We build free, independent calculators that show serving police officers what a pay award really means after pension, tax and National Insurance.
The headline percentage in a pay announcement is never what reaches your account. Pension comes out first, then income tax and National Insurance, and a 3.5% gross rise typically lands as roughly 2% more take-home. Our tools exist to close that gap between the headline and the payslip, for every rank and pay point in England and Wales.
When a pay award is announced, officers are left working out the real effect by hand, often with figures that do not account for the pension tier they sit in or the frozen higher-rate threshold. We wanted a single place that applies the award to the current scales and shows the net result honestly, with no sign-up and nothing to buy.
Gross pay applies the confirmed 2026/27 award of 3.5% to the official September 2025 pay scales. Take-home is then calculated using the PPS 2015 pension contribution tiers, HMRC income tax bands, National Insurance rates and student loan thresholds for the year. The full method, including every rate we use, is set out on our How It Works page.
At the time of writing, the official statutory determination setting the exact 2026/27 pay points has not yet been published, so our figures apply the 3.5% award to the 2025 scales and are accurate to within a pound or two pending that determination. We update the site as official figures are released.
We use primary, official sources only: gov.uk and the Home Office for the pay award, the Police Remuneration Review Body for its recommendations, HMRC for tax, National Insurance and student loan rates, and the published PPS 2015 scheme rules for pension contributions. Where a force sets its own pay, such as for PCSOs, we say so and present a typical range rather than a single figure.
This site is independent. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or operated by the National Police Chiefs' Council, the Police Federation, the Police Remuneration Review Body, the Home Office or any police force. It is free to use, and the calculators run entirely in your browser, so nothing you enter leaves your device.
Our calculators give estimates for guidance only. They are not financial, tax or pension advice. For decisions about your pay, pension or finances, speak to a qualified adviser or your force's payroll and pensions team. Spotted a figure that looks wrong? Tell us and we will check it.