Band 4 Supervising Officer Pay 2026/27: £41,328

In shortBand 4 is a single spot rate of £41,328 including the 20% allowance on 37 hours in the National zone, or £43,562 on 39 hours with two ACHP.

• 37h base pay£34,440National spot rate
• 37h inc 20% UWH£41,328HMPPS career pages' starting salary
• 39h inc 2 x ACHP & UWH£43,562National zone

Band 4 is the first supervisory grade above a prison officer. In the PSPRB's pay tables it is titled Supervising / Specialist Officer, and it is paid as a spot rate, meaning one figure with no pay points.

From 1 April 2026 the National figure is £34,440 a year base pay on 37 hours. Including the 20% unsocial working hours (UWH) allowance that is £41,328.

Band 4 has no 38-, 40- or 41-hour columns in the PSPRB's table; only the 37-hour and 39-hour ACHP patterns are published. If you are on a different pattern, ask HR for your contractual figure rather than assuming one.

In shortBand 4 got the 3.5% award and no progression step, so the National 37-hour figure rose by £1,398 to £41,328.

• 2025/26 (37h inc UWH)£39,930National
• 2026/27 (37h inc UWH)£41,328National
• Rise£1,3983.5%; no progression for a spot rate

The 2026 award was 3.5% on Band 4 and nothing else. Because Band 4 is a spot rate there is no progression step to add, unlike Bands 3 and 5, where one pay point of progression was recommended for officers in post on 31 March 2026.

On the 39-hour ACHP pattern it rose from £42,088 to £43,562.

That has an effect on how Band 4 looks next to Band 3.

In 2025 the National gap between Band 3 pay point 3 including UWH (£35,533) and Band 4 (£39,930) was £4,397. In 2026 it is £4,550 (£36,778 to £41,328), because the Band 4 rate rose by the same percentage from a higher base.

The one extra pay point of progression helps a Band 3 officer who has not yet reached the top, but not one who has.

In shortLondon differentials apply to Band 4, but no market supplement is published for the grade, so promotion out of a supplement prison can shrink the gain from £4,550 to £1,050.

• Outer London (inc UWH)£45,446Base £37,872
• Inner London (inc UWH)£47,590Base £39,658
• Inner London vs National£6,262 a yearMore than a National Band 4, 37 hours
• Band 3 at Bullingdon to Band 4£1,050Gain before tax, not £4,550

London differentials apply to Band 4 in the same way as to Band 3: a fixed cash amount added to the National figure. The 20% allowance on top gives £45,446 and £47,590.

Market supplements are different. The HMPPS pay page describes them as paid to Band 3 officers on Fair and Sustainable terms. We have not found any published market supplement for Band 4 or Band 5, so do not assume one applies.

• If you work in a prison that pays the Band 3 supplement and you are promoted, expect it to stop unless your offer says otherwise, and ask HR before accepting.
• A Band 3 officer at pay point 3 at Bullingdon earns £36,778 plus £3,500, which is £40,278. A National Band 4 on 37 hours earns £41,328, so the promotion adds £1,050 before tax, not £4,550.
• For someone on 39 hours at that prison the Band 4 move can mean little gain in cash, and that is before considering the extra responsibility.
• The list of supplement prisons is in the Band 3 guide and the market supplements guide.

In shortA National Band 4 on 37 hours takes home about £31,474 a year, or £2,623 a month, after tax, National Insurance and pension.

• Take-home, 37h£31,474About £2,623 a month
• Take-home, 39h ACHP£32,985About £2,749 a month
• Inner London, 37h£35,709£2,976 a month

Using 2026/27 rUK tax and National Insurance rates, a £12,570 personal allowance and the Alpha member contribution bands (4.6% up to £36,199, 5.45% from £36,200 to £56,000), a National Band 4 officer on 37 hours with gross pay of £41,328 pays £2,252 in pension, £5,301 in income tax and £2,301 in National Insurance.

The figures treat the whole of the 37-hour pay and the whole of the ACHP pay as pensionable, and assume a 1257L tax code with no student loan. An Inner London Band 4 on 37 hours has gross pay of £47,590.

