Prison Officer Salary: A Comprehensive Guide for 2026

If you are considering a career in the prison service or are already working as an officer, understanding the prison officer salary is essential. Pay varies significantly by location, contracted hours, and experience. This guide breaks down the latest figures from official sources, explains how hourly rates convert to annual salaries, and highlights regional differences including London weighting.

National Pay Scales for Prison Officers

According to the GOV.UK Prison and Probation Jobs website, starting salaries for prison officers depend on the prison’s location and the number of hours you choose to work. All trainee officers begin on a 37-hour contract, but after training you can opt for 39 or 41 hours per week. The figures below include a 20% unsocial hours allowance, which is standard for the role.

• National pay (e.g., HMP Elmley): £33,746 (37h), £35,875 (39h), £38,003 (41h)
• Outer London (e.g., HMP Belmarsh): £37,525 (37h), £39,892 (39h), £42,258 (41h)
• Inner London (e.g., HMP Wandsworth): £39,493 (37h), £41,984 (39h), £44,474 (41h)

Some prisons also pay a market supplement, which is already included in the figures above. For example, HMP Downview and Feltham show higher Outer London starting salaries (£39,525 for 37h) due to additional supplements.

Hourly to Annual Conversion: What Does It Mean?

To understand the hourly rate behind these annual figures, use the standard conversion: annual salary ÷ (weekly hours × 52). For a national officer on 37 hours:

£33,746 ÷ (37 × 52) = £33,746 ÷ 1,924 ≈ £17.55 per hour

This is the effective hourly rate including the 20% unsocial hours allowance. The base hourly rate before the allowance would be lower. For comparison, the Hourly to Salary tool on this site can help you convert any hourly wage to an annual figure using your own hours assumption.

London Weighting and Regional Differences

The Prison Service uses fixed cash differentials for London zones, rather than a percentage uplift. The PSPRB’s 25th Report (published in 2026) recommends increasing these differentials by 3.5% from April 2026. The new maxima will be:

• Inner London: £5,218 above the national 37-hour maximum
• Outer London: £3,432 above the national 37-hour maximum

These differentials are applied consistently across all bands and are pensionable. The report also notes that even with market supplements, prison officer pay in most regions remains below median earnings for that area, based on ONS data.

Overtime and Additional Payments

Overtime can significantly boost your prison officer salary. According to the HMPPS submission to the PSPRB, overtime for Operational Support Grades (OSGs) is paid at:

• 1.3 times the standard hourly base rate for weekday working (07:00–19:00)
• 1.75 times for weekend and public holiday working (19:00–07:00)

Additionally, a flat £5 per hour is added on top of both overtime rates, a measure introduced in 2016. For Band 3 prison officers, overtime arrangements may differ, but the principle of enhanced rates applies.

Comparison with UK Benchmarks

The ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) for April 2025 shows median full-time gross annual earnings of £39,039 and median hourly earnings (excluding overtime) of £19.67. A new Inner London prison officer on 37 hours earns £39,493, which is slightly above the UK median. National starting salaries are below the median but still well above the National Living Wage, which rises to £12.71 per hour from April 2026.

What the PSPRB Recommends for 2026/27

The Prison Service Pay Review Body (PSPRB) 25th Report recommends a 3.5% increase to base pay points for Band 3 to 12 from 1 April 2026, along with the same percentage increase to London differentials. The report also recommends increasing the Payment Plus hourly rate to £23 per hour. These recommendations are subject to government acceptance, but they provide a clear indication of the direction of pay.

Factors That Affect Your Take-Home Pay

• Contracted hours: Choosing 39 or 41 hours increases your annual salary by roughly £2,000–£4,000.
• Unsocial hours allowance: The 20% allowance is built into the starting figures, but actual shift patterns may alter the effective rate.
• Overtime: Availability varies by prison, but can add thousands to your annual income.
• Pension: Prison officers are enrolled in one of the best pension schemes in the UK, which is a valuable part of the total compensation package.

For more detailed salary data and comparisons across different roles, visit our salary data page.

Conclusion

The prison officer salary in the UK is structured to reflect the demands of the role, with clear regional pay bands and opportunities to increase earnings through longer hours and overtime. Starting salaries range from around £33,746 nationally to £44,474 in Inner London (41-hour contract). With the recommended 3.5% uplift for 2026, these figures will rise slightly. Always check your contract and official guidance for the most accurate figures, and use our hourly calculator to see how your own hours translate into annual pay.