The prison officer pay awards table, 2014 to 2026
In shortThe table lists every headline award from 2014 to 2026 against ONS CPI; the 'real gap' column is our own rough arithmetic.
Read it alongside the PSPRB explainer, which sets out how recommendations are made, and pay versus inflation, which expands the real-terms analysis.
- Report year
- Equals the year the award took effect on 1 April: the 2026 row is pay year 2026/27. The table follows the PSPRB's own summary (Appendix J of the 2026 report for 2014 to 2024, Appendix I for 2025, and the 2026 recommendations).
- CPI columns
- From the Office for National Statistics (series D7G7, released 16 September 2026): the CPI annual rate in March of the award year (what was visible when the award took effect) and in March of the following year (what prices actually did over the pay year).
- Real gap
- Our arithmetic: the headline percentage minus the CPI rate over the pay year, in percentage points. A rough guide, not an official measure.
- What it ignores
- One-off payments, flat-cash awards, pay point progression, the timing of payment and the fact that Band 3 officers received structural increases in some years. We treat the 2021 freeze as 0%.
- The 2026 row
- The CPI over the pay year has not happened yet, so the row uses the 12 months to August 2026 (3.1%, the latest ONS figure) and is labelled as provisional.
| Pay year | Headline award | CPI, 12 months to March of award year | CPI over the pay year (12 months to next March) | Real gap (our arithmetic) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014/15 | 1.0% consolidated | 1.6% | 0.0% | +1.0 points |
| 2015/16 | 1.8% to Fair and Sustainable maxima | 0.0% | 0.5% | +1.3 points |
| 2016/17 | 1.0% to F&S maxima, plus a non-consolidated £300 to £350 | 0.5% | 2.3% | -1.3 points |
| 2017/18 | £400 flat cash, consolidated (uniformed grades) | 2.3% | 2.5% | n/a (flat cash) |
| 2018/19 | 2.0% consolidated plus 0.75% non-consolidated | 2.5% | 1.9% | +0.1 points |
| 2019/20 | 2.2% consolidated (Band 3 3.0%) | 1.9% | 1.5% | +0.7 points |
| 2020/21 | 2.5% consolidated, plus Band 3 base +£2,564 from 1 Sep 2020 | 1.5% | 0.7% | +1.8 points |
| 2021/22 | Pay freeze above £24,000 FTE; £250 below | 0.7% | 7.0% | -7.0 points |
| 2022/23 | 4.0% consolidated (Bands 3 to 5, 7 to 11) | 7.0% | 10.1% | -6.1 points |
| 2023/24 | 7.0% consolidated (Bands 3 to 5); 5.0% Bands 7 to 12 | 10.1% | 3.2% | +3.8 points |
| 2024/25 | 5.0% consolidated (Bands 2 to 5, 7 to 12) | 3.2% | 2.6% | +2.4 points |
| 2025/26 | 4.0% consolidated (Bands 2 to 5, 7 to 12) | 2.6% | 3.3% | +0.7 points |
| 2026/27 | 3.5% consolidated (Bands 3 to 12; Band 2 on top of NLW) | 3.3% | 3.1% (12 months to Aug 2026, provisional) | +0.4 points (provisional) |
Sources: PSPRB 25th Report (Appendices I and J; recommendations for 2026); ONS series D7G7. Headline percentages are for main officer grades; where the table says flat cash or a freeze, see the notes below. Real gap = headline minus CPI over the pay year, in percentage points; our arithmetic, not an ONS or PSPRB figure.
What changed each year, in detail
In shortThe headline hides detail: the table records what sat behind each award and where Government departed from the recommendation.
Here is what the PSPRB records alongside each percentage. These notes are condensed from the PSPRB's summaries; they are the most reliable single record of what was recommended.
