How we find, check and date every figure.
Short version: primary sources first, every claim dated, nations kept apart, and anything we cannot verify left out or clearly labelled.
Sources, in order of trust
- Official publications. GOV.UK, HMPPS, Prison Service Pay Review Body (PSPRB) reports, Written Ministerial Statements, Parliament, HMRC and the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.
- Scheme administrators. Civil Service Pensions (civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk) for pensions, administered by Capita since 1 December 2025 (it replaced MyCSP); the Scottish Prison Service and Northern Ireland Prison Service for their own rules.
- Representative bodies and advice services. POA circulars and Acas guidance, used to confirm how rules work in practice.
- Everything else is treated as a lead to check, never as a source on its own.
Pay figures
Pay rates come from a single data file built from the PSPRB report and HMPPS publications, so every guide and calculator uses identical numbers. The pay data was last fully checked on . The 2026/27 award applies to England and Wales and is backdated to 1 April 2026. Where something could not be verified, we say so rather than guess.
Prison pages
Each page in the prisons directory is built from a dataset compiled on 3 October 2026 from GOV.UK establishment pages, the HMPPS population bulletin, workforce statistics, performance ratings and HM Inspectorate of Prisons reports. A field we could not source is left blank and shown as unavailable, never estimated. Pay on a prison page is the zone and supplement rate for that establishment; Scottish, Northern Irish and private-sector prisons are on different pay arrangements and are labelled as such.
England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Pay, pension and discipline rules differ by nation. Each page says which one it covers. Most of our detail is for England and Wales (HMPPS); where Scottish or Northern Irish rules differ and have been verified, we say so.
Dates and updates
Every guide shows a reviewed date. Time-sensitive claims carry their own "as at" date. When a source changes, we update the figure, the date and, where it matters, note what changed.
Calculators
- They apply published rules to the numbers you enter. Assumptions are shown next to results.
- Results are estimates. Your payslip, pension statement and scheme administrator are the authority.
- Free tools run in your browser. Inputs are only stored if you choose to save a report. See our privacy policy.
What we leave out
We do not publish invented statistics, unnamed "experts", fabricated testimonials or manufactured urgency. If we do not have a verified figure, we describe the position qualitatively and point you to your establishment, HR team, scheme administrator or representative.
Not advice
Nothing here is legal, financial, tax or pension advice. For conduct and discipline matters in particular, speak to your POA or union representative and consider independent legal advice.
Related policies
Source policy · Corrections policy · Editorial policy.
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