Police Overtime — Rules and Rates

How UK police overtime works under the Police Regulations. Independent reference; verify with your force HR before relying on figures.

Unofficial independent resource — always verify with official sources (College of Policing, your force, PFEW).

Reviewed by the BlueLineHub Editorial Team

Last reviewed: 29 May 2026 · Next review due: 29 November 2026

Who qualifies for overtime

Constables and sergeants: entitled to overtime under the Police Regulations.
Inspectors and above: not entitled to overtime as such. Receive TOIL (time off in lieu) or a compensatory grant in defined circumstances.
Police staff: not covered by the Police Regulations — overtime is per their employment contract.
Special constables: usually unpaid volunteers; some forces pay an expense rate but not overtime in the regulatory sense.

Standard overtime rates

Time-and-a-half (1.5x): standard rostered overtime worked beyond the normal shift boundary.
Double-time (2x): applies in specific circumstances:
- Recall to duty during a rostered rest day.
- Rest-day cancellation with less than 15 days' notice.
- Some public-holiday working arrangements.
Public-holiday allowance: officers working a public holiday under a rostered pattern may be entitled to an additional allowance, separately from overtime treatment.

Rest-day working

The Police Regulations protect rest days. Cancellation of a rest day:

15+ days' notice: officer is required to work; rate is typically time-and-a-half.
Less than 15 days' notice: officer is required to work; rate is typically double-time.
Reason for cancellation: must be Operational. Routine staffing shortages are not a valid basis. Forces sometimes test this in practice; if you believe a cancellation is improper, raise it with your sergeant and Federation rep.

TOIL and compensatory grant for inspectors and above

Inspectors and chief inspectors receive Time Off In Lieu (TOIL) for additional hours worked beyond normal shift patterns. In defined circumstances (e.g. extended major-incident command), a compensatory grant may be paid. Forces publish their TOIL accrual and use policies — there is significant variation between forces in how TOIL is recorded and taken.

How overtime is calculated

Hourly rate is the officer's annual base salary ÷ 52 ÷ standard working hours per week (typically 40). For a constable on £42,000 the hourly rate is approximately £20.19. Time-and-a-half on an 8-hour overtime shift = £20.19 × 1.5 × 8 = approximately £242. Double-time would be twice that. London or South-East allowances are typically included in the calculation; specialist allowances may or may not be — check force HR.

Our Overtime Calculator uses the published Police Regulations rates to estimate payment from your inputs.

Watch points

Overtime should be authorised before the hours are worked. Retrospective requests are sometimes refused.
Compressed-hours patterns (4-on-4-off, 5-2-5-3 etc.) interact with overtime differently — check your force's local agreement.
Persistent overtime working may flag fatigue concerns; supervisors should monitor and intervene.
Pension contributions are taken from overtime in some circumstances and not others — see our pensions hub for the underlying scheme rules.
Tax treatment of overtime is at your normal rate; no special tax treatment applies.

Official overtime sources

BlueLineHub is independent and unofficial. Always verify with the authoritative source below.

Police Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/527)
Primary statutory instrument governing officer working time and overtime.
Last checked: May 2026
Verify on official source
Home Office — Police Pay Determinations
Annual determinations that fix the rates in force.
Last checked: May 2026
Verify on official source
PFEW — Pay & Conditions
Federation member-facing guidance on overtime, rest days and TOIL.
Last checked: May 2026
Verify on official source

Frequently asked

Who is entitled to police overtime?: Constables and sergeants are entitled to overtime under the Police Regulations. Inspectors and above are not entitled to overtime in the same way — they typically receive time off in lieu (TOIL) or, in defined circumstances, a compensatory grant.
What's the standard overtime rate?: Time-and-a-half is the standard rate for rostered overtime worked beyond your normal 8-hour shift (or the equivalent compressed-hours boundary). Double-time applies in specific circumstances including recall to duty during rostered rest, public-holiday working, and short-notice cancellation of rest days.
What happens if my rest day is cancelled?: Police Regulations protect rest days. Cancellation with at least 15 days' notice generally attracts time-and-a-half. Cancellation with less than 15 days' notice generally attracts double-time. Cancellation can only be made under defined Operational circumstances; routine staffing shortages are not normally a valid reason.
Can I refuse overtime?: Officers are office-holders, not employees, and the position on refusing overtime is more limited than for most workers. In practice, refusal of reasonable overtime requests would normally be discussed with line management. The Federation can advise on persistent or unreasonable demands. There is no statutory 'right to disconnect' for officers.
Where do I find current overtime rates?: Current rates are set in the Police Regulations Determinations published by the Home Office. PFEW maintains accessible summaries on its pay-and-conditions page. Force HR is the authoritative source for what's been agreed at force level.

