 (accessed 23 October 2026)
- PNBS police officer handbook, 4.2 Overnight allowances : Overnight Disruption Allowance; ferries (accessed 23 October 2026)
- PNBS police officer handbook, 4.11 Continuation of allowances : expense allowances during absence (accessed 23 October 2026)
- PNBS police officer handbook, 5.3 Removal expenses : moves the chief constable considers necessary (accessed 23 October 2026)
- PNBS Circular 2025/09 : 4% and 3.5% rises on relevant allowances; inflation guarantee (accessed 23 October 2026)
- Police Scotland: Rejoiners : interest in rural and remote postings in Argyll and Highlands and Islands (accessed 23 October 2026)
- Police Scotland: Transferees : transfer route and talent bank (accessed 23 October 2026)
- Home Office Circular 011/2026, Annexes F and U : England and Wales London Weighting, London Allowance and South East Allowance (accessed 23 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Scottish Income Tax : tax on the allowance (accessed 23 October 2026)
On this topic elsewhere
More in this guide series
Police Scotland calculators and related guides
Disclaimer
PolicePay.co.uk is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with Police Scotland, the Scottish Police Authority, the Police Negotiating Board for Scotland, the Scottish Police Federation or the Scottish Public Pensions Agency. This page is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Pay and conditions are set through the PNBS and approved by Scottish Ministers and SPPA's figures are the only official pension figures, so check the PNBS handbook, your payslip and your Annual Benefit Statement before relying on anything here. Details are as checked on 23 October 2026.