Police Staff Back Pay
How Arrears Really Work
The short answer
When a police staff settlement is agreed after its start date, forces normally pay the difference as arrears in a later payslip. The last two national awards both started on 1 September and were paid weeks or months later. Nothing is agreed for 2026/27 yet, so there is no payment date, but the sums are simple and you can work out your own number now.
Status last checked 29 September 2026
Free calculator · Police staff
Work out your own pay rise and back pay
Enter your salary and see the gross annual and monthly uplift, plus estimated arrears, under 3.5%, 4.2%, 9% and the £2,700 minimum scenarios. These are scenarios, not offers.
Five things to know first
1 · Backdating
Awards have started on 1 September and been paid later. You are owed the difference for the gap.
2 · Not guaranteed
Precedent is not a promise. The effective date for 2026 is set by whatever deal is struck.
3 · It is taxed
Tax, National Insurance and LGPS all come off. Expect roughly two thirds to reach your bank.
4 · Pension counts
Arrears of pensionable pay carry LGPS contributions and add to your CARE pension.
5 · Leavers and life events
If you leave, retire, move force or take leave, you may still be owed arrears, but you often have to ask. See the table further down.
General information only, not financial, tax or legal advice. Every figure marked illustrative is round-number arithmetic, not a prediction of any settlement.
What backdating means, and why arrears happen
Police staff pay is negotiated. That means the pay year can start before the deal is finished. Three separate dates matter, and mixing them up is the cause of most confusion.
The day the new pay rate is treated as starting. For the last two national awards this was 1 September.
The day the employers and unions agree the figure, after any member ballots. This is usually weeks after the effective date.
The pay run in which your force actually puts the new rate through. Forces do this locally, so it varies.
Arrears are the money for the gap between Date 1 and the start of the new rate in your payslip. It is not a bonus or a one-off payment. It is your own pay for the weeks you worked, paid late at the new rate.
Where 2026/27 stands · as at 29 September 2026
No offer, no ballot, no settlement found
The joint trade unions submitted a claim in April 2026 for 9% or £2,700 on all pay points, whichever is greater, alongside a £15 minimum hourly rate, a 9% rise in standby and overnight allowances, extra annual leave and removal of the Point 24 overtime bar. Talks took place on 19 August 2026 and were adjourned to 10 September, which the LGA's Police Staff Council page reports as postponed. We have found no employers' offer, ballot or agreement since.
The employers' side circular on the 2026 process refers to a settlement date of 1 September 2026. That tells you the target, not the outcome: a 1 September start date is likely, not confirmed. If your union branch or force has given you something newer, treat it as more current than this page.
Sources: UNISON claim, April 2026 · LGA Police Staff Council · our live tracker
The real precedent: how long was the gap last time?
Two recent rounds give us something better than guesses. Both start on 1 September, both were accepted by member ballot in the autumn, and both were paid as arrears. This table uses only what we could source. Where a fact is missing, we say so.
| Step | 2024/25 (4.75%) | 2025/26 (4.2%) |
|---|---|---|
| Effective date | 1 September 2024 | 1 September 2025 |
| Talks and ballot | Members balloted in September. Ballot closed 2 October 2024 with 48% turnout, 95% in favour. | Talks opened 29 August 2025. Members voted in October; nearly half of eligible UNISON members took part and an overwhelming majority accepted. |
| Settlement announced | 4 October 2024, about 5 weeks after the effective date | 31 October 2025, about 8.5 weeks after the effective date |
| Formal circular | Not verified | 3 November 2025 (PSC Joint Circular 142), which said it hoped forces could pay the increase as soon as possible |
| When forces paid | Union said it hoped forces would implement as soon as possible. We could not find a published national statement of actual payment months. | UNISON told members some forces might pay in November and others in December, with branches to confirm. One branch reported its force paying in November. |
| Rough size of the gap | Unknown for payment; about 5 weeks to settlement | About 2 to 3 months of arrears for a monthly-paid member, on our arithmetic |
Sources: UNISON 2024 · UNISON 2025 · PSC circular 142 · Staffordshire UNISON bulletin · Merseyside UNISON branch. The 2024/25 effective date is as stated on the LGA Police Staff Council page.
