Armed Forces Workforce

I am today announcing the Government’s decision to accept in full the 2026 pay award recommendations for armed forces remuneration made by the independent Armed Forces Pay Review Body.

Armed forces personnel will receive their third consecutive above-inflation pay rise of 3.6%, demonstrating the Government’s commitment to renewing the nation’s commitment with those who serve.

The costs of this award will be met from within existing departmental budgets.

As demands on defence rise, we are asking more of our personnel. Our armed forces and the families who support them make extraordinary sacrifices to keep us all safe. This Government and the nation are proud of their professionalism and dedication.

This year’s award will be backdated to 1 April 2026. After the 4.5% pay award in 2025, and the 6% pay award in 2024, most personnel have received a cumulative pay award of 14.1% since April 2024. Service personnel will now have an average annual salary of around £45,710, up by £1,650 from last year.

This is all part of the action that this Government are taking to address the deep recruitment and retention crisis that we inherited. With 14 years of recruitment targets being missed every year, and military morale falling to record lows, with the proportion of personnel rating their morale as “low” increasing from 42% in 2010 to 58% in 2024, this Government are turning that around, with better pay, better housing and better protections.

And we are backing UK armed forces with the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the cold war—hitting 2.6% of GDP from 2027.

The award builds on landmark action to buy back and renew 36,000 military family homes, a new childcare scheme saving eligible forces families in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland up to £6,000 per year per child by reimbursing early years childcare costs, and legislating for the first ever independent armed forces commissioner, with the powers to investigate issues raised directly by personnel and their families.

The latest statistics show that this work is having an impact. For the year ending 31 December 2025, UK regular forces intake exceeded outflow for the first time since 2021 during the covid pandemic, with intake up 11.6% and outflow down 8.9% compared to the previous year, and total armed forces strength now stands at 182,050. And figures published yesterday in the armed forces continuous attitude survey show that satisfaction with service life has improved, up three percentage points since last year to 45%.

We value the AFPRB’s independent expert advice and insight, and the contribution that the collective membership makes on behalf of service personnel. The AFPRB report has been laid before the House today and published on gov.uk.

Today’s award, which will benefit the whole of the armed forces, reflects the value that we place upon our military community.

The AFPRB’s main pay recommendation was for a 3.6% pay award for all members of their remit group from 1 April 2026. The Government are accepting these recommendations in full.

The AFPRB has also recommended rises and changes to other targeted forms of remuneration, and increases to some accommodation and related charges, which have all been accepted.

Accepting these recommendations represents an annual increase of £1,650 in the nominal “average” salary in the armed forces, as well as an annual increase of £1,250 in the starting salary for an officer. It also ensures that our most junior sailors, soldiers and aviators who choose a full-time career in the armed forces continue to receive the national living wage. The starting salary for other ranks will increase to £27,282, providing an annual increase of £948 for around 14,250 personnel.

The complete recommendations of the AFPRB for pay round 2026 are as follows:

Recommendation 1: That rates of base pay increase by 3.6% for all members of our remit group from 1 April 2026.

Recommendation 2: The introduction of the nursing professional pay spine from 1 October 2026 for all nursing ranks up to and including OF3, alongside a senior nursing officer pay spine for OF4 to OF6 nurses.

Recommendation 3: That the value of the nurses’ golden hello should increase to £50,000 from 1 April 2026.

Recommendation 4: That RRP—nursing—should be removed 12 months after the introduction of the new nursing pay spines.

Recommendation 5: To move to a three-year cycle of reviews of nursing pay with the next review in pay round 2029.

Recommendation 6: In principle the introduction of the special forces remuneration model, with 20 levels and to include cohorts that have a recognised United Kingdom special forces’ selection pathway, for delivery by no later than April 2028.

Recommendation 7: That amendments to the model involving moves of up to two levels and the creation of new levels can be managed and approved by the Ministry of Defence armed forces pay steering group.

Recommendation 8: The introduction of a second retention payment from 1 April 2026 for OR7 submariners with between 14 and 16 years’ service and OF3 submariners—warfare and engineer officers—with 12 years’ service.

Recommendation 9: That rates of the volunteer reserves training bounty should increase by 3.6% from 1 April 2026, in line with the main pay award recommendation.

Recommendation 10: That the value of defence clinical impact awards and rates of trainer pay and associate trainer pay should increase by 3.6% from 1 April 2026, in line with the main pay award recommendation.

Recommendation 11: That all rates of RRPs—including RRP (nursing)—should increase by 3.6% from 1 April 2026, in line with the main pay award recommendation.

Recommendation 12: That the following skills payments should increase by 3.6% from 1 April 2026, in line with the main pay award recommendation:

Cyber skills payments;

Engineering supplement payment;

Defence human intelligence—HUMINT—skills payment;

The trialled payments at level 4 to level 6 of skills based supplement;

Professional supplement (aircrew); and

Nuclear skills supplements.

Recommendation 13: That all rates of compensatory allowances should increase by 3.6% from 1 April 2026, in line with our main pay award recommendation.

Recommendation 14: That SFA rental charges for CAAS bands A-F should increase by 3.8% and not to be subject to any backdating. No increase in the rates of charges for CAAS bands G and below.

Recommendation 15: No increase in the rates of furniture charges.

Recommendation 16: That SLA rental charges for grade 1 should increase by 3.8%, with increases of 2.5% for grade 2,1.3% for grade 3 and no increase for grade 4 accommodation. These increases are not to be subject to any backdating.

Attachments can be viewed online at:

[HCWS101]