The 2023 and 2024 headline awards are also confirmed by a Government statement and a POA press release respectively.
| Pay year | Detail recorded by the PSPRB |
|---|---|
| 2014/15 | All officers and support staff; Band 7 to 11 restructure gave 2% to staff who opted in. |
| 2015/16 | No recommended award for closed grades; Government then paid separate non-consolidated bonuses (£300, £325, £350 by grade). |
| 2016/17 | Non-consolidated sums were £300 (officers and support), £325 (senior officers), £350 (principal officers). |
| 2017/18 | Flat cash, so no single percentage; 1% to the Band 7 to 11 maxima. |
| 2018/19 | PSPRB recommended 2.75% (Band 3 5.25%, Band 4 3.5%); Government rejected that and paid the lower split. |
| 2019/20 | Band 3 recommended a higher 3.0%. |
| 2020/21 | PSPRB recommended a £2,564 rise to Band 3 base pay points from 1 Sep 2020, a £3,000 total with the 17% unsocial hours payment. We have not verified implementation. |
| 2021/22 | Government freeze; staff earning under £24,000 FTE received a consolidated £250. |
| 2022/23 | Band 2 +£1,500; Band 12 5% recommended but cut by Government to 3%; UWH/RHA raised from 17% to 20%; a recommended Band 3 £3,000 element (Appendix J gives the date as 1 September 2023; implementation not verified by us). |
| 2023/24 | Band 2 spot rate +£2,000; Band 7 made a spot rate; London differentials applied to Band 12. |
| 2024/25 | Band 2 on top of the NLW; Band 8 to 11 ranges shortened from 20% to 10%. |
| 2025/26 | Band 2 on top of the NLW; Band 2 UWH 20% to 25% for two years; ORRU on-call £6,670 to £8,000; PEI £1,500 payment. |
| 2026/27 | Plus one pay point (Bands 3 and 5) and 3 1/3% progression (Bands 8 to 11); Payment Plus to £23. |
Source: PSPRB 25th Report, Appendices I and J and 2026 recommendations. Appendix J gives 1 September 2023 as the date of the Band 3 £3,000 element in the 2022 entry; we repeat it as printed and have not cross-checked it against a Government statement.
2014 to 2017: restraint, flat cash and bonuses
In shortTight public sector pay: 1% awards, bonuses instead of consolidated rises, then a flat £400 in 2017.
A flat-cash award helps lower-paid staff proportionally more, and gives a Band 3 officer a rise that is a smaller percentage of a larger salary. We do not show a single percentage for it because the PSPRB did not express one and we have not verified the 2017 salary base.
During these years CPI was low: 0.0% to 0.5% in the 12 months to March 2015 and 2016, rising to 2.3% by March 2017 and 2.5% by March 2018, so the first awards roughly kept pace and then fell behind.
Industrial relations were also tense: October 2016 saw the first national walkout in modern times, which the High Court ordered to end the same day. The legal side is in prison officer strikes and industrial action.
Award by award
- 20141% consolidated
For all officers and support staff, with changes to the Band 7 to 11 structure that gave 2% to staff who opted in.
- 20151.8% to the maxima
Recommended to the maxima of the Fair and Sustainable bands, but no award for staff still on closed grades; the Government then paid non-consolidated retention bonuses of £300 (officers and support), £325 (senior officers) and £350 (principal officers).
- 2016Maxima up 1%
Non-consolidated sums at the same levels.
- 2017Flat £400 consolidated
For all uniformed grades, plus 1% to the Band 7 to 11 maxima.
2018 to 2020: Government cuts one recommendation, Band 3 gets extra
In shortThe 2018 recommendation was cut, 2019 and 2020 beat prices, and the Band 3 extras should not be assumed to have been paid as recommended.
The 2019 recommendation was 2.2%, with 3.0% for Band 3. In 2020 it was 2.5% from 1 April, plus a recommended extra £2,564 on Band 3 base pay points from 1 September 2020, a total consolidated and pensionable £3,000 once the then-17% unsocial hours payment is included.
The PSPRB's record lists these as recommendations.
We have not verified how much of the Band 3 element the Government implemented and when, and a later PSPRB report we found in search results referred to disappointment that a £3,000 Band 3 recommendation had not been accepted, so do not assume the Band 3 extras were paid as recommended.
CPI over these three pay years was 1.9%, 1.5% and 0.7% (12 months to March 2019, 2020 and 2021), so on our arithmetic the headline awards exceeded inflation.
Compounding 2.0%, 2.2% and 2.5% gives 6.9% against 4.2% for the CPI index between March 2018 and March 2021 (our calculation, excluding the 0.75% non-consolidated payment and any Band 3 extras). This is the period in which pay did best against prices.