What that would mean for 2026, as a ladder
This is not a forecast. It is arithmetic: if a 1 September 2026 start date is used and you are paid monthly, each extra month of delay adds one more month of arrears. The gross figures below use the £30,000 / 4.2% example, so they are ILLUSTRATIVE.
| New rate first appears in the payslip for | Months of arrears | Covers | Gross arrears (illustrative) |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | 2 | September and October | £210 |
| December 2026 | 3 | September to November | £315 |
| January 2027 | 4 | September to December | £420 |
| February 2027 | 5 | September to January | £525 |
| March 2027 | 6 | September to February | £630 |
Assumes pay for each month is paid at month end. Forces with different pay dates, four-weekly pay or cut-off dates will differ. Illustrative only: no settlement figure or payment month has been announced.
How to work out your own back pay
The formula
Gross arrears = (new annual pay − old annual pay) ÷ pay periods per year × number of periods paid at the old rate
Everything else is a deduction. Tax, National Insurance, LGPS contributions and any student loan come off after this figure.
- 1
Find your current annual salary on your latest payslip or contract. Use your pay-point figure, not your take-home.
- 2
Work out the annual increase. When a real figure exists, use your pay-point figure on the new national spine. Until then, multiply your salary by a scenario percentage.
- 3
Divide by your pay periods. Twelve for monthly pay, thirteen for four-weekly, fifty-two for weekly.
- 4
Multiply by the number of pay periods at the old rate. That is the gap between the effective date and the pay run where the new rate starts.
- 5
Adjust for reality. Part-time hours, unpaid leave, a mid-period regrade or a later start date all change the number of periods or the pay used.
Worked example (ILLUSTRATIVE): £30,000 salary, 4.2%
We use 4.2% because it is last year's real percentage, and £30,000 because it is a round number, not a real pay point. Real pay-point figures are rounded by the Police Staff Council for payroll, so your real arrears will differ by a few pounds.
- Annual increase: £30,000 × 4.2% = £1,260
- Monthly increase: £1,260 ÷ 12 = £105
- If the new rate starts three months late: £105 × 3 = £315 gross
- Cross-check by days: £1,260 × 91 days (1 September to 30 November) ÷ 365 = about £314.14
| Months late | Gross arrears | Tax 20% | NI 8% | LGPS 6.5% | Approx. net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | £105 | £21 | £8.40 | £6.83 | £68.77 |
| 2 | £210 | £42 | £16.80 | £13.65 | £137.55 |
| 3 | £315 | £63 | £25.20 | £20.48 | £206.32 |
| 4 | £420 | £84 | £33.60 | £27.30 | £275.10 |
| 5 | £525 | £105 | £42 | £34.13 | £343.87 |
| 6 | £630 | £126 | £50.40 | £40.95 | £412.65 |
ILLUSTRATIVE. Assumes a basic-rate taxpayer in England, Wales or Northern Ireland (20% income tax above the £12,570 allowance, 2026/27), the 8% main employee National Insurance rate, and the 6.5% LGPS main-section rate that applies to pensionable pay between £29,001 and £47,300 in 2026/27. Scottish tax bands differ. It ignores student loans, salary sacrifice and any tax relief detail on pension contributions, so your payslip will be close to, not exactly, this.
Different pay frequency, same £30,000 and 4.2%
| Pay pattern | Uplift per pay run (gross, illustrative) |
|---|---|
| Monthly pay (12 pay runs a year) | £105 |
| Four-weekly pay (13 pay runs a year) | £96.92 |
| Weekly pay (52 pay runs a year) | £24.23 |
What different scenarios are worth (ILLUSTRATIVE)
None of these is an offer. They show how the union claim, last year's percentage and the officer award compare on round-number salaries. The last column shows why the £2,700 minimum matters most at lower pay points: at £25,000 it is worth more than 9%.
