The short answer and the date problem

In shortA qualified probation officer earns more at every point we can verify, but the probation figures are a year older, so treat the gap as a floor for probation pay.

On the numbers we can verify, a qualified probation officer earns more than a Band 3 prison officer at every point on the scale: £37,238 to £44,520 against £34,928 to £36,778 (37h) in the National zone.

A probation officer's starting figure is roughly £2,310 above a new prison officer's, and the top of the probation scale is about £7,742 above the top of Band 3 at 37 hours.

The date problem

Prison pay in this guide

  • The 2026/27 scale, effective 1 April 2026.
  • A pay round that is settled: all twelve PSPRB recommendations were accepted.

Probation pay in this guide

  • The bands in force from 1 April 2025, reproduced in the probation unions' 2026 pay claim and matching the HMPPS recruitment page.
  • A 2026/27 pay claim for 12% was submitted by Napo, UNISON and GMB/SCOOP, with a pay offer promised before 1 September 2026; we found no confirmed outcome by 3 October 2026.
  • Any 2026/27 probation award would move the gap in the probation officer's favour.
Probation and prison pay side by side (England and Wales, National zone)
RolePay and basisSource year
Trainee probation officer (PQiP)£28,064 during training1 April 2025 band 3, point 1
Probation services officer (PSO), band 3£28,064 to £33,549 (five points)1 April 2025
Probation officer, band 4£37,238 to £44,520 (five points)1 April 2025
Senior probation officer, band 5£46,746 to £48,760 (four points)1 April 2025
Prison officer, Band 3 (37h incl. 20% UWH)£34,928 to £36,778 (three points)1 April 2026
Custodial manager, Band 5 (37h incl. 20% UWH)£44,900 to £47,057 (three points)1 April 2026

Probation: pay bands at 1 April 2025 as reproduced in the Probation Service Pay Claim 2026 (Appendix A) and matching HMPPS recruitment pages; London weighting £4,505 applies on top where relevant. Prison: PSPRB 25th Report, Appendix E. Hours for probation roles were not stated in the sources we read.

Choosing between two careers

The right question for most people is whether they are choosing between two careers. Probation work is community supervision and risk management rather than custody, and each role has its own entry requirements and training route: check the current requirements on the HMPPS recruitment site, because we have not verified them here.

If you are already a prison officer interested in probation, the pay numbers are a starting point; use the job offer comparator and the Pay Planner to model your own case.

How probation pay works: bands, points and the Competency Based Framework

In shortProbation bands have more points than the three-point Band 3 prison scale, and a probation 'band 3' is not a prison 'Band 3'.

  • Band 2£24,645 to £26,723Three points
  • Band 3£28,064 to £33,549Services officer
  • Band 4£37,238 to £44,520Probation officer
  • Band 5£46,746 to £48,760Senior probation officer

Probation Service staff are paid on pay bands numbered 2 to 6, then A to D for senior grades, with several points in each band. That structure is reproduced in the probation unions' 2026 pay claim. These are the 1 April 2025 values.

The Competency Based Framework (CBF)

Movement up the points is through progression rules the employer calls the Competency Based Framework (CBF).

The HMPPS letter that accompanied the March 2026 final offer promised a full review of CBF and its interaction with the annual pay award by September 2026, after unions argued that progression payments eat into the money available for headline awards.

In practical terms the structure is longer than the Band 3 prison scale, which has only three points.

Do not compare by band number

Prison officers' Fair and Sustainable bands are numbered 2 to 12 with pay points defined by the PSPRB. A probation 'band 3' (a services officer, £28,064 to £33,549) is a different grade from a prison 'Band 3' (the prison officer). It would be a serious mistake to compare them by band number.

For the prison framework see prison officer pay bands.

Trainee probation officers (PQiP): the entry route

In shortA PQiP earns £28,064 while training, about £6,864 a year less than a trainee prison officer, then qualifies into a band that starts above the prison officer's top.

HMPPS recruitment pages list a PQiP starting salary of £28,064 during training, increasing to £37,238 on qualification, with London weighting of £4,505 on top where applicable, and annual pay progression thereafter.

The PQiP programme is described as funded training while you earn, with a training period commonly given as 15 to 27 months in HMPPS materials.

