Prison Officer Pay in London 2026/27: Inner and Outer Rates

In shortA Band 3 officer on 37 hours starts on £34,928 (National), £38,840 (Outer London) or £40,876 (Inner London), all including 20% UWH.

• National start£34,928Top of Band 3: £36,778
• Outer London start£38,840Top of Band 3: £40,896
• Inner London start£40,876Top of Band 3: £43,039

England and Wales has three pay zones for prison staff: National, Outer London and Inner London. They are set by the Prison Service Pay Review Body (PSPRB) in Appendix E of its 25th Report, which the Government accepted in full on 26 March 2026 with effect from 1 April 2026.

The zone depends on the establishment you are employed at, not on where you live. HMPPS's recruitment site quotes the same starting figures. For officers on 39 or 41 hours the figures are higher; the tables below give them.

"National" means every establishment outside the two London zones. All figures are for England and Wales: Scotland and Northern Ireland pay their prison staff on separate systems, covered in our pay by region guide.

In shortThe PSPRB's Appendix E list decides the zone; anything not on it, even near London, is paid on the National scale.

The PSPRB lists the establishments in each zone in the notes to Appendix E. Everywhere else, including prisons in Greater London's neighbouring counties that are not on that list, is paid on the National scale.

You can browse establishments, categories and locations in our prison directory and with the prison finder.

In shortLondon pay is a fixed cash amount added to the National scale, not a percentage, and the 20% allowance is then applied on top.

• Inner London maximum differential£5,218Was £5,041 the year before
• Outer London maximum differential£3,432Was £3,315 the year before
• Increase in the 2026 award3.5%Applied to both differentials

From 1 April 2026 the PSPRB set the maximum differentials above the 37 hour National base-pay maxima. Other points on the London scales keep the same proportion of the maximum as the National scale, so the cash gap is a little smaller at the bottom of the scale than at the top.

The unsocial hours allowance is 20% of base pay and the London base is higher, so the allowance is higher too. That is why the premium on Band 3 pay including UWH is £6,261 rather than £5,218 at the top of the scale: £5,218 plus 20% of £5,218.

The PSPRB also said minima and intermediate points were adjusted so that progression steps match the National bands.

The same logic applies to contract hours above 37.

Additional committed hours are priced from base pay, so a 41 hour Inner London officer earns more than a 41 hour National officer by a bigger cash margin than at 37 hours: the premium at the top of the scale rises from £6,261 to £7,051 (table below).

In shortThe London premium grows in cash terms with contract hours but stays at about 17% (Inner) and 11% (Outer) in percentage terms.

Most Band 3 officers choose a contract longer than 37 hours once training is complete. HMPPS says all trainees start on 37 hours and can then choose 39 or 41; the pay tables also show 38 and 40.

The numbers below are for the first and last pay points of the three-point scale, including the 20% unsocial hours allowance. At the top of the scale, Inner London pays £6,261 more than National at 37 hours and £7,051 more at 41 hours.

• A market supplement is a flat amount, while the London premium scales with your hours. That matters when you compare a National prison offering a supplement with a London prison on a lower contract.
• All three zones assume the same grade structure: pay point 1 on joining, progressing one point a year until the maximum.
• For 2026/27 the PSPRB recommended that Band 3 staff in post on 31 March 2026 and not on formal poor performance procedures move up one point from 1 April 2026.
• HMPPS's stated aim is to reach the maximum within three years.

In shortBand 4 is a spot rate and Band 5 has three pay points; manager grades follow the same London differential pattern.

Supervising and Specialist Officers (Band 4) are on a spot rate, and Custodial Managers (Band 5) on three pay points. At Band 4, the 37 hour base is £34,440 National, £37,872 Outer London and £39,658 Inner London. Including 20% UWH, that is £41,328, £45,446 and £47,590.

