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Public sector pay · UK · 2026/27

UK public sector pay, all in one place

How does UK public sector pay work?

Millions of UK workers are paid on national pay scales — the NHS, police, teachers and armed forces each have their own structure, their own pension, and their own quirks. What they share: fixed pay points, tiered public-sector pensions, and a big gap between the headline salary and what actually lands in your account. This hub gives you real take-home for each, computed from the same verified tax engine, so you can compare like for like.

Verified 12 August 2026

🏥 NHS Agenda for Change bands, unsocial hours, HCAS London weighting and the tiered NHS pension. Band 5 nurse from £31,049 See NHS pay → 👮 Police Constable to inspector pay points, the Police Pension 2015, London and regional allowances. Constable £31,164–£50,256 See Police pay → 🍎 Teachers Main and upper pay ranges, London bands, and the Teachers’ Pension Scheme. M1 £32,916 to U3 £51,047 See Teachers pay → 🎖️ Armed forces Soldier and officer pay including the X-Factor, plus the AFPS 15 pension. Private from £26,334 See Armed forces pay →

Why public sector pay is its own world

Unlike private-sector salaries, public-sector pay is set by independent review bodies — the NHS Pay Review Body, the Police Remuneration Review Body, the School Teachers' Review Body and the Armed Forces Pay Review Body — and published as national scales. That makes it unusually transparent: you can see exactly what every rank, band and pay point earns. It also means pay rises come in two forms: the annual award (a percentage uplift to the whole scale) and progression (moving up a point within your band).

The other defining feature is the pension. Public-sector schemes are defined-benefit — they promise a guaranteed income in retirement, not a pot that rises and falls with markets. In exchange, member contributions are higher than most private schemes, and several are tiered on your whole salary, which creates small "cliffs" where a pay rise can briefly cost you. But the employer contributions — around 35% for police, 23.7% for NHS, 28.7% for teachers — make these among the most valuable packages in the UK.

Compare take-home across the sectors

Each sector page has a live calculator: pick your band, rank or pay point and see your exact take-home after tax, National Insurance and your scheme's pension. Start with NHS pay, police pay, teacher pay or armed forces pay.

Information, not financial advice. Each sector's figures are verified against its official pay-review-body source and dated on the relevant page. Verified 12 August 2026.

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