2018: recommended versus paid
PSPRB recommended
- 2.75% for Fair and Sustainable and closed grades
- 5.25% for Band 3 and 3.5% for Band 4
Government paid
- 2.0% consolidated plus 0.75% non-consolidated
- A clear example of a recommendation not implemented as written; the commitment is to depart only in 'exceptional circumstances'
2021 to 2023: freeze, then high inflation
In shortA freeze in 2021 and a 4% award in 2022 met CPI of 7.0% and 10.1%; the 7% in 2023 only partly recovered the ground.
- 2021 freeze£24,000+FTE staff above this; consolidated £250 for those below
- CPI to March 20227.0%Over the pay year
- CPI to March 202310.1%Over the 2022 pay year
- 2023 award7%Consolidated, Bands 3 to 5; CPI over that pay year 3.2%
The 2022 award of 4% consolidated for Bands 3 to 5 and 7 to 11 came in when CPI in March 2022 was already 7.0%, and CPI over that pay year was 10.1%.
The same award raised the unsocial hours allowance from 17% to 20% for Bands 2 to 5, and the Band 2 spot rate by £1,500; the PSPRB's record also lists a recommended Band 3 £3,000 element and a reduction in pay points.
In 2023 the PSPRB recommended a consolidated 7% for Bands 3 to 5, 5% for Bands 7 to 12 and a £2,000 rise to the Band 2 spot rate.
A Government written statement of 13 July 2023 accepted its recommendations in full (as summarised from a search listing; we could not open the statement directly) and the award was paid in the autumn, backdated to 1 April 2023.
2024 to 2026: 5%, 4%, 3.5%
In shortThree accepted awards: 5% in 2024, 4% in 2025 and 3.5% in 2026, the last with a pay point move for Bands 3 and 5.
The POA welcomed the Government's decision in July 2024 but said 5% only went a small way to easing recruitment and retention problems and that it would prefer collective bargaining.
Our 2026/27 pay rise guide has the band by band numbers, and the pay bands guide the full tables.
Award by award
- 2024Consolidated 5%
To Bands 2 to 5 and 7 to 12 (Band 2 on top of the National Living Wage increase), with no pay award for closed-grade staff who could benefit from opting in to Fair and Sustainable and a 5% non-consolidated payment for those who could not. The Band 8 to 11 ranges were shortened from 20% to 10% and several allowances rose.
- 20254%, accepted 22 May 2025
Band 2 again on top of the NLW; implemented in summer 2025, backdated to 1 April 2025. It lifted Band 2 unsocial hours from 20% to 25% for two years, increased the ORRU on-call allowance from £6,670 to £8,000 and introduced a £1,500 PEI payment.
- 20263.5% from 1 April 2026
Band 3 and 5 staff moved one pay point (so a Band 3 officer at point 1 gained more than 3.5%). Government acceptance of all twelve recommendations is confirmed by the July 2026 remit letter.
How to read this history without being misled
In shortFour cautions: labels differ, headlines are not your pay change, consolidated and non-consolidated money differ, and awards arrive late.
To see how the system produces these numbers, the PSPRB explainer covers the cycle, and the Payment Plus and unsocial hours guides cover the allowances that sit on top of base pay.
- 1. Report year v pay year
- The '2026 Report' sets pay for 2026/27, so 'the 2025 award' in news coverage may mean either the report or the pay year. We use the effective date, 1 April.
- 2. Headline is not your change
- Pay points, Band 3 structural increases, closed-grade opt-in decisions and London differentials all alter individual outcomes.
- 3. Consolidated v non-consolidated
- A consolidated, pensionable increase raises your base pay for the future and your pension; a non-consolidated payment (such as the 0.75% in 2018 or the bonuses of 2015 and 2016) is paid once and does not build into base pay.
- 4. Awards are paid late
- The 2023 award was paid in the autumn and the 2026 award was reported as paid in June, so the cash arrives after the pay year starts, with back pay to bridge the gap; see back pay explained.
Scotland and Northern Ireland: separate histories
In shortThis history is for England and Wales; Scotland negotiates separately and Northern Ireland follows its own timeline.
This history is for England and Wales. Both nations have separate arrangements, summarised below. See prison officer pay in Scotland and prison officer pay in Northern Ireland.
Scotland
- The Scottish Prison Service negotiates pay separately and is not covered by the PSPRB.