A 39 hour Band 4 contract with 2 pensionable additional hours is £43,562, £47,903 and £50,162. Custodial Managers at the top pay point on 37 hours including UWH earn £47,057 National, £51,175 Outer London and £53,318 Inner London. On 39 hours with 2 pensionable additional hours, the top point is £49,600, £53,941 and £56,200.

In shortAfter tax, pension and National Insurance, a Band 3 starter on 37 hours keeps about £2,409 (Outer) or £3,786 (Inner) a year more than on the National scale.

• National take-home£27,382Band 3, pay point 1, 37h
• Outer London take-home£29,791About £200 a month more
• Inner London take-home£31,168About £315 a month more

Gross premiums overstate what you keep, because the extra pay is taxed at your marginal rate and can move your Alpha pension contribution band. Using the 2026/27 rules, the Outer and Inner London premiums are £2,409 and £3,786 a year.

At the top of Band 3 on 39 hours with 2 pensionable additional hours, the take-home premium is about £2,936 (Outer) and £4,464 (Inner). For a Custodial Manager at the top point on 39 hours it is about £3,010 (Outer) and £3,606 (Inner).

The Inner London gain at Band 5 is smaller than the gross difference because the pension rate rises and part of the pay is taxed at 40%.

In shortThree London-zone prisons also pay a £2,000 market supplement; legacy Locality Pay Allowance is closed to new staff and Payment Plus is the same everywhere.

The HMPPS page's quoted salaries for supplement prisons include the supplement, so check whether a figure in an advert is the zone pay alone or zone pay plus supplement. See our market supplements guide.

Other allowances do not vary by zone: dog handler, Operation Tornado and on-call allowances are national rates.

Market supplement

Downview, Feltham and High Down appear on the HMPPS list of establishments paying a market supplement to Band 3 officers, each at £2,000 a year as shown on the HMPPS site on 3 October 2026. It is non-pensionable and paid in 12 monthly instalments.

Locality Pay Allowance (closed grades)

Officers on closed grades (the pre-Fair and Sustainable structures) may receive a legacy allowance if they were in post at 31 March 2012. It is pensionable but closed to new staff, so it is only relevant if you are on a legacy grade.

Payment Plus

£23 an hour everywhere. Our guide to Payment Plus explains the hourly rate, which is the same in London as in the rest of England and Wales, even though your normal hourly rate is higher.

• Locality Pay Allowance Rate 1, £4,250: Brixton, Pentonville, Wandsworth and Wormwood Scrubs.
• Rate 2, £4,000: Feltham, Huntercombe, The Mount and Westminster headquarters.
• Rate 3, £3,100: Belmarsh, Bronzefield controllers' office, Coldingley, Downview, High Down, Isis and Send.
• The PSPRB lists six rates in all, down to Rate 6 of £250.

In shortCompare the net premium with your own extra housing and travel costs; we have not verified average London costs for prison staff, so we give a method, not a verdict.

The honest way to answer is to compare the net premium with your extra costs. We have not verified average rents, mortgage costs or travel costs for prison staff in London, and prison officers do not all live where they work, so we do not state any.

Start with the net annual premium from the table above: about £2,400 (Outer) or £3,800 (Inner) at pay point 1 on 37 hours, rising to £3,000 to £4,800 with longer contracts. Divide by 12.

If your extra monthly cost of housing and travel compared with your alternative National prison is lower than that figure, you are ahead on pay alone; if it is higher, you are not.

Include the cost of getting to work at unsocial hours, as public transport at the start and end of night shifts may not be an option.

1. Pick the two jobs to compare and note the zone, grade and contract hours for each, using the latest advert.
2. Work out annual take-home for each with the salary calculator, including any supplement.
3. Subtract your realistic annual housing and commuting costs for each location, using your own quotes rather than averages.
4. Compare the remaining figure, then compare non-pay factors such as shift pattern and the establishment's record.
5. If you are already in post, ask HR how a transfer would affect your pay point, zone and any supplement before applying.