Estimated monthly take-home
£1,879
Executive Officer, average starting salary £27,000 a year.
| Salary | £28,138 |
| Alpha pension (5.45%) | −£1,534 |
| Income tax | −£2,807 |
| National Insurance | −£1,245 |
| Student loan | −£0 |
| Annual take-home | £22,552 |
Salaries are average starting salaries across all departments, from Civil Service Careers. Departments set their own ranges within each grade, and London roles pay more. Pension is deducted before income tax. Figures use HMRC 2026/27 tax and NI rates. Estimates only, not financial advice. Source: gov.uk
There's no single civil service pay scale. Departments and agencies set pay for staff below the Senior Civil Service, within rules from the Treasury. The Civil Service Careers site, the government's own recruitment site, publishes an average starting salary for each of its seven grades, and the calculator above uses those figures. They're averages across every department, so your own offer could sit above or below them.
| Grade | Average starting salary | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative Officer / Administrative Assistant (AO/AA) | £23,000 | £1,673 |
| Executive Officer (EO) | £27,000 | £1,913 |
| Higher Executive Officer (HEO) | £32,000 | £2,213 |
| Senior Executive Officer (SEO) | £39,000 | £2,633 |
| Grade 7 | £49,000 | £3,233 |
| Grade 6 | £59,000 | £3,731 |
| Senior Civil Service (SCS) | £76,000 | £4,553 |
Source: Civil Service Careers, Civil Service grades and pay. Take-home: England, tax year 2026/27, no student loan, before pension. Calculated by Salary Checker UK.
Averages hide the spread within a grade. The Office for National Statistics publishes its pay ranges, and they show how wide a grade can be and what London adds. The ONS is one department and these are its 2025/26 figures, so read them as an example, not as a rate card for the whole civil service. We'll update them when the ONS publishes a 2026/27 scale.
| Grade | National range | London range | Take-home a month at national minimum | London extra at minimum (before tax) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executive Officer (EO) | £28,138 to £32,953 | £31,377 to £36,464 | £1,982 | £3,239 |
| Higher Executive Officer (HEO) | £34,587 to £39,106 | £37,927 to £42,480 | £2,369 | £3,340 |
| Senior Executive Officer (SEO) | £41,985 to £47,121 | £45,315 to £50,557 | £2,812 | £3,330 |
| Grade 7 | £56,861 to £66,704 | £60,201 to £71,341 | £3,628 | £3,340 |
| Grade 6 | £68,199 to £75,364 | £72,650 to £80,156 | £4,176 | £4,451 |
Source: ONS, 2025/26 Pay Scales and Mark Time Policy. Take-home: England, tax year 2026/27, no student loan, before pension. The ONS lists AO as a spot rate: £25,501 national and £29,195 in London.
Civil Service Careers describes EOs as junior management roles in a team led by an HEO or SEO, comparable to a senior administrator or supervisor outside government. The average starting salary is £27,000. On the ONS scale an EO earns £28,138 to £32,953 nationally, which is £1,982 to £2,270 a month after tax and National Insurance, before pension.
HEOs are middle managers who lead small teams, run budgets and support policy work, similar to an office manager or team leader. The average starting salary is £32,000. The ONS range is £34,587 to £39,106 nationally and £37,927 to £42,480 in London.
An SEO is a mid-level manager, often leading teams and projects, or a highly technical specialist. The average starting salary is £39,000. The ONS range is £41,985 to £47,121 nationally and £45,315 to £50,557 in London.
Grade 7 is a senior manager grade, line managing HEOs and SEOs and handling complex work, comparable to a deputy head of department. The average starting salary is £49,000. The ONS range is £56,861 to £66,704 nationally and £60,201 to £71,341 in London. That is a wider gap between the average and the ONS minimum than at any lower grade, £7,861, so check the department's own band before relying on either number.
Grade 6 is a very senior role, accountable for delivering a programme of work, comparable to a head of department. The average starting salary is £59,000. The ONS range is £68,199 to £75,364 nationally and £72,650 to £80,156 in London.
Not in the standard structure. Civil Service Careers lists seven broad grades: AO/AA, EO, HEO, SEO, Grade 7, Grade 6 and the Senior Civil Service, which covers SCS1 to SCS4. Some departments use their own grade names and bands, so the job advert's pay band is what counts.
The Treasury's pay remit guidance for 2026/27 sets a maximum increase to a department's pay bill of 3.5%. That's a budget limit for the department as a whole, not a rise for each person, and departments decide how to share it between staff, so individual increases vary.
On the ONS scale the London minimum is £3,239 higher than the national minimum for an EO, about £2,332 a year after tax and National Insurance. For HEO to Grade 6 the gap at the minimum runs from £3,330 to £4,451. How far that stretches depends on rent, and our cost of living by city page shows the take-home after rent in each city.
Most civil servants are in the alpha scheme, a career-average pension. What you pay in depends on your pensionable earnings. We haven't put in a default rate because we couldn't confirm the current tiers from the scheme's own site, so enter the rate shown on your payslip or in your pension account. Contributions come off before Income Tax.
Short answers on grades, departments and London pay.
The Civil Service Careers site lists seven broad grades: AO/AA, EO, HEO, SEO, Grade 7, Grade 6 and the Senior Civil Service. Average starting salaries are £23,000 for AO/AA, £27,000 for EO, £32,000 for HEO, £39,000 for SEO, £49,000 for Grade 7, £59,000 for Grade 6 and £76,000 for the SCS. Pay varies by department.
The average starting salary is £27,000, which is £22,960 a year or £1,913 a month after tax and National Insurance, before pension. The ONS pay scale for 2025/26 runs from £28,138 to £32,953 nationally and £31,377 to £36,464 in London.
Not in the standard structure. The Civil Service Careers site lists seven broad grades, and above Grade 7 comes Grade 6, then the Senior Civil Service, which covers SCS1 to SCS4. Some departments use their own grade names, so check the pay band on the job advert.
The average starting salary is £49,000. The ONS pay scale for 2025/26 runs from £56,861 to £66,704 nationally and £60,201 to £71,341 in London. At the national minimum that's about £3,628 a month after tax and National Insurance, before pension.
The average starting salary is £59,000. The ONS pay scale for 2025/26 runs from £68,199 to £75,364 nationally and £72,650 to £80,156 in London.
There is no single civil service pay scale. Departments and agencies decide pay for staff below the Senior Civil Service, within the Treasury's annual pay remit guidance. Two people at the same grade can therefore be on different salaries, which is why the averages here are a guide, not a rate card.
The Treasury's pay remit guidance caps the increase to a department's total pay bill at 3.5% for 2026/27. That is a budget limit for the department, not a pay rise for each person, and departments decide how to share it.
On the ONS 2025/26 scale the London minimum is £3,239 higher than the national minimum for an EO, about £2,332 a year after tax and National Insurance. For HEO to Grade 6 the gap at the minimum runs from £3,330 to £4,451.
Average starting salaries come from Civil Service Careers. Pay ranges are the ONS's own published 2025/26 scale. Tax uses confirmed 2026/27 HMRC rates.
Take-home figures assume England, Wales or Northern Ireland rates, a 1257L code and no student loan unless the calculator says otherwise. This is general information, not financial advice.