Specialist Prison Roles Pay: Dog Handler, PEI, ORRU (2026/27)

In shortThere is no separate specialist pay scale for most prison roles: you are paid on your band, with an allowance on top for the specific duty.

A dog handler, a Physical Education Instructor and a member of a tactical response team are paid on their band (Band 3 for most officers, Band 4 for supervising or specialist officers), with an allowance or payment on top.

The allowances are set by the Prison Service Pay Review Body (how that works) and published in its report; the 2026 amounts are in Appendix G.

All figures are for England and Wales (HMPPS), effective 1 April 2026, as at 3 October 2026.

Compensatory allowances

Those with a compensatory element, which currently means both rates of the Care and Maintenance of Dogs allowance, increase each year by the headline Band 3 award.

Task or duty allowances

Other allowances and payments, paid for undertaking a specific task or duty, are reviewed on a five-year rolling schedule.

• This guide goes through each verified allowance, shows worked examples on the national 37 hour Band 3 figures, and lists what we could not find.
• Base pay figures are in our pay bands guide and the Band 3 and Band 4 guides.
• Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own arrangements: see Scotland and Northern Ireland.

In shortThe dogs allowance is £2,945 a year for a single dog, paid for keeping dogs at home; vet bills, kennelling and food are reimbursed by HMPPS.

• Single dog£2,945 a yearA 3.5% rise from £2,845 in 2025/26, which was itself a 4% rise
• Multiple dogs£3,682 a year25% above the single rate, as shown in the PSPRB's table
• 2026 rise (our arithmetic)£100 a yearAbout £8.33 a month for a single-dog handler

The PSPRB describes the allowance as compensatory: designed to remunerate the additional work of having the dogs in their own homes, grooming and exercising them. It states the allowance does not cover veterinary bills, kennelling or food because those are reimbursed by HMPPS.

• Because the allowance is increased by the headline award each year, it is back-dated with the rest of the award; our back pay guide explains how back pay appears on a payslip.
• The PSPRB says it will do a full review of the allowance and its approach to it in its 2027 Report.
• For the role itself, see prison dog handler.

In shortQualified PEIs in a recognised PEI role get a temporary £1,500 a year, non-consolidated and non-pensionable, maintained until the 2027 Report is published.

• PEI payment£1,500 a yearNon-consolidated and non-pensionable
• Band 4 spot rate incl. 20% UWH£41,328National 37 hour contract; £34,440 base
• Qualified PEI total (our arithmetic)£42,828National, 37 hours, with the £1,500 added; not allowing for it being non-pensionable

PEIs are described by the PSPRB as trained prison officers who perform an important function in prisons, enhancing prisoners' wellbeing through physical exercise.

In its 2025 report the PSPRB recommended a temporary recruitment and retention payment for qualified PEIs, framed for Band 4 PEIs. In 2026 (Recommendation 11) it maintained the payment.

• The PSPRB held discussion groups with PEIs in the 2026 round to hear their views on the payment.
• The union (PCS) had also proposed payments for other instructors, which were not recommended.
• Whether the payment continues beyond the 2027 Report is a PSPRB decision we cannot predict.
• If you are a PEI or thinking of becoming one, the Band 4 pay guide has the full figures and the 2027 timeline is in the 2027/28 guide.

In shortORRU on-call is £8,000 a year and Operation Tornado £40 an hour for officers (£30 for OSGs); the PSPRB will review them in 2030 and 2029.

Both are targeted payments for staff trained for the most serious incidents. The table below adds the published allowances to the published pay point figures.

ORRU

The Operational Response and Resilience Unit is made up of the National Tactical Response Group and the National Dog and Technical Support Group. The PSPRB describes the on-call allowance as compensating those staff for being on call, outside normal working hours, for 26 weeks a year. It was introduced from 1 April 2019.

ORRU role

The unit is part of the Service's national resource, trained to be deployed at the most serious high-risk incidents within prisons and incidents at height. It requires a higher level of regular physical fitness testing and can be called on by other organisations such as immigration removal centres, the Isle of Man and Channel Islands prisons, courts and secure hospitals.

