Prison Officer Pay Rise 2026/27: 3.5% Award, Back Pay, Status

In shortThe PSPRB recommended and the Government accepted a consolidated, pensionable 3.5% for Bands 3 to 12 from 1 April 2026.

• Headline award3.5%Consolidated and pensionable, Bands 3 to 12, from 1 April 2026
• PSPRB report published26 March 2026Twenty-Fifth Report, England and Wales
• National Living Wage+4.1% to £12.71An hour, from 1 April 2026; Band 2 also rose 3.5%
• Total costAbout £59.9mExcluding progression and the NLW effect; around 1% of HMPPS's £7.5 billion 2024/25 operating expenditure

The Prison Service Pay Review Body's Twenty-Fifth Report on England and Wales was published on 26 March 2026. Its headline recommendation was a 3.5% increase, consolidated and pensionable, to the Fair and Sustainable base pay points and spot rates for Bands 3 to 12 from 1 April 2026.

The Band 2 spot rate also rose by 3.5%, in addition to the NLW rise.

Government acceptance is confirmed in a Ministry of Justice remit letter dated 15 July 2026, which says the Government accepted all recommendations from the PSPRB for the 2026/27 round, 'an increase of at least 3.5% for all operational prison staff'. The POA's March 2026 circular says the same.

The practical effect depends on band, hours, location and pay point. The table shows the scale effect in pounds at the national location, including the 20% unsocial hours allowance, for the standard 37 hour week.

In shortEvery line is dated and sourced: the award is confirmed, the payment month is only reported, and nothing about the 2027/28 award is published.

A pay rise page is only useful if it separates what is known from what is claimed. Every line below is dated and linked to a source we opened on 3 October 2026.

Confirmed

A primary or reputable source states it.

Not yet published

We looked and no source exists yet.

Unverified

We found a claim but could not confirm it from a primary source, or could not open the source.

In shortAll twelve recommendations were accepted, covering base pay, closed grades, progression, London, Payment Plus and allowances.

The PSPRB's twelve recommendations, all accepted, cover more than the headline. The table below lists each one; the groups are explained here.

Recommendations 1 and 2: base pay

Recommendation 1 is the 3.5% on Band 3 to 12 pay points and spot rates, consolidated and pensionable. Recommendation 2 is the Band 2 spot rate, 3.5% on top of the NLW.

Recommendations 3 to 5: closed grades

Staff who would not benefit from opting in to Fair and Sustainable get a non-consolidated, non-pensionable 3.5% of base pay. Relevant rates are made NLW compliant, and those who opt in move to the maximum of their Fair and Sustainable range.

Recommendations 6 and 7: progression

One pay point for Bands 3 and 5, and 3 1/3% for Bands 8 to 11, for staff in post on 31 March 2026 who are not on formal poor performance procedures.

Recommendations 8 and 9: London and Payment Plus

London fixed cash differentials rise 3.5%, to £5,218 (inner) and £3,432 (outer) above the 37 hour national maxima. Payment Plus rises by £1 to £23.

Recommendations 10 to 12: allowances

The Band 2 25% unsocial hours payment is maintained until the 2027 Report is published, as is the £1,500 payment for qualified PEIs. The Care and Maintenance of Dogs allowance rises 3.5% to £2,945 a year.

In shortOn the scale change alone, a national Band 3 officer on 37 hours gained roughly £98 to £104 a month gross; a pay point move is the bigger effect where it applies.

• Band 3 point 1£98.50 a month£1,182 a year
• Band 3 point 2£101.92 a month£1,223 a year
• Band 3 point 3£103.75 a month£1,245 a year
• Band 4£116.50 a month£1,398 a year
• Band 5 point 1£126.58 a month£1,519 a year
• Band 2£91.83 a month£1,102 a year, including the NLW element and the 25% allowance

Annual figures are one thing; what you see on your payslip is monthly. The tiles show the scale change only, national, 37 hours, gross.

In shortHMPPS told the POA it intended to pay the award in June salaries, backdated to 1 April 2026; check your own payslip, because we found no HMPPS page confirming payment.

• Effective from1 April 2026The award date
• Payment (reported)June 2026 salariesHMPPS via POA CIRC 038; not independently confirmed
• Back pay if first paid in June2 monthsApril and May at the monthly gross increase

The award is effective from 1 April 2026. HMPPS told the POA that, because of payroll provider capacity, it intended to implement the 2026/27 PSPRB award in June salaries, with backdating to 1 April; this is recorded in the POA's April 2026 circular.

An earlier circular had said salary processing was expected to be complete by the end of June. We have not found an HMPPS page confirming the payment, so check your own payslip.

Back pay is the difference between what you were paid and what you should have been paid from 1 April until the new rate took effect in your pay.

