Band 5 Custodial Manager Pay 2026/27: £44,900 to £56,200

In shortFrom 1 April 2026 Band 5 pays £44,900, £45,966 and £47,057 on 37 hours (National, including 20% UWH), or £47,327 to £49,600 on 39 hours.

• Pay point 1£44,90037h inc 20% UWH; base £37,417
• Pay point 2£45,96637h inc 20% UWH; base £38,305
• Pay point 3£47,05737h inc 20% UWH; base £39,214
• 39h with ACHP£47,327 to £49,600National, 2 x ACHP and 20% UWH

Band 5 is the Custodial Manager grade. It has three pay points, like Band 3. Including the 20% unsocial working hours (UWH) allowance, which is how HMPPS quotes the grade, the figures are £44,900, £45,966 and £47,057.

HMPPS career pages give £44,900 as the Band 5 starting salary, so that is the number to expect on advert pages.

On a 39-hour contract with two Pensionable Additional Committed Hours (ACHP) and the 20% allowance, the National figures are £47,327, £48,451 and £49,600.

In shortLondon pay adds a fixed cash differential to the National maximum: £3,432 in Outer London and £5,218 in Inner London.

• Outer London+£3,432Above the National 37-hour maximum
• Inner London+£5,218Above the National 37-hour maximum
• Inner London, PP1, 37h£50,876Including UWH
• Inner London, PP3, 39h ACHP£56,200£6,600 above National £49,600

London pay for Band 5 follows the same rule as the other grades: a fixed cash differential added to the National maximum, with the lower pay points set so progression steps match National.

The list of Outer London prisons (Belmarsh, Downview, Feltham, High Down, Isis and the controllers' offices at Bronzefield and Thameside) and Inner London prisons (Brixton, Pentonville, Wandsworth, Wormwood Scrubs and Westminster headquarters) is in the Band 3 guide.

The cost of living in London narrows what that means in practice, so the prison officer pay in London guide and the commute cost calculator belong in any comparison.

In shortBand 5 got the 3.5% increase on every pay point plus one pay point of progression for most staff in post on 31 March 2026, about 6% in total below the top.

• Pay point 1 to 2+£2,585+6.0%
• Pay point 2 to 3+£2,646+6.0%
• Already at the top+£1,593+3.5% only

Band 5 got two things in the 2026 award: the 3.5% consolidated and pensionable increase on every pay point, and one pay point of progression for custodial managers in post on 31 March 2026, except those on formal poor performance procedures. The effect depends on where you were.

The way the progression works means that pay point 3 in 2026 equals the figure for anyone who has reached the top. HMPPS's objective is that staff reach the maximum within three years, but progression is recommended year by year by the PSPRB rather than written into your contract.

In shortA National custodial manager takes home about £33,890 at pay point 1 on 37 hours (£2,824 a month), rising to about £37,069 on 39 hours at pay point 3.

• PP1, 37h£33,890£2,824 a month
• PP3, 37h£35,349£2,946 a month
• PP3, 39h ACHP£37,069£3,089 a month

These examples use 2026/27 rates for an rUK taxpayer on a 1257L code: 20% tax on income above the £12,570 allowance up to £50,270 and 40% above; employee National Insurance at 8% between £12,570 and £50,270 and 2% above; and Alpha pension contributions of 5.45% on pensionable earnings between £36,200 and £56,000.

Pension comes off before tax, National Insurance is on gross pay, and there is no student loan or other deduction.

A National custodial manager on 37 hours at pay point 1 (gross £44,900) pays £2,447 in pension, £5,977 in tax and £2,586 in National Insurance, leaving £33,890 a year, about £2,824 a month. The tax threshold at £50,270 is close, so a Payment Plus earner can cross it.

In shortHMPPS describes Band 5 custodial managers as the most senior uniformed officers in a prison and the grade as first line management; Band 5 also covers some non-uniformed managers.

HMPPS job descriptions class the role as first line management: providing first line management for a team and delivery of the work routines, activities and regimes appropriate to the area of responsibility, which may span one or more departments.

In practice that means running a unit, a function or a shift's operations and managing the supervising officers, officers and Operational Support Grades who work in it.

