Prison Officer Salary (Band 3)
Band 3 Prison Officer Pay — National (1 April 2026)
| Contract | Pay point 1 | Pay point 2 | Pay point 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 37 hours — base pay | £29,107 | £30,125 | £30,648 |
| 37 hours + 20% unsocial | £34,928 | £36,150 | £36,778 |
| 38 hours (1× ACH) | £36,030 | £37,290 | £37,937 |
| 39 hours (2× ACH) | £37,131 | £38,430 | £39,097 |
| 39 hours (2× ACHP, pensionable) | £36,816 | £38,104 | £38,766 |
| 40 hours (3× ACH) | £38,232 | £39,570 | £40,257 |
| 41 hours (4× ACH) | £39,334 | £40,710 | £41,417 |
A Band 3 Prison Officer is the main operational grade in HMPPS — running wings and landings, supervising prisoners, managing incidents and delivering rehabilitative work. It is the grade most people mean by "prison officer".
There is no single Band 3 salary, which is why payslips confuse people. Your annual figure depends on three things: your pay point (1, 2 or 3, moving up roughly a year at a time), whether you receive the 20% unsocial hours allowance, and how many additional committed hours you are contracted for above the 37-hour base week.
A new officer on the 37-hour base rate starts at £29,107. The same officer with unsocial hours is on £34,928, and at the top of the band on a 41-hour contract the figure reaches £41,417. In take-home terms, Band 3 pay point 1 with unsocial hours is about £2,282 a month after tax, National Insurance and alpha pension contributions.
ACH is not pensionable; ACHP is. That is why the 39-hour ACH line pays £37,131 while the 39-hour ACHP line pays £36,816 — on the ACH contract you keep the pension contribution instead of building pension with it. The calculator accounts for this, so your pension deduction is charged only on pensionable pay.