Compare that with a trainee prison officer: £34,928 from the start of Band 3 on 37 hours including UWH (£29,107 base pay). The prison officer therefore earns about £6,864 more than a PQiP in the training period, but the probation officer qualifies into a band that starts above the prison officer's top.

Over the first three years, which route pays more depends on how long the PQiP training takes, and we do not state average timings because we could not verify them.

Why dates matter on recruitment pages

Earlier versions of the same page showed £26,475 and £35,130, which are the same bands before the 6% award for 2025/26 (£26,475 x 1.06 is £28,064): that illustrates why it pays to check the date of any pay figure on a recruitment page.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements, assessment and vetting differ between the two roles. We have not verified the PQiP academic requirements from a current primary page, so check the HMPPS site; for prison officers see become a prison officer and prison officer requirements.

The 2025/26 and 2026/27 probation awards

In short2025/26 ended in a 6% award backdated to April 2025; the 2026/27 round is unresolved in the sources we found.

Probation Service pay is negotiated between HMPPS and three trade unions (Napo, UNISON and GMB/SCOOP), within an envelope approved by the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury.

The probation pay rounds

  1. 2025/26: first offer4% rejected

    The employer's first offer of 4% (an overall remuneration-cost increase of 6.3%) was rejected on a split ballot result.

  2. March 2026Best and final offer: 6%

    A 6% headline award to all pay points and bands, backdated to 1 April 2025, with allowances increased 6%: London weighting from £4,250 to £4,505, the Prison Supplement from £737 to £781 and standby from £46.07 to £48.83. Napo reported that its members accepted, as did UNISON and GMB/SCOOP members.

  3. 2026/27Unresolved in the sources we found

    The three unions submitted a joint claim for a one-year deal with a 12% increase on all pay points and cash allowances, a £15 an hour minimum wage and collective bargaining on regional reward funds. Napo said members would have an offer to consider before 1 September 2026. As of 3 October 2026 we could not find a confirmed settlement. Claims are opening positions, not outcomes.

The prison round is settled

By contrast the prison pay round for 2026/27 is settled: all twelve PSPRB recommendations were accepted in March 2026 and the 3.5% reached salaries in June, backdated.

For the timeline see prison officer pay rise 2026/27 and the living prison officer pay rise page.

Free · printable PDF

Free 2026/27 pay card (PDF)

  • Every Band 2 to 5 rate: each pay point, 37, 39 and 41 hours, national, outer and inner London, with and without the unsocial hours allowance
  • Bands 7 to 12 ranges, Payment Plus at £23 an hour, Band 2 overtime rates and the alpha pension contribution bands
  • A short guide to reading your payslip, on two A4 pages you can save as a PDF
The pay card opens on screen straight away; we do not email the PDF. We'll email you when the 2027/28 pay award is announced, and you can unsubscribe at any time. See our privacy policy.

London weighting, prison supplements and allowances

In shortLondon figures are close at the start (£40,876 against £41,743) but the probation officer pulls ahead at the top of the scale, on bands a year older.

Probation London weighting is a flat £4,505 a year on top of the pay band (from the 6% 2025/26 offer). Prison London pay is built into separate Inner and Outer London scales, with the 2026/27 maxima set at £5,218 (Inner) and £3,432 (Outer) above the National maxima.

At face value the London figures are close: £40,876 for a new Inner London prison officer and £41,743 for a newly qualified probation officer in London on the 2025/26 probation bands. By the top of each scale the probation officer pulls ahead: £49,025 against £43,039 for Inner London Band 3 on 37 hours.

London comparison: what a new and a top-of-scale officer earn
RoleStartTop of scale
Inner London prison officer, Band 3 (37h incl. UWH)£40,876£43,039
Outer London prison officer, Band 3 (37h incl. UWH)£38,840£40,896
Probation officer, band 4 with London weighting (2025 bands)£41,743£49,025

Prison: PSPRB 25th Report Appendix E, 1 April 2026. Probation: 1 April 2025 pay bands plus London weighting of £4,505 (the 6% 2025/26 offer). The probation figures are one pay year older.

Caveats on the London comparison

In Inner London a Band 3 prison officer at pay point 1 earns £40,876 including UWH, versus the probation officer's £41,743 (£37,238 plus London weighting) at the start of band 4.

