Student Officer Pay
What You Earn in 2026
Student officers are constables, and they are paid as constables from the day they join. Here is the scale, where you start, how quickly you move up, what location allowances add, and how probation affects your pay.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 18 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
You are paid on the constable scale from day one, with no separate student rate. New constables start on pay point 1: £31,164 officially from September 2025, which we calculate at £32,255 from 1 September 2026 after the 3.5% award. Some forces start new joiners on pay point 2 (£33,609). You move up a point each anniversary of appointment, and as a probationer you do not need to meet the pay progression standard to do so. London and some South East forces add allowances.
The headline: constable pay from day one
The College of Policing says that on every route you are a police constable earning a salary from the day you join. We found no separate student or trainee rate in the Home Office pay determination, so student officers are paid on the constable scale for officers appointed on or after 1 April 2013.
That holds whichever route you join through. The differences between PCDA, DHEP and PCEP are about training and qualifications, not the pay scale.
The constable pay scale
| Point | Official from 1 Sept 2025 | From 1 Sept 2026 (PolicePay calculated) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay point 1 | £31,164 | £32,255 | Start for new constables |
| Pay point 2 | £32,472 | £33,609 | Start where the chief officer assigns new joiners here |
| Pay point 3 | £33,789 | £34,972 | After 2 years of normal progression |
| Pay point 4 | £35,106 | £36,335 | After 3 years of normal progression |
| Pay point 5 | £37,737 | £39,058 | After 4 years of normal progression |
| Pay point 6 | £43,038 | £44,544 | After 5 years of normal progression |
| Pay point 7 | £50,256 | £52,015 | Top of the scale |
The 2025/26 column is the Home Office's official table in Annex F (Circular 011/2026). The 2026/27 column adds the 3.5% award confirmed for officers of all ranks from September 2026 and rounds to the nearest pound. Top of the scale is £52,015 on our calculation.
Point 1 or point 2: where you start
Annex F says that from 1 September 2024 a member appointed to the rank of constable begins on pay point 1. From 1 April 2025 a chief officer who decides it is necessary to meet local recruitment needs may, after consulting the local policing body, assign all constables appointed on or after that date to pay point 2.
On our 2026/27 figures the difference is £1,354 a year. The decision applies to all new constables in the force, not to individuals, so the salary in your force's advert is the best guide.
Yearly increments, and why probation helps
Annex F says constables move up to the next pay point annually, on the anniversary of their appointment or promotion. For confirmed officers this depends on meeting the pay progression standard: a completed annual performance review, not being in formal unsatisfactory performance or attendance procedures at stage 1 or 2 on the confirmation date, and completing required training.
Annex F Part 1BA paragraph 13 says members on probation under regulation 12 and Annex C are not required to meet the pay progression standard in order to progress through the pay scale. In other words, your increment does not depend on passing that test while you are a student officer.
That does not mean probation has no financial risk. If your services are dispensed with under regulation 13, you are entitled to a month's notice or a month's pay, and no more. See extended probation and regulation 13.
Your first three years
Assuming normal progression and no change to the scale beyond the 2026 award, a constable appointed now would move up like this. Future pay awards would add to these figures.
| Year | Starting on point 1 | Starting on point 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 (from appointment) | £32,255 | £33,609 |
| Year 2 (first anniversary) | £33,609 | £34,972 |
| Year 3 (second anniversary, PCDA still on probation) | £34,972 | £36,335 |
Two-year probation ends as you move to your third point. On the PCDA, probation lasts three years, so you would still be a student officer through the third year.
Location allowances
| Addition | Amount | Who gets it | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| London weighting | £3,150 a year | Members of the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police | Annex F Part 10 |
| London allowance | Up to £6,588 a year (members appointed on or after 1 September 1994 without a replacement allowance) | Rate set by the Commissioner with regard to location and retention needs | Annex U paragraph 3 |
| South East England allowance | Up to £3,000 a year | Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Surrey and Thames Valley; rate set by the chief constable | Annex U paragraph 5 |
| South East England allowance | Up to £2,000 a year | Bedfordshire, Hampshire and Sussex; rate set by the chief constable | Annex U paragraph 5 |
London weighting is a fixed addition for Met and City officers. The London allowance and South East England allowance are set locally up to the maximums, so check your force's advert for the actual figure. Our London weighting guide explains how they interact.
