Prison Officer Pay Rise 2027/28: Process, Timeline, Facts

In shortA pay round is under way but there is no 2027/28 award, figure or timetable: the PSPRB recommends and the Government decides.

• Round started15 July 2026Remit letter from Lord Timpson to PSPRB Chair Tijs Broeke
• 2027/28 awardNot publishedAs at 3 October 2026
• FundingDepartmental budgetsNo additional funding, per the remit letter

The honest answer is that a pay round is under way and the outcome is unknown. The PSPRB makes recommendations every year; the Government decides whether to accept them. Operational prison staff in England and Wales cannot lawfully take industrial action, so the review body process is the main route to a pay change.

On 15 July 2026 the Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending (Lord Timpson), wrote to PSPRB Chair Tijs Broeke to formally commence the 2027/28 round. Our 2026/27 pay rise page shows the award that this round follows. The remit letter does three things we can verify from the document itself:

• It starts the round.
• It says pay must be funded within departmental budgets with no extra funding.
• It asks the PSPRB to report at the earliest point it can, adding that the Ministry will aim to meet PSPRB deadlines and bring the evidence process forward, and explore joint evidence with unions where feasible.
• It states no restrictions on the PSPRB's recommendations.

In shortThe PSPRB recommends and the Government decides; the same six steps run each year, from remit letter to payroll.

The PSPRB is an independent body that makes recommendations on pay and allowances for operational prison staff in England and Wales (and, separately, for Northern Ireland). Each year the process runs in broadly the same order.

1. Remit letter: the Minister formally starts the round (15 July 2026 for 2027/28).
2. Evidence: HMPPS, the Ministry of Justice and staff organisations submit written evidence; dates are set by the PSPRB.
3. PSPRB deliberation: visits, oral evidence and analysis of workforce data.
4. Report: the PSPRB submits its recommendations to Government.
5. Government response: acceptance or changes, usually by Written Ministerial Statement.
6. Implementation: payroll changes and any backdating to the effective date.

In shortThe remit letter is the only primary 2027/28 document: it sets a funding constraint and signals speed, but names no amount.

• Dated15 July 2026References MoJ submission SUB135936
• Signed byLord TimpsonMinister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending
• Addressed toPSPRB ChairTijs Broeke

The remit letter is the only primary document for 2027/28 so far, so it deserves a close read. It recalls that the Government accepted all PSPRB recommendations for 2026/27, 'an increase of at least 3.5% for all operational prison staff', and then moves to the new round.

Funding constraint

All pay must be funded from within departmental budgets and no additional funding is available. That is a constraint on the Government's side of the table: it does not tell the PSPRB what to recommend, because no restriction on the PSPRB is stated. In practice any award above what the budget can absorb would need to be funded by savings elsewhere, which is a point the POA and others typically make in evidence. We make no prediction about how that will play out.

Process signals

The letter asks the PSPRB to report at the earliest point it can, says the Ministry will aim to meet PSPRB deadlines and bring forward its evidence process, and says ministers will explore joint evidence with unions where feasible. Those are signals about process and speed, not about amount.

Why timing matters

In 2026 the HMPPS evidence was a month late, which the PSPRB noted compressed its timetable, so a promise to bring evidence forward is relevant to whether April 2027 pay is achievable.

In shortLast year's pattern is the best guide to rhythm, but we have no published source for 2027 dates, so this is not a forecast.

The best guide to a likely rhythm is last year's. The PSPRB itself said the 2026 timetable slipped because the HMPPS written evidence arrived a month late, and its 2026 report hopes that evidence in 2027 will arrive on time so that staff are paid the 2027 award in April 2027 pay.

In shortBeyond the headline percentage, the 2027 Report will review Payment Plus, unsocial hours, the dogs allowance and the PEI payment, and two payments are time-limited until it is published.

Beyond the headline percentage, the PSPRB has said what else the 2027 Report will examine.

• Payment Plus: a review including the hourly rate, once HMPPS completes its own review later in 2026.
• Unsocial working hours for Bands 2 to 5 and 7 to 11 (the 20% UWH and 20% RHA, and the temporary 25% for Band 2).
• Care and Maintenance of Dogs allowance.
• PEI payment.
• The temporary Band 2 UWH of 25% and the £1,500 PEI payment are both maintained only until the 2027 Report is published.
• Pay comparability work: an independent comparator review was published alongside the 2026 report.

In shortAny percentage can be priced against current pay; this is arithmetic on a scale, not a forecast.

