Band 3 Prison Officer Pay 2026/27: £34,928 to £48,468

In shortA National Band 3 officer on 37 hours earns £34,928 to £36,778 including the 20% allowance, and the published range runs to £46,031 at the start of a career depending on hours and location.

• Pay point 1 (entry)£34,928National, 37h, inc 20% UWH
• Pay point 2£36,150National, 37h, inc 20% UWH
• Pay point 3 (maximum)£36,778National, 37h, inc 20% UWH
• Start of career range£34,928 to £46,031Depending on hours and prison location

Band 3 is the main prison officer grade in England and Wales. The Prison Service Pay Review Body (PSPRB) publishes three pay points for it and three pay zones.

For the National zone, which covers every prison outside London, a Band 3 officer on a 37-hour contract earns £29,107, £30,125 or £30,648 in base pay, depending on pay point.

Almost everyone on Band 3 also receives a 20% unsocial working hours (UWH) allowance for their contracted hours, which is why HMPPS recruitment pages quote the higher figure: £34,928 as the starting salary on 37 hours, rising to £36,150 at pay point 2 and £36,778 at pay point 3.

• The bottom of the HMPPS start-of-career range is the National pay-point-1 figure on 37 hours.
• The top is Inner London, pay point 1, on a 41-hour contract.
• All trainee officers start on 37 hours; once training is complete you can choose to increase your contract to 39 or 41 hours a week.

In shortThe PSPRB publishes seven contract patterns, and in practice most officers are on 37 hours or one of the two 39-hour patterns.

• On 37 hours45%Of Band 3 staff at 31 July 2025
• On 39h, 2 ACH29%Of Band 3 staff
• On 39h, 2 ACHP15%Of Band 3 staff
• On 41h, 4 ACH9%No more than 1% on one or three ACH

Every contract that includes Additional Committed Hours (ACH) also includes the 20% UWH on the contracted hours, which is why those figures sit so far above the base. The percentages above are from the PSPRB's analysis of HMPPS data, so the 39-hour contracts are the real norm for experienced officers, not an exception.

Read across a row of the table to see what an extra hour a week is worth, and down a column to see what progression is worth.

HMPPS's own recruitment page shows the 39-hour National starting salary as £36,816, which is the two-ACHP figure, so that is the pattern to compare when you see that number on an advert.

• 37 hours base
• 37 hours including the 20% UWH allowance
• 38 hours with one ACH
• 39 hours with two ACH
• 39 hours with two Pensionable ACH (ACHP)
• 40 hours with three ACH
• 41 hours with four ACH

In shortLondon pay is a fixed cash differential on the National scale, worth up to £5,218 at the maximum, and the highest published Band 3 salary is £48,468 in Inner London.

• Outer London differential£3,432Above National 37h maximum
• Inner London differential£5,218Above National 37h maximum
• Inner vs National, pay point 1£5,948 more£40,876 against £34,928, 37h inc UWH
• Highest Band 3 figure£48,468Inner London, 41h, pay point 3

London pay is a fixed cash differential added to the National scale, not a percentage. Both differentials were increased by 3.5% in the 2026 award, and the lower pay points are set so that the progression steps match the National scale.

London officers still pay London rents and commuting costs, so the commute cost calculator and the guide on prison officer pay in London are worth reading before you compare offers.

Outer London

Belmarsh, Downview, Feltham, High Down and Isis, plus the controllers' offices at Bronzefield and Thameside.

Inner London

Brixton, Pentonville, Wandsworth, Wormwood Scrubs and Westminster headquarters.

In shortUWH is a flat 20% of contracted hours, pensionable and already in the published figures; no other rate is confirmed until the 2027 report.

• UWH rate20%Of contracted hours; pensionable
• Cost to HMPPS, 2024-25£169 millionAbout 10% of the paybill
• Union proposal, 202633%Not adopted by the PSPRB

Unsocial working hours payment is paid in recognition that some staff are expected to regularly work unsocial hours as part of their rostered shift pattern. HMPPS describes it as calculated at 20% of contracted hours worked and pensionable.

It is a flat percentage of your contracted hours, not a premium per night shift or weekend, so a shift pattern with many nights does not pay more than one with few, as far as any published source shows.

The published Band 3 figures include it, which is why £30,648 base becomes £36,778 (30,648 × 1.20, rounded).

• The PSPRB made no change to the 20% rate this year.
• It is reviewed in the rolling programme: the 2027 report is due to cover unsocial hours payments for Bands 2 to 5 and 7 to 11.
• A union proposal in 2026 asked for a rise to 33% for officers; the PSPRB did not adopt it.
• Treat any rate other than 20% as unconfirmed until the 2027 report is published.