| Salary | 3.5% | 4.2% | 9% (union claim, percentage only) | £2,700 flat (union claim, minimum) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £25,000 | £875 a year £72.92 a month £218.75 if 3 months late | £1,050 a year £87.50 a month £262.50 if 3 months late | £2,250 a year £187.50 a month £562.50 if 3 months late | £2,700 a year £225 a month £675 if 3 months late |
| £30,000 | £1,050 a year £87.50 a month £262.50 if 3 months late | £1,260 a year £105 a month £315 if 3 months late | £2,700 a year £225 a month £675 if 3 months late | £2,700 a year £225 a month £675 if 3 months late |
| £40,000 | £1,400 a year £116.67 a month £350 if 3 months late | £1,680 a year £140 a month £420 if 3 months late | £3,600 a year £300 a month £900 if 3 months late | £2,700 a year £225 a month £675 if 3 months late |
ILLUSTRATIVE and gross. The union claim is 9% or £2,700, whichever is greater. The 3.5% column matches the officer award percentage, not a staff offer. Read the unions explainer for how a claim becomes an agreement.
Why your back pay looks smaller than expected
Almost every complaint about arrears is the same: the gross number in the union email is not the number in the bank. Here is where the difference goes.
Income tax
For 2026/27 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, GOV.UK lists 20% up to £50,270 of income and 40% above it, after the £12,570 Personal Allowance. Arrears are normally added to that month's pay under your usual tax code, so they are taxed at whatever marginal rate you are in. Scotland has different bands.
National Insurance
Employee NI is 8% between the monthly thresholds of £1,048 and £4,189 and 2% above (category A, 2026/27, GOV.UK). NI is worked out on each pay period's earnings, so a large arrears month can push part of your pay across a threshold. The effect is usually small, but it means one payslip can look odd.
LGPS contributions
Pension contributions are deducted from arrears of pensionable pay, so a share of every arrears pound goes into your own pension pot. It is deferred pay, not lost pay. More on this below.
Student loan
GOV.UK says repayments are triggered when your income goes over the weekly or monthly threshold for your plan, for example because of a bonus or overtime. A big arrears month can therefore create a larger deduction that month. If your annual income stays under the yearly threshold, you can ask for a refund at year end.
The emergency tax myth
A common worry is that a lump sum triggers an emergency tax code and you will be overtaxed. GOV.UK describes emergency codes (ending W1, M1 or X) as a temporary measure when your employer does not have your full details, such as starting a new job without a P45. Receiving arrears is not on that list.
What actually happens with a normal cumulative code is that your tax to date is recalculated on your extra pay for the year, so over the year the tax adds up to the right amount. The pain is the timing: the arrears month is bigger, so the deductions that month are bigger. If your tax code has genuinely changed, ask payroll why. If you think you have been overtaxed, HMRC's usual route is to look at the whole year after it ends.
Tax year note: HMRC's guidance says the tax liability on arrears belongs to the year the money was originally due, but if arrears are paid in one lump in the current tax year then PAYE is due at the point of payment. A 1 September 2026 start and payment before 5 April 2027 would all sit in one tax year, so this only becomes a wrinkle if the deal drags past the end of the tax year. Sources: PAYE70023, PAYE93091, GOV.UK emergency tax codes.
What back pay does to your LGPS pension
Police staff are in the Local Government Pension Scheme, not the Police Pension Scheme. The LGA has published a set of FAQs for LGPS employers on backdated pay awards. This is what they say, in plain English, for England and Wales.
| Question | What the LGA guidance says |
|---|---|
| Are contributions taken off arrears? | Yes. Employee and employer contributions must be deducted from arrears of pensionable pay from a backdated award. |
| What if I have left or opted out? | Contributions are still due on arrears relating to your time in the scheme (with an exception for those who opted out within three months of joining and got a refund). The employer must send revised or new data to the pension fund. |
| How does it affect my CARE pension? | The arrears add to the pension credited in the scheme year they are paid, not the year they were earned. |
| Do employers re-check my contribution rate? | Bands are reviewed each April. After an award, employers may choose to review again, because a pay award counts as a material change, and may apply a new rate from the effective date or from the payroll date. They must tell you the new rate and when it applies. |
| What about final salary service? | For anyone with a final salary link, arrears must be attributed to the period in which they were earned when final pay is calculated. |
| What about absences on reduced pay? | A backdated award received during an absence is ignored when working out assumed pensionable pay for that absence. |
Source: LGA, FAQs for LGPS employers: backdated pay awards (v1.1, July 2024). It is aimed at employers, and the LGA says it is not a complete statement of the law. Scotland and Northern Ireland run separate LGPS regulations.