Does the route change your pay?
| Route | What to know |
|---|---|
| PCDA | Constable scale from day one. Three-year probation, so your third year's increment arrives while you are still a student |
| DHEP | Constable scale from day one. The College says the programme is fully funded by the force |
| PCEP | Constable scale from day one. No qualification, no university element |
| Detective routes | Constable scale from day one, as detective constables |
Our PCDA vs DHEP comparison goes into training workload and funding.
Pension contributions
Member contribution rates for the Police Pension Scheme 2015 from 1 April 2026 are set in regulation 170 of the Police Pensions Regulations 2015, by band of relevant pay:
| Relevant pay | Rate |
|---|---|
| £37,035 or less | 12.88% |
| More than £37,035 but less than £79,588 | 13.88% |
| £79,588 or more | 14.22% |
On our 2026/27 figures, pay points 1 to 4 fall below the £37,035 threshold and points 5 to 7 are above it. How your relevant pay is measured is set out in the regulations, so check the contribution rate on your payslip. Before thinking about opting out, read should I opt out of the police pension?
Take-home pay
Gross pay is not what reaches your bank account. Income tax, National Insurance and pension contributions all come off, and allowances and overtime change the total. Use the police salary calculator for your own figure, or see take-home pay by rank. Money in the first year is also covered in our first 12 months survival guide.
What we could not verify
- The official 2026/27 table. The Home Office had not published the determination for the September 2026 award in the material we read. Our 2026/27 column is the official 2025/26 figure plus 3.5%, rounded, and the official figures may differ by a few pounds.
- Which forces use pay point 2. We do not hold a verified list. Check the advert for your force.
- Actual allowance rates. London and South East allowances are set by chief officers up to the maximums shown. Forces may pay less than the maximum, and some quote different figures in adverts.
- PCDA funding. We did not re-check the College's wording on how the PCDA is funded for this page, so we make no claim about it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a student police officer earn in 2026?
New constables start on pay point 1 of the constable scale. The official figure from 1 September 2025 is £31,164; with the 3.5% award from September 2026 we calculate £32,255. Where the chief officer has assigned new constables to pay point 2, the start is £33,609 on our 2026/27 figures. London and some South East forces add allowances.
Are student officers paid less than other constables?
No separate student rate appears in the Home Office pay determination (Annex F). Student officers are attested constables and are paid on the same constable scale as everyone appointed since 1 April 2013. They simply start at the bottom of it.
Do student officers get a pay rise every year?
Constables move up one pay point on the anniversary of their appointment. Confirmed officers must meet the pay progression standard to do so, but the determination says probationers are not required to meet it, so being a student does not hold back your increment.
Do you get paid during police training school?
Yes. The College of Policing says that on all routes you are a police constable earning a salary from the day you join, including the initial off-the-job learning phase.
Which forces start new constables on pay point 2?
Since 1 April 2025 any chief officer may assign all new constables to pay point 2 if they decide it is necessary to meet local recruitment needs, after consulting the local policing body. We do not keep a list of which forces have done so; check the salary in your force's advert.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 18 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.
- Home Office Circular 011/2026: Annex F (pay), Police Regulations 2003 (published 31 July 2026) : official constable scales from 1 September 2025, Notes (b) and (c) on pay point 1 and 2, Part 1BA progression and the pay progression standard, paragraph 13 on probationers, Part 10 London weighting £3,150 (accessed 18 October 2026)
- Home Office Circular 011/2026: Annex U (allowances) : London allowance maximum £6,588, South East England allowance up to £3,000 or £2,000 by force (accessed 18 October 2026)
- NPCC: Government confirms police pay award (15 July 2026) : 3.5% for officers of all ranks from September 2026; our 2026/27 figures add this to the official 2025/26 points and round to the nearest pound (accessed 18 October 2026)
- The Police Pensions Regulations 2015, regulation 170 (legislation.gov.uk) : member contribution rates and relevant pay bands from 1 April 2026, as substituted by SI 2026/267 (accessed 18 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Joining as a new police constable (via the production mirror) : salary from the day you join on all routes (accessed 18 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Police constable entry routes (via the production mirror) : DHEP fully funded by the force; route lengths (accessed 18 October 2026)
- Home Office Circular 009/2024: Annex C, probation : two-year probation, three on the PCDA (accessed 18 October 2026)
On this topic elsewhere
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Disclaimer
PolicePay.co.uk is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with the College of Policing, the Home Office, any university or any police force. Training programmes, timings, assessment and probation procedures are set nationally but delivered locally, so your force's own policy and your offer letter decide how they apply to you. This is general information, not legal advice: if your probation is extended or you are served a regulation 13 notice, speak to your Police Federation representative. Details are as checked on 18 October 2026.