- A research service summary from the Scottish Parliament reports a two-year deal of 4.25% in 2025/26 and 3.75% in 2026/27, each with an inflation guarantee of one percentage point above average CPI.
- We have not read the SPS or Police Negotiating Board primary documents, so treat that as secondary.
- The SPS website shows a Residential Officer starting salary of £37,682 from 1 April 2026, rising to £44,248 within three years.
Northern Ireland
- Covered by the PSPRB, but the Northern Ireland Justice Minister decides when to respond.
- 2025/26: an agreement endorsed by the PSPRB (3% for Custody Prison Officers, Main Grade Officers, Senior Officers and governors, 4% for Night Custody and Prisoner Custody Officers and 6% for the Operational Support Grade, from 1 April 2025 (PSPRB letter to the NI Justice Minister, 10 July 2025)).
- 2026/27: the round was activated on 5 March 2026 with the PSPRB's response published on 27 May 2026; we could not find the outcome.
Frequently asked questions
How much was the prison officer pay rise each year?
From 2014: 1.0%, 1.8% (maxima), 1.0% (maxima), £400 flat cash, 2.0% plus 0.75% non-consolidated, 2.2%, 2.5%, a freeze (£250 under £24,000), 4%, 7% (Bands 3 to 5), 5%, 4% and 3.5% in 2026. The PSPRB recommended Band 3 structural increases in some years, so a Band 3 officer's change could differ from the headline.
Has the Government ever rejected a PSPRB recommendation?
Yes, at least in part. In 2018 the PSPRB recommended 2.75% overall and 5.25% for Band 3; the Government paid 2.0% consolidated plus 0.75% non-consolidated. In 2022 a recommended 5% for Band 12 was cut to 3%. Recent awards from 2023 to 2026 were accepted in full.
Did prison officers get a pay freeze?
Yes. In 2021 there was a Government pay freeze for staff earning more than £24,000 full-time equivalent, with a consolidated £250 for those earning less. The following 2022 award was 4% consolidated, in a year when ONS CPI was 7.0% in March 2022 and 10.1% a year later.
What was the biggest prison officer pay rise?
The 7% consolidated award for Bands 3 to 5 in 2023 is the largest headline percentage in the 2014 to 2026 series recorded by the PSPRB. The PSPRB also recommended a £2,564 Band 3 base increase in 2020 (a £3,000 total with unsocial hours), but we have not verified how it was implemented.
Has prison officer pay kept up with inflation?
It depends on the window. On our arithmetic the 2018 to 2020 headlines beat CPI, the 2021 freeze and 2022 award fell well behind, and the 2023 to 2026 awards recovered part of that.
From March 2021 to March 2026 headline awards compounded to about 25.8% against CPI of 28.9%. Band 3 extras are not included.
What is the difference between consolidated and non-consolidated pay?
Consolidated money is added to your base pay and normally counts for pension; non-consolidated money is a one-off or temporary payment that does not raise base pay. The 0.75% of 2018 and the £300 to £350 bonuses of 2015 and 2016 were non-consolidated. The 2026 3.5% is consolidated and pensionable.
Where does this data come from?
The awards come from the PSPRB's own summaries of its recommendations (Appendices I and J of its 2026 report), the 2026 recommendations and the Government's response as confirmed in the July 2026 remit letter.
The inflation figures come from the ONS CPI series D7G7 and D7BT, released 16 September 2026. The real-gap figures are our arithmetic.
Sources
- assets.publishing.service.gov.ukPSPRB Twenty-Fifth Report on England and Wales 2026 (CP 1550), published 26 March 2026
- gov.ukGOV.UK: PSPRB Twenty-Fifth Report on England and Wales 2026 (publication page)
- assets.publishing.service.gov.ukMinistry of Justice remit letter to the PSPRB for the 2027/28 pay round, 15 July 2026
- poauk.org.ukPOA press release PR 252 (July 2024): POA welcomes Government decision on PSPRB recommendations
- ons.gov.ukONS: CPI annual rate, 00: all items (series D7G7, dataset MM23, release 16 September 2026)
- ons.gov.ukONS: CPI index, 00: all items, 2015=100 (series D7BT, dataset MM23, release 16 September 2026)
- poauk.org.ukPOA CIRC 038 National Chair update, April 2026 (payment of the award in June salaries)