Worked example (ILLUSTRATIVE): what the arrears add
The LGPS adds 1/49th of your pensionable pay to your pension account each year in the main section. If the £315 arrears from our example are fully pensionable, they add about £6.43 of annual pension in the year they are paid. The higher salary itself adds about £25.71 of extra annual pension for each future year, before revaluation.
Small numbers, but they compound for life and are index-linked. Check your own fund for how it treats your benefits. This applies to main-section membership only.
Watch for band changes (ILLUSTRATIVE)
The 2026/27 main-section rate is 5.8% for pensionable pay of £18,401 to £29,000 and 6.5% for £29,001 to £47,300. Someone on £28,500 whose pay rises by 4.2% to about £29,697 would cross that £29,000 line and, if the employer re-bands them, move from 5.8% to 6.5%, or 0.7 percentage points more of pay.
If your force re-bands from the effective date, the higher rate may also apply to the arrears. Not every force does it, so check the notice you are sent.
Rates and bands from the LGPS member site, 2026/27. Accrual from how your pension is worked out. For the full comparison with the officer scheme, read LGPS vs the Police Pension Scheme.
Overtime, standby and allowances
The national circular is the checklist for what is actually part of the award. Here is what the 2025/26 one covered, and what it left to local payroll.
| Element | 2025/26 award (PSC circular 142) | What to check for 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Basic pay (pay points) | 4.2% on all pay points from 1 September 2025, including any points above 45 built under the Handbook | Your exact new pay point figure and the start date |
| Standby allowance | Up 4.2%, £36.13 to £37.65, from 1 September 2025 | Whether standby you already did since 1 September is uplifted retrospectively |
| Overnight away from home | Up £10, £50 to £60, from 1 September 2025 | Nights away already claimed since the effective date |
| Essential car user allowance | Three engine-size rates consolidated into one at £1,239 a year | Whether any allowance change has its own start date |
| Overtime and shift enhancements already paid | The circular does not say how these are handled | Ask payroll whether they are recalculated for the gap, or only uplifted going forward |
Source: PSC Joint Circular 142, 3 November 2025. Overtime and enhancement treatment is a payroll matter we could not verify nationally, which is why we say ask rather than assume.
If you are near the Point 24 overtime line
The unions want the overtime bar at pay point 24 removed. Right now, staff above the bar are not eligible for premium overtime rates. If a pay rise moves you from below the bar to above it, ask HR how your force applies the bar after the award, because it could change what you are paid for extra hours going forward. Do not assume a higher salary always means higher take-home if overtime is a big part of your pay.
Our police staff pay rise guide explains the bar in full, and the salary calculator in Police Staff mode shows whether you sit above it.
If your circumstances change: leaving, retiring, moving or taking leave
This is the big reader worry, and the honest answer is that there is no single national rule we could find for police staff. What follows is only what a source supports. Where none does, the answer is to ask your HR or payroll team and your union rep.
You left the force before the deal was agreed
What we foundLGA guidance for LGPS employers: employer need not contact you, but if you ask, the award should be applied and arrears paid, and pension contributions come off the arrears. A 2023 tribunal in a council case went further, but it is not binding on police forces.
What to doEmail HR or payroll asking for arrears for your last period of service, keep a copy, and tell your union branch. Tribunal claims usually have to be made within 3 months of the problem, so do not sit on it.
You retired and are drawing LGPS pension
What we foundEmployers must tell the pension administrator when pensionable arrears are paid after someone has left, and contributions are still owed on them. How your pension in payment is then adjusted depends on your benefits.
What to doAsk your former force for the arrears, then ask your LGPS fund whether your pension needs recalculating. Do not assume it happens automatically.
You moved to another force after 1 September
What we foundWe found no published national rule for transfers between forces. The arithmetic is simple: the old force is the one that paid you at the old rate during your time there.