In shortMore hours mean more money but fewer rest days; moving from 37 to 39 hours adds £1,888 at National pay point 1 and to 41 hours adds £4,406, but the rules for switching are not published.

• 37 hours (pay point 1)£34,928National, inc UWH
• 39 hours, 2 ACHP£36,816Adds £1,888 a year
• 41 hours£39,334Adds £4,406 a year

All trainee officers start on 37 hours. After training you can choose to increase to 39 or 41 hours a week. The extra hours are called Additional Committed Hours, and the cost of moving is roughly £1,900 a year per two extra hours at the lower pay points.

The decision is personal. Your shift pattern, travel time and family commitments matter as much as the pay. The shift pattern earnings planner lets you test the trade-off, and the guide on 37, 39 and 41 hour contracts goes through the choice in more detail.

In shortMost officers in post on 31 March 2026 moved up a pay point and got 3.5%, but progression is recommended each year by the PSPRB, not guaranteed in your contract.

Band 3 has three pay points. Under recommendation 6 of the 2026 report, every Band 3 officer in post on 31 March 2026, except those on formal poor performance procedures, moved up one pay point from 1 April 2026. The stated HMPPS objective is that officers reach the maximum within three years.

Note the wording: the PSPRB recommends progression each year in its report; it is not written into your contract as a guaranteed annual step. Progression for officers who join after 31 March 2026 depends on the PSPRB's future recommendations, and the 2027 report is the next one.

• The 3.5% increase applied to every pay point.
• An officer at pay point 1 in 2025 moved to pay point 2: on 37 hours in the National zone that is £33,746 to £36,150, a rise of £2,404 or 7.1%.
• An officer at pay point 2 moved to pay point 3: £34,927 to £36,778, a rise of £1,851 or 5.3%.
• An officer already at the maximum received only the 3.5%: £35,533 to £36,778, a rise of £1,245.

In shortEighteen prisons pay a non-pensionable market supplement of £1,500 to £3,500 a year, and HMPPS pay-page salaries for those prisons already include it.

• Prisons receiving it18Minister's January 2026 letter, quoted by the PSPRB
• Rates£1,500 to £3,500£1,500, £2,000, £3,000 and £3,500 a year
• Pensionable?NoPaid in 12 monthly instalments

Some prisons pay a market supplement to Band 3 officers on Fair and Sustainable terms in recognition of acute recruitment and retention challenges. Prisons that currently qualify keep that status until at least March 2027, and a supplement can be withdrawn from a site if it is no longer needed.

From April 2025 the supplements are reviewed annually and gradually eroded at around £500 a year in line with the pay award so that take-home pay does not fall. After the first review, Aylesbury moved from the top rate to a lower one and the supplements at Grendon, Standford Hill and Huntercombe were reduced.

The HMPPS page on 3 October 2026 shows Aylesbury at £3,000 and those three prisons at £1,500. Treat the HMPPS page as the authority for current amounts, because they can change.

In shortBand 3 has no overtime in the usual sense: the only overtime-type payment is Payment Plus at £23 an hour from 1 April 2026, non-pensionable.

• Payment Plus£23 an hourFrom 1 April 2026, up from £22; flat for Bands 3 to 5
• Pensionable?NoNon-consolidated; taxable and subject to NI in full

The only overtime-type payment for Bands 3 to 5 is Payment Plus, a flat cash payment of £23 an hour from 1 April 2026, up from £22.

It is non-consolidated and non-pensionable, it applies to specific operational duties, and it is paid only for hours worked on a non-working day or outside the scheduled shift pattern for that day.

Bedwatch and constant watch are also paid at the Payment Plus rate. The PSPRB notes the rate was unchanged between 2016 and 2026. The full mechanics are in Payment Plus explained and prison officer overtime.

• Care and Maintenance of Dogs allowance: £2,945 a year for a single dog and £3,682 for several dogs.
• Qualified Physical Education Instructors in a recognised PEI role: a temporary £1,500 a year, non-consolidated and non-pensionable, maintained until the 2027 report.
• Operational Response and Resilience Unit on-call allowance: £8,000 a year.
• Operation Tornado: £40 an hour to officers.
• Dirty protest allowance: £15 a day for four hours or less and £30 a day for more.

In shortOn 37 hours at National pay point 1, take-home is about £27,382 a year (£2,282 a month), and each step up adds less net than gross.

The examples use 2026/27 rates for England, Wales and Northern Ireland taxpayers. Pension is deducted before tax under a net pay arrangement, and National Insurance is charged on gross pay.

• Personal allowance £12,570; 20% income tax on the next £37,700 and 40% above £50,270.
• Employee National Insurance of 8% between £12,570 and £50,270 and 2% above.
• Alpha pension contributions of 4.6% on pensionable earnings up to £36,199, 5.45% from £36,200 to £56,000 and 7.35% from £56,001 to £150,000.
• Standard 1257L tax code, no student loan and no other deductions; the pension band for your pensionable pay applies to all of it.
• Payment Plus and market supplements are treated as non-pensionable.