Do not forget the probation figures are a year older, and that the probation officer's London weighting may not apply in every London location, so check the offer.

Supplements and allowances

The probation allowance list also includes a Prison Supplement (£781 from the 2025/26 award) and a standby allowance, which the employer letter names without describing who is eligible: ask before assuming it applies to you.

In prisons, the equivalents are market supplements (£1,500 to £3,500 at 18 named sites, non-pensionable) and specialist allowances. See prison officer pay in London and market supplements.

Unsocial hours, shifts and overtime: no direct equivalent

In shortThe 20% UWH is built into prison pay but we found no equivalent in probation, so the band figures are not like for like.

The biggest like-for-like trap is the 20% UWH. Prison officers' published pay includes it because they are rostered on shifts including nights, weekends and public holidays.

We did not find evidence of an equivalent flat allowance in probation pay bands, which suggests a probation officer's band figure is closer to a plain salary for standard hours. Hours for probation roles were not stated in the sources we read, so confirm weekly hours and any flexible working arrangements when comparing.

Overtime

Prison officers in Bands 3 to 5 have no overtime except Payment Plus at £23 an hour (non-pensionable). The HMPPS probation letter confirms that overtime exists in probation and that salary-linked allowances rise with the pay award, but we have not verified the rates.

If you expect to do extra paid hours as a probation officer, ask for the policy in writing. For the prison side see Payment Plus explained and prison officer overtime.

Hourly rates

The hourly rate comparison depends on assumptions we cannot fully verify. On the prison side it is £18.10 an hour at pay point 1 and £19.06 at pay point 3 on 37 hours including UWH.

For a probation officer on £37,238 the hourly equivalent is £19.30 if the working week is 37 hours, but that assumes a 37-hour week, which we have not confirmed from a primary source.

Pension, leave and other benefits

In shortProbation and prison staff are both HMPPS civil servants so we expect the same Alpha rates; confirm in your offer, along with leave and sick pay.

Both probation staff and prison officers are HMPPS civil servants, so we expect them to be in the Civil Service pension arrangements (Alpha for those who joined recently): confirm in your offer letter.

If so, contributions are the same 2026/27 rates: 4.6% up to £36,199, 5.45% from £36,200 to £56,000, 7.35% to £150,000 and 8.05% above.

A new prison officer at £34,928 pays 4.6% (£1,607); a newly qualified probation officer at £37,238 pays 5.45% (£2,029).

What counts as pensionable pay

In prisons, UWH is pensionable but Payment Plus and market supplements are not. In probation, we have not verified the pensionable status of every allowance. For retirement planning compare your actual pensionable pay, not the headline salary.

Our civil service pension guide and Alpha pension explained cover the prison details.

Annual leave and other terms

HMPPS's Employee Package (2023-24 edition) says new prison employees receive 25 days rising to 30 after 10 years, plus eight public holidays and a privilege day.

For probation, HMPPS pages promote 'generous leave' without a figure in the content we read. Sick pay, parental leave and flexible working policies for probation staff were not verified.

Pay-setting, strikes and what each system is designed to do

In shortPrison pay follows a review body and strikes are barred; probation pay is negotiated inside a Treasury envelope and has been more contested.

If you are deciding between the two services for the long term, weigh the stability of the PSPRB system against the faster-moving, more contested probation process. For the prison process in detail, read PSPRB explained and our pay rise page.

Two pay systems

Prison officers

  • Pay is set annually after the PSPRB reports to government.
  • Prison officers in England and Wales cannot lawfully take industrial action (s127 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994).
  • A pay review body can recommend more than the department asked for.
  • The PSPRB's 2026 report records over 80% of its remit group being unable to strike and fragile retention in the first two years.

Probation staff

  • Pay is negotiated through the HMPPS joint negotiating committee within a Treasury-approved envelope.
  • Unions lodged formal trade disputes on pay (Napo and UNISON) in the 2025/26 round.
  • A negotiated envelope is bounded by the pay-flex agreed with the Treasury.
  • The unions' claim describes workload pressure and staff attrition: a 10.1% leaving rate for probation services officers to the year ending March 2026. These are union-reported figures and should be read as such.
Free toolPrison officer salary calculatorSee the 2026/27 gross figure for your band, zone and contract hours before you compare it with a probation offer.Open the free calculator

Worked examples and a decision checklist

In shortIn the first two years the prison role pays more; once qualified the probation officer pays about £460 more than the top of Band 3 on these figures.