• Band 3 point 1 at +1%£349 a year
• Band 3 point 1 at +3%£1,048 a year
• Band 3 point 1 at +5%£1,746 a year

Because nobody knows the 2027/28 figure, the useful thing we can do is show what any percentage is worth against current pay, so you can plan with ranges instead of rumours. The table applies different headline percentages to the 2026/27 national 37 hour figures including unsocial hours allowance.

It holds everything else constant and says nothing about what will be recommended. It also ignores any pay point move, which is a separate decision each year.

• Band 4: £413, £1,240 and £2,066 at 1%, 3% and 5%.
• Band 5 point 1: £449, £1,347 and £2,245 at 1%, 3% and 5%.
• Past headline awards for context, not a basis for a forecast: 7% for Bands 3 to 5 in 2023/24, 5% in 2024/25, 4% in 2025/26 and 3.5% in 2026/27.

In shortNo 2027/28 positions are published; the 2026 round shows the outcome landed between the opening positions, and an opening demand is not a forecast.

No 2027/28 positions have been published, but the 2026 evidence tells you how the parties tend to frame the debate, which helps you read next year's headlines.

HMPPS (employer)

Proposed 2.5% as the headline for most staff, and 3.0% for Band 2 including 0.1% to reflect the National Living Wage, and £25 an hour for Payment Plus.

POA

Asked for either 6.3% with a 33% unsocial hours allowance and £30 an hour for Payment Plus, or a restructured spot-rate pay table with Band 3 at £41,700 including unsocial hours, plus a supplementary risk allowance of £4,000 for Bands 3 to 5 and £2,000 for Band 2.

PCS

Asked for 10% for Band 2.

PSPRB

Recommended 3.5%, a £1 rise in Payment Plus to £23, a pay point of progression for Bands 3 and 5 and no change to the unsocial hours percentage. It rejected the risk allowance and said it would review Payment Plus and unsocial hours in 2027. It also invited the POA to discuss a two-year deal with HMPPS and other unions before the 2027/28 remit letter; we have not found the outcome of that invitation.

In shortThe PSPRB process in this guide applies to England and Wales; Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own arrangements.

The PSPRB process in this guide applies to England and Wales.

Scotland

The Scottish Prison Service sets pay through its own arrangements. The Scottish Parliament's research service reports a two-year deal of 4.25% for 2025/26 and 3.75% for 2026/27, each with an inflation guarantee, and the SPS lists a Residential Officer starting salary of £37,682 from 1 April 2026. We have not read the primary pay circular and so do not publish anything about 2027/28 in Scotland. See prison officer pay in Scotland.

Northern Ireland

The Justice Minister sends an activation letter, the PSPRB responds, and the Northern Ireland Government decides when to respond to and publish the report. For 2026/27 the activation letter was published on 5 March 2026 and the PSPRB's response on 27 May 2026; we have not found the outcome. For 2025/26 an agreement was 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). See prison officer pay in Northern Ireland.

Privately run prisons

The PSPRB does not set your pay, though it compares public and private roles in its analysis. See private prisons in the UK and prison custody officer vs prison officer pay.

In shortDocuments are signals; rumours, opening demands and general commentary are not.

• Officers, Bands 3 to 522,001Down 701 on the year (June 2026, published 20 August 2026)
• Appointed / leaving2,116 / 2,095In 12 months
• Resignation rate5.6%HMPPS workforce statistics

The POA publishes circulars that often describe what is in evidence, and HMPPS workforce statistics show recruitment and retention, which the PSPRB weighs.

In shortBefore a figure arrives, check you are paid the right 2026/27 rate and plan on current pay.

There is a lot you can usefully do before a figure arrives. Check that you are on the right pay point and being paid the correct 2026/27 rate, including the one-point move if you qualified and Payment Plus at £23 an hour.

Check your back pay if you have not already, using our back pay guide.

• Review your hours: the pay difference between 37, 39 and 41 hours is far larger than most percentage awards, so it is worth deciding deliberately, using the contract hours guide.
• If you are a Band 2 OSG, note that your 25% unsocial hours payment is temporary until the 2027 Report, and plan accordingly.
• If you work at a market-supplement prison, remember that HMPPS says current qualifying prisons keep the status until at least March 2027 and that the framework erodes supplements by about £500 a year where evidence supports it.
• If you are thinking of joining, the starting salary guide and salary and pay bands guide give the current figures.

1. Check your payslip against the 2026/27 tables for your band, hours, location and pay point.
2. Check you received back pay and the Payment Plus rate of £23 from 1 April 2026.
3. Note any temporary payment that depends on the 2027 Report (Band 2 UWH, PEI payment).
4. Plan your budget on current pay, not on a forecast.
5. Follow the PSPRB, HMPPS and POA announcements and our pay rise page for updates.