In shortNo qualifications are needed, but the job is physically active and requires a medical, a fitness assessment, vetting and training.

• Officers, Bands 3 to 5 (FTE)22,001To 30 June 2026; down 701 on the year
• Appointed2,116In the 12 months to 30 June 2026
• Left2,095In the same 12 months
• Resignation rate5.6%Bands 3 to 5

HMPPS describes the prison officer job as physically active, requiring a medical and a fitness assessment, and asks for resilience, an ability to think on your feet, great communication skills and teamwork.

The exact duties, wing or unit, security category and shift pattern depend on the establishment you are posted to, from a high-security dispersal prison to an open prison or a women's prison.

Read the advert and the prison's own page; the prison finder and the prisons directory list establishments by category and region.

These staffing numbers matter for pay because the PSPRB reads recruitment and retention as evidence when it recommends awards.

1. Apply through HMPPS recruitment and complete an assessment process.
2. Clear vetting and medical checks.
3. Attend initial training.

In shortPay point 3 is the Band 3 ceiling; the next step up comes from promotion, worth £4,550 to Band 4 and £8,122 to Band 5 at the top of the National 37-hour scale.

• Band 3 pay point 3£36,778National, 37h
• Band 4£41,328A difference of £4,550
• Band 5 pay point 1£44,900£8,122 more than Band 3 pay point 3

HMPPS career pages describe Band 4 (supervising and specialist officers), Band 5 custodial managers, and then senior management including heads of function and governors. Once you have passed your probationary period and completed the required specialist training you can apply for Band 4.

You can also complete a custodial manager accreditation and move straight to Band 5 from Band 3.

The guides to Band 4 supervising officer pay, Band 5 custodial manager pay and Band 6 and 7 prison manager pay set out each step, and prison officer promotion explains how to get there.

In shortOfficers are in the Alpha pension scheme and the HMPPS Employee Package gives 25 days' leave rising to 30 after 10 years, so check your own contract for the details.

Prison officers in England and Wales are in the Civil Service pension scheme, Alpha. The employer rate is 28.97% for 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2027, falling to 22.32% from 1 April 2027 (CSPS employer notices EPN743 and EPN749).

The scheme is discussed in Civil Service pension for prison officers and the pension calculator estimates a retirement income.

Member contribution rates, 2026/27

4.6% up to £36,199, 5.45% from £36,200 to £56,000, 7.35% from £56,001 to £150,000 and 8.05% above that.

Leave

25 days' annual leave rising to 30 after 10 years' service, plus eight public holidays and one privilege day (HMPPS Employee Package, 2023-24 edition).

Sick pay

Up to 10 months' sick pay in a rolling four years for staff new to HMPPS on modernised terms; the split between full and half pay is not published. See prison officer sick pay.

Family leave

Up to 52 weeks' maternity leave with up to 26 weeks of contractual pay, and two weeks' paternity leave. See the maternity pay guide.

• Season ticket loan
• Cycle-to-work scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Access to a gym

In shortScotland and Northern Ireland have their own scales, and no private-sector salary figure is given because we found no dated advert to quote.

See prison officer pay in Scotland and prison officer pay in Northern Ireland for detail.

Private prison custody officers are a different employer, not paid by HMPPS scales. The PSPRB's comparability work found Band 3 pay including UWH and two ACH above the range for the sampled private-sector prison roles, but we have not found a dated, fetched advert to quote, so no private-sector salary figure is given here.

In shortCompare like with like (same zone, same hours, same pay point), and do not assume progression is automatic or that pay reviews pay out on time.

The most common mistake is comparing the wrong figure. Compare like with like: same zone, same hours, same pay point.

In 2026 the award was accepted in full, but it reached payslips in June, backdated.

The 2027 round has started: the Ministry of Justice remit letter dated 15 July 2026 formally began the 2027/28 round, said pay must be funded from departmental budgets and asked the PSPRB to report as early as it can. No 2027 figures are published, and nothing here forecasts them.

See prison officer pay rise 2027/28 and the pay rise page for the living picture.

1. Find your zone: National, Outer London or Inner London, using your establishment.
2. Find your pay point (1, 2 or 3) on your payslip or contract, and your contract hours.
3. Check your base pay against the table above; your payslip should show the 20% UWH separately or within the total depending on the layout.
4. Check for a market supplement if your prison is on the list, and that it is shown as a separate non-pensionable line.
5. Check your pension deduction against the 2026/27 bands.
6. If your back pay from April 2026 looks wrong, use the back pay calculator and raise it with HR in writing.