Each example is illustrative and uses the figures set out above.

  1. Confirm the pay year of every figure you are comparing (April 2025 or April 2026 bands).
  2. Ask each employer for contract hours, the pay point or band you would start on and whether London weighting or a supplement applies.
  3. Separate pensionable pay from non-pensionable allowances.
  4. Check how progression works in the first three years: automatic points or a performance framework.
  5. Model both options in the Pay Planner or comparator, with and without extra paid hours.
  6. Read the written leave, sick pay and family leave terms for each role.

Example 1: starting out outside London

A graduate considering a PQiP post would earn £28,064 while training and £37,238 once qualified, with progression. A trainee prison officer would earn £34,928 from the start and £36,778 by year three.

Over the first two years the prison role pays about £6,864 a year more; after qualifying the probation officer pays about £460 more than a Band 3 officer at the top of the scale. Which path is better depends on how long training takes and whether you value shift work.

Example 2: a serving prison officer eyeing a move

An officer on pay point 3 earns £36,778 (37h). A newly qualified probation officer is on £37,238 on the 2025 bands; any 2026/27 award would increase it. The cash difference is small at that point.

The real difference is long-term: probation band 4 has five points to £44,520, whereas Band 3 stops at £36,778 unless the officer extends hours or wins promotion. A Band 5 custodial manager (£44,900 to £47,057) is on a par with the top of probation band 4 and band 5.

Example 3: hourly maths

Using our 52.143-week convention, a Band 3 officer at pay point 1 on 37 hours earns £18.10 an hour. If a probation officer's week were also 37 hours (unconfirmed), £37,238 would be £19.30.

The difference of about £1.20 an hour sounds small but is largely the difference between a salary with a built-in shift allowance and one without.

Frequently asked questions

Do probation officers earn more than prison officers?

On the figures we can verify, yes: a qualified probation officer is on £37,238 to £44,520 (1 April 2025 bands) against £34,928 to £36,778 for a Band 3 prison officer on 37 hours including UWH (1 April 2026).

The probation figures are a year older, and the 2026/27 probation award was not settled when we checked.

How much is a trainee probation officer paid?

HMPPS recruitment pages list £28,064 during PQiP training, rising to £37,238 on qualification, with London weighting of £4,505 where it applies. Those figures are the 1 April 2025 pay bands. An earlier page version showed £26,475 and £35,130, the same bands before the 6% award. Always confirm the pay year.

Does a probation officer get the 20% unsocial hours allowance?

We found no evidence of a flat unsocial hours allowance on the probation bands. Prison officers' published salaries include a 20% pensionable UWH allowance because they work rostered shifts including nights, weekends and public holidays. Probation hours and any shift allowances should be confirmed in the specific job advert.

Who sets probation officer pay?

Pay is negotiated between HMPPS and the unions (Napo, UNISON and GMB/SCOOP) within an envelope approved by the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury.

It is not set by a pay review body, unlike prison officers in England and Wales whose pay follows the Prison Service Pay Review Body. That is why the timing and size of awards can differ.

What is the 2026/27 probation pay award?

We could not find a confirmed settlement as of 3 October 2026. The unions submitted a joint claim for 12% and a £15-an-hour minimum, and said an offer was expected before 1 September 2026. Check Napo, UNISON, GMB or HMPPS for the latest. The 2025/26 award was 6% from 1 April 2025.

Is the pension the same for prison and probation staff?

Both are HMPPS civil service roles, so we expect the Civil Service Alpha scheme to apply to recent joiners with the same 2026/27 contribution bands: 4.6% up to £36,199, 5.45% to £56,000 and so on. Confirm in your offer. What counts as pensionable pay differs by allowance, which affects your pension.

Can a prison officer become a probation officer?

There is no published automatic route in the sources we read. Probation officer posts, including the PQiP training programme, have their own entry requirements and assessment, which you should check on the HMPPS recruitment site. Prison experience may be valued but we have not verified how it is weighted. Treat it as a new application.

Sources