What to doAsk both forces' payroll teams who pays the arrears for which dates. Get the answer in writing before your final payslip is closed.
You were regraded, promoted or changed pay point mid-period
What we foundArrears are worked out period by period, so a change of pay point means different starting figures for different months.
What to doAsk payroll to send the calculation. Check each period used the right pay point for that time.
You are on or have been on maternity leave
What we foundHMRC's Statutory Payments Manual says statutory maternity pay must take account of pay rises awarded between the start of the relevant period and the end of statutory maternity leave. Ask for a recalculation within 6 years if still employed, or within 6 months of your last day if not. Police staff also have contractual maternity pay set by the Police Staff Council handbook and your force policy.
What to doAsk HR in writing whether your maternity pay has been recalculated for the award, and how the enhanced (contractual) element is treated. Your union rep can check your force policy.
You are on sick leave, unpaid leave or half pay
What we foundYou get arrears only on pay you actually received in the period. On reduced pay, the uplift applies to what you were paid, not to your full-time rate. For LGPS assumed pensionable pay during certain absences, LGA guidance says a backdated award received during the absence is ignored when that assumed figure is worked out.
What to doAsk payroll to show the calculation for each period. Check your pension record if you were on reduced or no pay.
You work part-time or a compressed pattern
What we foundPay points are full-time figures, so your pay and your uplift are pro-rated to your contracted hours. This is arithmetic, not a special back pay rule.
What to doCheck the arrears use your contracted hours for each period, especially if your hours changed after 1 September.
You joined after the effective date
What we foundYou can only be owed arrears for the time you were employed. If you started on 1 October, arrears start from 1 October, not 1 September.
What to doCheck the start date used in the calculation matches your contract start date.
Sources: LGA LGPS FAQs · HMRC SPM172200 · Browne Jacobson on Rumford v City of York Council · GOV.UK employment tribunal time limits. The York case involved council staff under a different national agreement. It is a first-instance decision, useful as a signal, not a guarantee for police forces.
A short message you can send if you have left
Copy this, fill in the gaps and send it to HR or payroll. Keep the reply.
What is not backdated
- Anything the settlement does not mention. In 2025 the national circular listed pay points, standby allowance, overnight away from home allowance and a change to the essential car user allowance. Other allowances only moved if your force separately decided to move them.
- Locally set supplements, retention payments or force-specific pay policies. These are set by your force, not the national council, so ask HR whether they are being uprated.
- Employers outside the England and Wales Police Staff Council route. The 2025 circular was copied to Scotland and the Met 'for information only', which is a sign it is not their settlement. Police Scotland, PSNI and Met staff should check their own employer's arrangements.
- The union claim itself. The 9% or £2,700 figure is an opening demand. Nothing is owed on it unless and until an agreement is reached.
- Pay you were never entitled to at the old rate. For example, if the award only applies from a set date and you had already left before that date, there is nothing to backdate for you.
How to check your payslip when the arrears land
Payroll runs on software and cut-off dates, and mistakes do happen. Run through this checklist on the payslip that carries the new rate. It takes ten minutes.
- Find the new monthly basic pay figure and compare it with your last payslip. Your pay-point figure should now match the new national pay spine or your force's published scale.
- Look for a separate arrears, back pay or adjustment line, and check the dates or number of periods it covers.
- Divide your annual increase by 12 and multiply by the number of months at the old rate. That is your rough gross figure. Expect to be a few pounds out because PSC pay-point figures are rounded for payroll.
- Check whether standby, on-call or overnight-away allowances you have claimed since the effective date were also uplifted, if the award covers them.
- Check overtime or shift enhancements paid since the effective date. Ask whether the difference has been recalculated or whether it is only being applied going forward.
- Check your tax code has not changed. If it has, ask payroll why before assuming the arrears caused it.
- Look at National Insurance, LGPS and any student loan lines for that month. All three are worked out on the larger pay for the month, so they can jump.
- Check your LGPS contribution rate. Some employers re-band contributions when a pay award lands, which can change the rate applied to arrears too.
- Keep the payslip and payroll email in a folder. If a correction is needed later, a clean paper trail makes it a five-minute conversation instead of a five-week one.
