What happens to your pay when your council job is regraded

If your council job is promoted or regraded to a higher grade, the Green Book says you should receive an immediate pay increase. If it is graded lower, the Green Book offers no automatic cushion: any protection is whatever your council and the unions agreed locally, and the national guidance says that protection should be limited in time. Beyond that, the reason for the change and the local agreement decide what happens.

Moving up

Part 3 of the Green Book, which covers pay and grading, states that an employee promoted or regraded to a higher grade should receive an immediate pay increase. The wording says nothing about waiting for the next April or the next review.

The guidance on pay reviews adds that, where a whole structure is redrawn and people are upgraded, they should in most cases move straight to the new grade even if the difference is large. Phasing the rise in over a limited period is allowed in a small number of cases, using accelerated increments, but the guidance expects legal advice first. The people affected must understand that they will not receive the full amount at once and know how and when they will reach it. Through their union, they must also explicitly consent to the phasing.

Moving up means you start on a point in the new grade. Which one is a local decision. The increments guide covers how you progress from there.

Acting up and temporary duties

If you cover a more senior post for a while, the Green Book asks for local arrangements for recognising temporary additional duties. It does not set a rate or a minimum period. See acting up and honoraria for how that works across employers.

Being graded lower

A review of grading can find that a job was paid above its evaluated rate. The Green Book guidance says that in a limited number of cases downgrading may result, and that pay protection may then be considered, with legal advice taken on how to use it.

The guidance also limits protection. It must not keep unequal pay in place for long periods between jobs of equal value, because that can lead to an equal pay claim. An employer may have to justify protection as a proportionate way of reaching a legitimate aim, and cost alone is not enough. Arrangements that deal with past pay discrimination should be time-limited, and protection should not apply to new employees.

The Green Book gives no protection period and no formula, so the length and the rules are local. If your council has protection, it should be written down. The job evaluation guidance says all employees need to know the locally agreed protection provision. Staff who have been graded lower or lost a supplement should understand what they will lose and how it came about.

If your pay would fall

A cut in pay changes your contract. GOV.UK says that usually both employer and employee must agree to a contract change, and that the employer should consult or negotiate with employees or their representatives, explain the reasons and listen to alternatives. Where a collective agreement covers the change, your union is the route for that consultation. A regrading that comes out of a council-wide review is normally handled this way, with a package put to staff and the unions recommending a member ballot.

Challenging a grade

You can appeal. The Green Book gives every employee unhappy with their grading the right to ask for it to be reconsidered, with the procedure agreed locally. The job evaluation guide covers the grounds and the steps. If you think the grading is unfair or the procedure was not followed, the grievance guide covers the next stage, and ACAS and your union can advise.

What to check

• The new grade and the exact spinal column point or points, which you should be told in writing.
• The date the change takes effect, and whether any back pay is due.
• Whether any protection applies, how long it lasts and what it covers: basic pay only, or allowances too.
• That the 3.3% 2026 award has been applied to your new point. The NJC pay award guide shows how it works.
• Whether a loss of pay has been agreed with you or imposed on you.