Prison Officer Pay 2026/27: Salary by Hours and Location

Prison officer pay in England and Wales depends on three things: where you work, how many hours you are contracted for, and how far up the pay band you have moved. The headline range on the HMPPS recruitment site for a new officer is £34,928 to £46,031 a year. This guide explains where those numbers come from and what you are likely to earn in your first few years.

All figures below are for 2026/27, from 1 April 2026. They come from the HMPPS pay page and the Prison Service Pay Review Body's Twenty-Fifth Report, published in March 2026, which recommended a 3.5% increase for Bands 3 to 12 from 1 April 2026. Pay is reviewed every year, so check the advert for your prison before relying on any figure.

How prison officer pay is built

A prison officer is a Band 3 role. Your salary is made up of:

• Base pay for a 37-hour week.
• A 20% unsocial hours allowance, because you work nights, weekends and bank holidays. All the headline figures HMPPS quotes include this.
• Extra contracted hours if you move from 37 to 38, 39, 40 or 41 hours a week.
• A London rate if your prison is in the Inner or Outer London pay zone.
• A market supplement at some prisons that find it hard to recruit.

New officers start on a 37-hour contract during training. After training you can choose to move to 39 or 41 hours, which raises your pay.

Starting pay by location and hours

These are the HMPPS figures for a new officer, including the 20% unsocial hours allowance:

Location	37 hours	39 hours	41 hours
National (most prisons)	£34,928	£36,816	£39,334
Outer London	£38,840	£41,290	£43,739
Outer London with £2,000 supplement	£40,840	£43,290	£45,739
Inner London	£40,876	£43,453	£46,031

The Pay Review Body report lists the Outer London zone as Belmarsh, Downview, Feltham, High Down and Isis, plus the controllers' offices at Bronzefield and Thameside.

Moving up the pay points

Band 3 has three pay points. The Pay Review Body recommended that Band 3 staff in post on 31 March 2026 move up one pay point from 1 April 2026. In practice, that means most officers progress a step each year until they reach the top of the band.

National Band 3 rates from 1 April 2026:

Contract	Point 1	Point 2	Point 3
37 hours, base pay only	£29,107	£30,125	£30,648
37 hours inc 20% unsocial	£34,928	£36,150	£36,778
39 hours inc 20% unsocial	£36,816	£38,104	£38,766
41 hours inc 20% unsocial	£39,334	£40,710	£41,417

So a national officer on 41 hours at the top of the band earns £41,417 before any supplement. London rates follow the same pattern with a fixed cash uplift.

Market supplements

Some prisons pay a market supplement on top of salary. HMPPS lists current rates of £1,500, £2,000, £3,000 and £3,500 a year. They are:

• paid monthly;
• non-pensionable;
• attached to specific prisons, not to you as a person.

HMPPS says qualifying prisons keep their supplement until at least March 2027. If you have a choice of prisons, the supplement can make a meaningful difference, but check that it is still listed in the current advert.

Pension and benefits

HMPPS describes the pension as "one of the best pension schemes in the UK" and officers also get standard Civil Service benefits. You are paid in full during training, and expenses are covered.

Pay for other prison grades

Knowing the wider structure helps you see where a prison career can go. National figures from 1 April 2026, 37 hours including unsocial hours allowance:

Grade	Band	Pay
Operational Support Grade (OSG)	Band 2	£31,761 (spot rate, includes 25% unsocial hours)
Prison officer	Band 3	£34,928 to £36,778
Youth justice worker (trainee)	Band 3	From £34,928 (see below)
Supervising / specialist officer	Band 4	£41,328 (spot rate)
Custodial manager	Band 5	£44,900 to £47,057

A few points to note:

• OSGs currently get a 25% unsocial hours allowance rather than 20%. The Pay Review Body recommended keeping it at 25% until its 2027 report. The Aspire information page still shows lower OSG figures (£27,840 outside London), which appear to predate the 2026 award. Check the advert you are applying to.
• Band 4 and 5 are promotions. They are not entry routes, but they show where pay goes with experience.

Youth justice worker pay

Youth justice workers are also Band 3 while training. HMPPS lists these starting figures:

Location	37 hours	39 hours	41 hours
Feltham (Outer London, inc £2,000 supplement)	£40,840	£43,290	£45,379
Werrington and Wetherby	£34,928	£36,816	£39,334

Once you complete the Level 4 child-focused qualification you move to Band 4. At that point you no longer receive the market supplement. The YJW pay page states supplements run "until 31 March 2026", so check the current advert for what applies now.

What this means in your first year

A realistic first-year picture for most new officers:

1. Training: 37 hours, national rate, £34,928 including the unsocial hours allowance, unless you are in London or at a supplement prison.
2. After training: many officers move to 39 or 41 hours, taking them to £36,816 or £39,334 on point 1.
3. Each April: if you are in post on 31 March, the current recommendation moves you up a pay point, plus whatever annual award is agreed.

Remember these are gross figures. Tax, National Insurance and pension contributions come out of them.

Is the pay worth the selection process?

That is a personal call. The selection process takes months and includes an online test, a values assessment, an online assessment centre and a fitness test. If you are applying to a prison that fills merit vacancies, posts go to candidates in order of score, so preparation can affect where and when you start, not just whether you pass. If you want to see the kind of questions involved, try our free practice questions.

Check before you rely on any figure

Pay changes every April, supplements are reviewed, and London zones are defined by prison. Before you make decisions about relocating or leaving another job:

• read the salary section of the specific advert;
• ask at your recruitment call what contract hours you will start on;
• check whether your prison has a supplement and until when.

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prisonofficertest.co.uk is an independent practice site. It is not affiliated with HMPPS, the Ministry of Justice, the Scottish Prison Service, the Northern Ireland Prison Service or any prison operator. Always check your own invitation and the recruiter's current guidance.