Police sergeant pay

A police sergeant in England and Wales is paid between £55,443 and £58,175 a year from 1 September 2026. The scale has three points: £55,443, £56,573 and £58,175. Those figures include the 3.5% award confirmed by the government on 15 July 2026, and the Police Federation of England and Wales publishes them.

The sergeant scale from September 2026

Pay point	Annual salary from 1 September 2026
PP2 (a)	£55,443
PP3	£56,573
PP4	£58,175

The Police Federation labels the entry point PP2 (a) and describes it as the entry point for officers promoted from constable. The gap between the bottom and top of the scale is £2,732, which is small next to the constable scale. A constable at the top of the constable scale earns £52,015, so promotion to PP2 (a) is worth at least £3,428 a year in basic pay.

How the last two awards changed it

Sergeant pay rose 4.2% in September 2025 and 3.5% in September 2026. Over those two years the bottom of the scale went from £51,408 (the 2024 figure) to £55,443.

Pay point	September 2024	September 2025	September 2026
PP2 (a)	£51,408	£53,568	£55,443
PP3	£52,458	£54,660	£56,573
PP4	£53,943	£56,208	£58,175

The Police Remuneration Review Body had recommended 3.9% for 2026. The government chose 3.5%. Police awards normally take effect on 1 September, so the next one is due in September 2027.

Sergeant against constable

The top of the constable scale is £52,015 and the bottom of the sergeant scale is £55,443, a difference of £3,428 or about 6.6%. The cash rise at PP2 (a) between September 2025 and September 2026 was £1,875. Inspector and chief inspector scales sit on a separate Police Federation page, and Rozile has not reproduced them.

Getting there from constable

Sergeant is the first promotion rank above constable. You apply for promotion through your force’s process, and each force sets its own timetable and selection steps. The police constable profile covers the starting rank, and the police application process guide covers joining.

The Police Federation scale page does not set out how long officers spend on each pay point or how they move between them. Ask your force’s HR team or your Federation representative before you assume a fixed annual step.

London and other allowances

Officers in the Metropolitan Police and the City of London Police get London weighting and a London allowance on top of basic pay. Both rose 3.5% from 1 September 2026. The cash amounts for sergeants are not on the scale page, and Rozile has not checked them, so use the Federation’s pay pages or your force. The wider picture is in London weighting across the public sector.

Sergeants who work response shifts, custody or other shift-based roles can earn extra through overtime, rest-day working and allowances for particular duties. What is paid varies by force and by duty pattern. A vacancy advert normally shows basic pay only.

Tax on a sergeant’s salary

Higher-rate income tax starts above £50,270 in England and Wales. At PP2 (a) that leaves £5,173 of pay in the 40% band. At PP4 it leaves £7,905. Police pension contributions come out of pay before tax, which lowers the taxable amount, though Rozile has not checked the 2026/27 contribution rates for police officers. Your payslip shows the exact deduction.

The take-home pay calculator will work out net pay at each of the three points. Scottish taxpayers use different income tax bands, and Police Scotland has its own scale, so these numbers do not apply there.