For a line-by-line guide to what each payslip entry means, see our payslip explainer.
If the number looks wrong
- 1. Ask payroll for the working. A polite email asking for the calculation, the dates covered and the pay point used gets most errors fixed.
- 2. Involve your union rep. UNISON, Unite and GMB branches see the same problem across many members and often already have the answer.
- 3. Use your force's grievance route if it is not resolved. Your HR policy will tell you the steps.
- 4. Do not miss time limits. GOV.UK says you usually have to make a tribunal claim within 3 months of the problem, and normally need an Acas early conciliation certificate first. Get advice before that clock runs out.
Police officers, read this section
Officer back pay is a different system
Officers are not covered by the Police Staff Council. Their pay is decided by the Home Secretary after the Police Remuneration Review Body process, and the 2026/27 award is already confirmed: 3.5% from 1 September 2026. So the officer question is which payroll month a force implements it, not whether there is a deal. Officers are in the Police Pension Scheme, not the LGPS, so none of the pension detail above applies to them.
Source: Police Professional, pay award confirmed at 3.5 per cent. Officers and staff can sit in the same building and get different awards on different dates. See police staff vs officers for why.
Your back pay checklist
- ✓Work out your gross number now using the staff pay rise calculator, so you know what to expect.
- ✓Join your union branch's mailing list. Branches confirm force-by-force payment months.
- ✓Do not spend the gross figure. Plan on roughly two thirds arriving, then adjust.
- ✓If you are leaving, retiring or moving force, ask in writing about arrears before your last payslip is closed.
- ✓If you have been on maternity leave, ask HR whether your maternity pay was recalculated for the award.
- ✓Check the payslip using the list above and keep copies of the payslip and payroll emails.
- ✓Raise problems within weeks, not months. Tribunal time limits are short.
Salary calculator · Police staff mode
See your take-home before and after a rise
Switch the calculator to Police Staff, enter your salary and see what tax, National Insurance and pension leave in your pocket, so the arrears figure has something to compare with.
Common questions
Do police staff get backdated pay?
Usually, yes, when a settlement is agreed after its effective date. The last two national police staff awards (4.75% in 2024/25 and 4.2% in 2025/26) both took effect from 1 September and were agreed afterwards, and UNISON told members the 2025 award would be backdated to 1 September, with forces paying the arrears in November or December. That is precedent, not a legal guarantee for 2026: what you are owed depends on the terms of whatever is finally agreed and on your contract.
When will police staff get their 2026 back pay?
Nothing has been agreed yet, so there is no date. As at 29 September 2026 we have found no published employers' offer, ballot or settlement for 2026/27. Once a deal is accepted, each force implements it through its own payroll, so two forces can pay the same settlement in different months. Last year, the union side said some forces would pay in November and others in December, and told members to ask their local branch. Your force intranet, payroll team or UNISON, Unite or GMB branch will know your own date.
How much back pay will I get?
Back pay is the difference between your old and new pay for every pay period between the effective date and the payroll run where the new rate starts. For monthly pay, that is your annual increase divided by 12, multiplied by the number of months at the old rate. For example, a £30,000 salary with a 4.2% rise adds £1,260 a year, or £105 a month, so three months of arrears would be £315 before tax. Use the free staff pay rise calculator for your own number.
Will my back pay be taxed at a higher rate or on an emergency tax code?
Not because it is back pay. GOV.UK describes emergency tax codes as a temporary arrangement for cases where your employer lacks your full details, such as a new job without a P45, not for a lump sum. Under your normal tax code the arrears are usually treated as extra pay in the month they arrive, so they are taxed at your normal marginal rate. The one payslip can still look heavier than expected because National Insurance, student loan and LGPS pension deductions are all worked out on that month's larger pay.
What if I leave, retire or change force before the deal is agreed?
Ask for the arrears in writing, and do it quickly. The Local Government Association's guidance for LGPS employers says an employer does not have to contact former staff about a backdated award, but that if a former employee asks, the award should be applied and arrears paid. That guidance covers pensions administration, not police staff contracts specifically, so speak to your union rep as well. An employment tribunal decision in a local authority case (Rumford v City of York Council, 2023) found leavers entitled to arrears for the time they worked, but that was a first-instance decision about a different bargaining body and is not binding on police forces.