Operation Tornado

Staff trained to deal with serious incidents in prisons, deployed to support other establishments in an emergency (serious disturbances, hostage incidents or transfers of large numbers of prisoners at short notice). Payment is £40 an hour for officers and £30 an hour for OSGs, increased in the 2024 report.

• ORRU: raised from £6,670 to £8,000 in the 2025 report (a near 20% rise); the PSPRB made no recommendation in 2026, so it continues at £8,000 a year.
• The POA had asked for 6.3% (£8,504) and for the allowance to be made pensionable; the PSPRB said not enough time had passed to assess the impact of last year's increase and set the next review for its 2030 Report.
• Staff in ORRU discussion groups were generally content with their level of pay and on-call arrangements, according to the PSPRB's summary, with a concern about non-operational ORRU staff receiving the same on-call payment.
• Tornado: the POA again proposed a £500 annual retainer for Tornado-trained staff because of an ongoing shortage; the PSPRB wants data on numbers trained by establishment before deciding and will review the payments in 2029.

In shortThese payments depend on incidents and duties, so they are not a fixed part of salary.

The dirty protest allowance is £15 a day for four hours or less and £30 a day for over four hours, the same for closed grades and Fair and Sustainable staff. The 2029 Report is the next scheduled review.

Payment Plus (£23 an hour) is a separate payment for specified duties such as bedwatch and constant watch; see Payment Plus explained and prison officer overtime.

Fair and Sustainable on-call (home)

£9.00 per period of more than 12 hours on weekdays and privilege holidays, £25.00 per 24 hours on weekends and public holidays (pro rata for periods under 24 hours), and £1.04 an hour for on-call outside normal office hours. The PSPRB made no change this year and will next review them in the 2031 Report.

POA ask (not awarded)

The POA asked for £14.18, £39.40 and £2.21 respectively; those are the union's proposals, not the awards.

Market supplements

Targeted payments at 18 prisons: non-pensionable, paid in 12 monthly instalments and currently running from £1,500 to £3,500 (see the pay bands guide).

• For night, weekend and bank holiday working see night shift pay, weekend pay and bank holiday pay.

In shortAllowances exist where there is evidence of a specific shortage (ORRU, Tornado, PEIs), not for every role or task.

In 2026 the POA and PCS asked for allowances for people who volunteer for specialist roles over and above their job description, including a £500 consolidated payment for Band 2 to 5 staff who take on additional tasks. The PCS proposed one-off or hourly allowances and a retention bonus for qualified Band 4 specialists.

For most specialisms the answer to 'what extra do I get paid?' is nothing separate, or something set locally that we cannot verify. If you are considering a specialism, ask your establishment what is paid, whether it is pensionable and how long it will last, and see our pay guides for base figures.

• Verified allowances: dogs, PEI payment, ORRU on-call, Tornado, dirty protest, F&S on-call, Payment Plus.
• Not verified: any separate allowance for negotiators, ACCT assessors, C&R instructors, first aiders, key workers, security staff, family liaison or other roles.
• Proposed but not adopted (as at the 2026 report): dog trainers' allowance, Tornado retainer of £500, £500 volunteer payment for Bands 2 to 5.

In shortA move into a specialism rarely means a new pay scale: base pay stays on your band and point and the allowance is added when you meet its conditions.

The conditions matter: the PEI payment is for qualified PEIs in a recognised PEI role; the dogs allowance is for responsibility for a dog; ORRU on-call applies to members of the specified units. If you step out of the role, check with payroll whether the allowance stops from that date.

A non-consolidated, non-pensionable payment such as the PEI payment does not add to pension earnings. A pensionable allowance (the closed-grade specialist allowance is shown as pensionable) does. Where the sources do not say, ask, and use the free salary calculator plus the Pay Planner to model take-home pay once tax and National Insurance are applied.

1. Ask HR or your governor which allowance applies to your role and from what date.
2. Ask whether it is consolidated and pensionable, and how long it is guaranteed.
3. Check your payslip for the allowance code and the start date.
4. Model take-home pay with the calculator.
5. Diarise the PSPRB review year for your allowance.