1. Find the month your payslip first shows the new basic pay for your band and pay point.
2. Count the months from April 2026 to the month before that; that is your back pay period.
3. Multiply your monthly gross increase from the table above by the number of months.
4. Check the back pay line on your payslip. Allow for tax, National Insurance and pension deductions.
5. If the amount differs, ask payroll in writing and copy in your POA branch representative.

In shortAwards since 2014 are not a clean series: structures changed and the Government has not always accepted PSPRB recommendations in full.

• Largest in the series7%Bands 3 to 5, 2023/24
• 2018/19 recommended2.75%5.25% for Band 3
• 2018/19 applied2.0% + 0.75%Consolidated plus non-consolidated

The PSPRB's report lists every award since 2014 in Appendices I and J. Pay was effectively frozen or subject to small rises for several years, then increases picked up from 2022/23.

Because the structure changed repeatedly (the move to Fair and Sustainable, the closure of old grades, the Band 2 restructure), comparing a single percentage across years can mislead. The table gives the headline of each year as the PSPRB recorded it.

For a fuller discussion see our pay award history guide, and to test real-terms movement use the pay vs inflation tool.

• The Government has not always accepted PSPRB recommendations in full: in 2018/19 the PSPRB recommended 2.75% (5.25% for Band 3) but the Government applied 2.0% consolidated plus 0.75% non-consolidated, and in 2022/23 the Band 12 recommendation of 5% was reduced to 3%. In 2026/27 all twelve were accepted.
• Awards are not always pure percentages: flat cash sums, pay point moves and restructures sit inside several years, so the percentage in a headline may understate or overstate your personal change.

In shortThe verified items since March 2026, newest first; where an item is a union statement we say so.

These are the verified items from the past few months, newest first, each opened on 3 October 2026. They are neutral summaries; where an item is a union statement we say so.

• Skilled Worker visa: a Minister's letter to the PSPRB (appendix C of its report) says prison officers are exempt from certain visa restrictions, for new or switching applications until 31 December 2026 and extensions until 31 December 2027.
• Market supplement framework: first review effective 1 April 2026, with Aylesbury downgraded and supplements eroded by about £500 at Grendon, Standford Hill and Huntercombe, offset by the pay award.
• Sentencing Act 2026: Royal Assent on 22 January 2026; some provisions in force in March 2026; the remaining early-release changes are awaiting commencement according to the Howard League. We do not state a commencement date.

In shortA 2027/28 round has formally started, but no timetable, evidence deadline or figure is published and we make no forecast.

On 15 July 2026 the Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending, Lord Timpson, wrote to PSPRB Chair Tijs Broeke to formally start the 2027/28 pay round. The letter:

• Says pay must be funded from departmental budgets with no additional funding.
• Asks the PSPRB to report at the earliest point it can.
• Says the Ministry of Justice will aim to meet PSPRB deadlines and bring the evidence process forward.
• States no restrictions on the scope of recommendations.

In shortAs at 3 October 2026 these gaps are open, so we do not state them as fact; a primary source would close them.

Honesty about gaps is part of the service. As at 3 October 2026 we could not verify the following, and so do not state them as fact. If you can point us to a primary source for any of them, get in touch.

Payroll detail

The largest gap. We could not find an HMPPS publication confirming the month the award was actually paid or the exact method of calculating back pay for people on additional committed hours. We could not verify how additional committed hours are priced per hour, or whether non-pensionable additional hours affect pension, so our illustrative take-home figures elsewhere assume all pay is pensionable. We could not open the Written Ministerial Statement text.

Terms and conditions

The HMPPS Employee Package (2023-24 edition) gives sick pay, family leave and leave entitlements (25 days rising to 30 after 10 years, plus eight public holidays and a privilege day). We could not verify the full-pay and half-pay split of sick pay, the actual pay rates behind contractual pay, or whether the 2023-24 terms are unchanged in 2026.

Reviews and outcomes

We could not verify the outcome of the HMPPS Payment Plus review or the joint NHS England review of escorts and bedwatch, or the Northern Ireland 2026/27 outcome. For next year we could not find any evidence deadlines.

Other

We could not verify private-sector prison pay from primary adverts, or whether a given Band 6 figure exists.

• Full text of Written Ministerial Statement HCWS1463.
• Month the 2026/27 award was actually paid, per HMPPS.
• Pensionable status of non-pensionable additional committed hours.
• The full-pay and half-pay split of HMPPS sick pay, and whether the 2023-24 package terms still apply unchanged in 2026.
• 2026/27 employer pension contribution rate.
• Northern Ireland 2026/27 award outcome.
• 2027/28 PSPRB timetable and evidence deadlines.

In shortChecking the award is a short, structured job: start with your band, pay point, hours and location on your payslip.

Because the award has several moving parts, checking it is a short, structured job.