Does back pay count towards my LGPS pension?
Yes, generally. LGA guidance for employers says employee and employer LGPS contributions must be deducted from arrears of pensionable pay from a backdated award, including where the person has since left. For a member of the main section building CARE pension, the arrears add to the pension credited in the scheme year they are paid. Non-pensionable elements are treated differently, so check your payslip lines and ask your pension fund if you are unsure.
Are the officer back pay rules the same as police staff rules?
No. Police officers are covered by a different award (3.5% from 1 September 2026, decided by the Home Secretary after the Police Remuneration Review Body process), a different pension scheme and different regulations. The officer award is already confirmed, so the question for officers is which payroll month their force implements it, not whether it exists. Officers should use the officer back pay calculator, not the staff calculator.
Is the 2026 police staff pay rise definitely backdated to 1 September?
No, not yet. The employers' side circular for 2026 refers to a settlement date of 1 September 2026, which suggests that is the intended target, and the last two awards used that date. But no deal has been struck, and the effective date is one of the things that will be written into any agreement. Until then, treat a 1 September start date as likely rather than confirmed.
Sources · checked 29 September 2026
- UNISON, police staff pay award announced (31 October 2025) 4.2% from 1 September 2025, backdated; some forces to pay in November, others in December.
- Sefton UNISON copy of the same announcement (31 October 2025) Quoting the November or December payment wording.
- Merseyside Police Staff branch UNISON (30 November 2025) Example of a force communicating implementation in November pay.
- Police Staff Council joint circular 142 (3 November 2025) The formal award: 4.2% on all pay points from 1 September 2025, standby, overnight allowance, car allowance and payroll rounding.
- UNISON, police staff members vote to accept 2024 pay offer (October 2024) 4.75% award; ballot closed 2 October 2024; forces hoped to implement as soon as possible.
- Staffordshire Police UNISON, PSC Trade Union Side pay bulletin 4/2025 2025 talks opened on 29 August 2025, just before the 1 September effective date.
- UNISON, police staff pay claim 2026 (April 2026) The 9% or £2,700 claim, allowances, £15 minimum and Point 24 demand.
- LGA, Police Staff Council page and EMP circular 1/2026 Talks on 19 August 2026; 10 September session reported as postponed; employers' process refers to a settlement date of 1 September 2026.
- LGA, FAQs for LGPS employers: backdated pay awards (v1.1, July 2024) Contributions on arrears, leavers, CARE credit, contribution band reviews, assumed pensionable pay.
- LGPS member site, contribution rates 2026/27 Main-section bands and rates from 1 April 2026.
- LGPS member site, how your pension is worked out 1/49th of pensionable pay added each year.
- HMRC PAYE Manual, PAYE70023 (arrears of pay) Tax on arrears belongs to the year it was originally due.
- HMRC PAYE Manual, PAYE93091 Arrears paid in the current tax year are taxed through PAYE when paid.
- GOV.UK, Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances (2026/27) Bands used in the illustrations. Scotland is different.
- GOV.UK, National Insurance rates and categories (2026/27) 8% and 2% employee rates and the monthly thresholds.
- GOV.UK, emergency tax codes When emergency codes apply and how they work.
- GOV.UK, repaying your student loan: what you pay Repayments are worked out per pay period, including when you are paid extra.
- HMRC Statutory Payments Manual, SPM172200 Backdated pay awards and Statutory Maternity Pay recalculation.
- GOV.UK, make a claim to an employment tribunal Usual 3-month time limit and Acas early conciliation.
- Browne Jacobson, back pay for leavers (Rumford v City of York Council, 2023) A first-instance decision about council staff. Persuasive, not binding.
- Police Professional, pay award confirmed at 3.5 per cent (officers, July 2026) Officer award of 3.5% from 1 September 2026.
This page is general information, not financial, tax, pension or legal advice. Tax figures are for England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2026/27. Rules and rates change, so check the linked sources and your own payslip. Spotted an error? Tell us via the corrections page.