In shortA Band 4 supervising officer leads a team on a residential unit, with weekend and night duties, and the grade is also where Specialist Officer roles sit.

According to the HMPPS job descriptions and career pages, Band 4 supervising officers supervise and support prison officers and Operational Support Grades and coordinate all aspects of prison life within a residential unit, delivering the regime and activities. Supervising officers work weekend and night duties, as the HMPPS careers page notes.

This is a front-line supervisory job: you are still in the prison, on the unit, but now responsible for a team.

• Suicide prevention
• Advanced control and restraint
• First aid
• Hostage negotiation
• Mandatory drug testing
• Teaching control and restraint

In shortComplete probation at Band 3 and any specialist training, then apply when a vacancy is advertised; the advert's eligibility criteria are what count.

HMPPS says that once you have successfully completed your probationary period at Band 3 and completed the relevant specialist training, you can apply to become a Band 4.

Vacancies are advertised on the HMPPS jobs site, and the selection process is set by the advert, which usually involves an application against the Civil Service behaviours and an interview. Do not assume a particular number of years is required.

1. Complete your probationary period as a Band 3 officer.
2. Complete any specialist training the advert requires.
3. Watch the HMPPS jobs site for Band 4 supervising officer vacancies at your prison or one you could move to.
4. Apply, evidencing leadership against the listed behaviours and strengths.
5. Prepare for the interview with real examples from the wing.
6. If offered, agree the start date and what happens to any market supplement or contract hours.

In shortBand 4 is not a mandatory rung: a custodial manager accreditation can take you straight from Band 3 to Band 5, which pays £3,572 more at pay point 1.

• Band 4 (37h)£41,328National
• Band 5 pay point 1£44,900£3,572 more than Band 4
• Band 5 pay point 3£47,057£5,729 more than Band 4
• Band 5 pay point 3, 39h£49,600National

HMPPS also says that you can complete a custodial manager accreditation and move straight to Band 5 from Band 3. That means Band 4 is not a mandatory rung for those aiming at Custodial Manager.

For some officers the Band 4 route, with its supervisory experience, is the way to build up to Band 5; for others the accreditation is the quicker way.

The pay gap between Band 4 and Band 5 is not far from the gap between Band 3 and Band 4, and Band 5 has three pay points to grow through. Read Band 5 custodial manager pay and the custodial manager role guide before you decide.

The planned prison officer pay progression guide shows the whole ladder in one place.

In shortBand 4 officers are in the Alpha pension scheme, in the 5.45% contribution band on 37 hours, with the same leave and sick pay terms as other HMPPS staff.

Band 4 officers are in the Civil Service Alpha pension scheme, like other prison staff in England and Wales.

A National Band 4 on 37 hours has pensionable pay of £41,328 including UWH, which puts them in the 5.45% contribution band for 2026/27 (£36,200 to £56,000). The member rates are published by the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

See the pension calculator and civil service pension for prison officers. The 2026/27 employer rate is not confirmed in our sources.

Annual 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.

In shortDo not assume Band 4 pays far more than a well-paid Band 3, and do not rely on Payment Plus: on a 39-hour pattern the gap is £4,796 gross and £23 is not much above normal hourly pay.

• Band 3 (39h, pay point 3)£38,766National
• Band 4 (39h)£43,562A gap of £4,796 gross
• Band 4 hourly rate£21.42£41,328 ÷ 52.143 ÷ 37; Payment Plus is £23

At a market supplement prison the gap is smaller, and the PSPRB notes that after the 3.5% award some Band 4 and Band 5 staff on Payment Plus are paid less than their normal hourly rate for those hours.

The point of Payment Plus is to pay for particular duties, and the PSPRB has said it considers the rate reasonable because those duties are Band 3 duties; the PSPRB will review Payment Plus fully in the 2027 report once HMPPS completes its own review.

See prison officer overtime before you rely on it in your budget.

• Forgetting the cost of the move: new line-management responsibilities, a possible change of prison, and new qualification requirements.
• Neglecting your pension and the long term: the serving bundle and the pension command centre are paid tools for planning the whole package.
• The prison officer pay vs inflation tool shows what the grade's real pay has done since 2014.