Custodial Manager

The most senior uniformed grade in a prison, providing first line management.

Hub Manager, Facilities and Services Manager

Non-uniformed first line managers also at Band 5. The pay table is the same, but the pay point you start on, the hours and the supplement rules can differ, so read the advert in full.

In shortThere are two routes, stepwise through Band 4 or via a custodial manager accreditation straight from Band 3, and the qualification details are not verified.

HMPPS also says that career development includes rotation, temporary deployment and leadership and talent programmes to help officers achieve promotions and accreditations. Which route suits you depends on your experience, your prison and the vacancies on offer.

HMPPS job descriptions say that newly promoted Band 5 custodial managers in establishments are required to complete a qualification as part of their work objectives, where training packages are available, unless they have previously worked at an equivalent level.

We have not verified the name or length of the current qualification, so check the advert and the job description for what applies to the vacancy.

1. Decide whether you want the Band 4 route or the accreditation route to Band 5.
2. Check the current accreditation process and eligibility with your establishment's learning and development team.
3. Watch the HMPPS jobs site for Custodial Manager vacancies, which are advertised by establishment.
4. Collect written examples that show line management, safety leadership and decision-making.
5. Apply, prepare for the interview, and ask HR what pay point you would start on and whether any hours or supplement would change.
6. If successful, plan for the qualification and the move to management and the change of team relationships.

In shortBand 5 pay point 1 is £8,122 gross above Band 3 pay point 3 on 37 hours, about £5,494 a year (£458 a month) more after tax.

• Gross gap, 37h£8,122Band 3 PP3 £36,778 to Band 5 PP1 £44,900
• Gross gap, 39h£8,561Band 3 PP3 £38,766 to Band 5 PP1 £47,327
• After tax, 37h£5,494 a year£458 a month

Compare like with like. At the top of the National 37-hour scale, Band 3 pay point 3 is £36,778, Band 4 is £41,328 and Band 5 pay point 1 is £44,900. If you are at a Band 3 supplement prison, subtract the supplement, because it is described as being for Band 3.

After tax the picture is less dramatic. National Band 3 pay point 3 on 37 hours has take-home of about £28,396 and Band 5 pay point 1 about £33,890, so £5,494 more a year, or £458 a month, for taking on first line management.

The marginal rate on extra pay is about 20% tax plus 8% National Insurance plus a 5.45% pension contribution, a little over a third of each extra pound.

In shortAbove Band 5 the picture is less clear: no Band 6 figure is published, and Band 7 is about £17,921 more including the addition.

• Band 7 base (National)£54,148Spot rate
• Band 7 inc 20% RHA£64,978Required Hours Addition
• Gap from Band 5 PP3£17,921Against £47,057, though hours and responsibilities differ

HMPPS career pages describe senior management as Bands 6 to 8, including heads of function and governor roles. The PSPRB's pay tables show Band 7 (Head of Function) and Band 8 onwards, but no Band 6 values, and we could not find a published Band 6 pay figure.

Our guide to Band 6 and Band 7 prison manager pay explains exactly what is and is not known.

• From Band 7 the route to deputy governor and governor is described in prison governor salary and prison officer to governor.
• If you want to stay a uniformed manager, Band 5 is also a stable career point; many people move between prisons or functions at Band 5 rather than seeking promotion.
• The pay points are not the only consideration; location, shift pattern, commute and pension matter. The pension calculator shows what each year of service is worth in retirement income.

In shortCustodial managers are in Alpha at 5.45% on pay between £36,200 and £56,000; check each of four common mistakes before applying.

Pension

Civil Service Alpha scheme, with a 2026/27 member contribution rate of 5.45% on pensionable pay between £36,200 and £56,000 (4.6% below that, 7.35% above £56,000). The member rates are published by the Civil Service Pension Scheme; the 2026/27 employer rate is not confirmed in our sources. The UWH allowance is pensionable. See civil service pension for prison officers and alpha pension explained.

Leave and sick pay

The HMPPS Employee Package (2023-24 edition) gives 25 days' annual leave rising to 30 after 10 years' service, plus eight public holidays and one privilege day, and 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). Check your own terms with HR. The guides to prison officer sick pay and maternity pay explain what we could and could not verify.

Family leave

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