Civil service salary calculator 2026/27
- Take-home by grade, from AA to Grade 7
- National and London pay ranges
- Income tax, National Insurance and student loan
- Alpha pension entered as your own tier rate
Estimated monthly take-home
£1,879
Executive Officer, national pay £28,138 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 |
National reference pay. 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
Civil service pay works differently from teaching or policing. There's no single national scale. Each department negotiates its own pay ranges within a grade, guided by the Treasury's annual pay remit. So two Executive Officers doing similar work at different departments can be on noticeably different salaries. The figures here are national reference points to give you a realistic starting picture.
| Grade | National (from) | London (from) |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative Assistant (AA) | £23,286 | £25,000+ |
| Administrative Officer (AO) | £23,811 | £26,000+ |
| Executive Officer (EO) | £28,138 | £31,377 |
| Grade 7 | £52,598 | £58,000+ |
Most civil servants are in the alpha scheme, a career-average defined benefit pension. Member contributions are tiered by salary and sit at roughly 4.6% to 8.05% of pay, lower than teachers (up to 11.7%) or police (up to 13.78%). So a civil servant keeps more of their gross pay each month than a teacher on the same salary, but the pension they build is a little less generous. It's still a defined benefit scheme, which is rare in the private sector. Enter your tier in the pension field above for an accurate take-home.
London civil service roles pay more within each grade, an EO in London starts around £31,377 against £28,138 nationally. That's about £3,200 more gross, worth roughly £2,200 after tax and NI. Set against London rents, that uplift rarely bridges the gap, which is a big reason many departments have moved roles out to hubs in Manchester, Leeds, Cardiff and Glasgow. To compare take-home on a specific salary, use the main salary calculator.