Who qualifies for overtime

Constables and sergeants: entitled to overtime under the Police Regulations.

Inspectors and above: not entitled to overtime as such. Receive TOIL (time off in lieu) or a compensatory grant in defined circumstances.

Police staff: not covered by the Police Regulations — overtime is per their employment contract.

Special constables: usually unpaid volunteers; some forces pay an expense rate but not overtime in the regulatory sense.

Standard overtime rates

Time-and-a-half (1.5x): standard rostered overtime worked beyond the normal shift boundary.

Double-time (2x): applies in specific circumstances:

Recall to duty during a rostered rest day.
Rest-day cancellation with less than 15 days' notice.
Some public-holiday working arrangements.

Public-holiday allowance: officers working a public holiday under a rostered pattern may be entitled to an additional allowance, separately from overtime treatment.

Rest-day working

The Police Regulations protect rest days. Cancellation of a rest day:

15+ days' notice: officer is required to work; rate is typically time-and-a-half.

Less than 15 days' notice: officer is required to work; rate is typically double-time.

Reason for cancellation: must be Operational. Routine staffing shortages are not a valid basis. Forces sometimes test this in practice; if you believe a cancellation is improper, raise it with your sergeant and Federation rep.

TOIL and compensatory grant for inspectors and above

How overtime is calculated

Our Overtime Calculator uses the published Police Regulations rates to estimate payment from your inputs.

Watch points

Overtime should be authorised before the hours are worked. Retrospective requests are sometimes refused.

Compressed-hours patterns (4-on-4-off, 5-2-5-3 etc.) interact with overtime differently — check your force's local agreement.

Persistent overtime working may flag fatigue concerns; supervisors should monitor and intervene.

Pension contributions are taken from overtime in some circumstances and not others — see our pensions hub for the underlying scheme rules.

Tax treatment of overtime is at your normal rate; no special tax treatment applies.

Frequently asked

Who is entitled to police overtime?

Constables and sergeants are entitled to overtime under the Police Regulations. Inspectors and above are not entitled to overtime in the same way — they typically receive time off in lieu (TOIL) or, in defined circumstances, a compensatory grant.

What's the standard overtime rate?

Time-and-a-half is the standard rate for rostered overtime worked beyond your normal 8-hour shift (or the equivalent compressed-hours boundary). Double-time applies in specific circumstances including recall to duty during rostered rest, public-holiday working, and short-notice cancellation of rest days.

What happens if my rest day is cancelled?

Police Regulations protect rest days. Cancellation with at least 15 days' notice generally attracts time-and-a-half. Cancellation with less than 15 days' notice generally attracts double-time. Cancellation can only be made under defined Operational circumstances; routine staffing shortages are not normally a valid reason.

Can I refuse overtime?

Officers are office-holders, not employees, and the position on refusing overtime is more limited than for most workers. In practice, refusal of reasonable overtime requests would normally be discussed with line management. The Federation can advise on persistent or unreasonable demands. There is no statutory 'right to disconnect' for officers.

Where do I find current overtime rates?

Current rates are set in the Police Regulations Determinations published by the Home Office. PFEW maintains accessible summaries on its pay-and-conditions page. Force HR is the authoritative source for what's been agreed at force level.

Police Overtime — Rules and Rates

Who qualifies for overtime

Standard overtime rates

Rest-day working

TOIL and compensatory grant for inspectors and above

How overtime is calculated

Watch points

Related

Official overtime sources

Frequently asked

Police Overtime — Rules and Rates

Who qualifies for overtime

Standard overtime rates

Rest-day working

TOIL and compensatory grant for inspectors and above

How overtime is calculated

Watch points

Related

Official overtime sources

Frequently asked