The 55th report of the Armed Forces' Pay Review Body (AFPRB) has been published, recommending a 3.6% increase in base pay for all serving personnel, backdated to 1 April 2026.
The Headline Figures
- 3.6% increase in base pay for all ranks
- All allowances and compensatory payments (including Longer Separation Allowance) to rise by 3.6%
- Service accommodation charges to increase by 3.8% for Bands A–F (no increase for the lowest-banded SFA)
- Nursing Golden Hello threshold to rise to £50,000
- Bounty rates up 3.6% in line with the main award
Why 3.6%?
The AFPRB chose to go above the median civilian pay award of 3.2%, citing fragile recruitment recovery and the need to retain personnel. CPI inflation stands at 3.0% at the time of the report, meaning this represents a modest real-terms pay rise.
For context, last year's award was 4.5%, so this year's is lower, but still above inflation.
What It Means for Your Payslip
The award is backdated to 1 April 2026, so if you haven't seen it yet, expect back pay. Check JPA for updated pay statements. The amount of back pay depends on how many months have elapsed since April, for most personnel this will be visible in June or July's pay run.
If anything looks wrong on your payslip, raise it through your unit admin chain or via JPA directly. Don't wait, pay errors can compound.
Back pay is the easiest money you'll ever save: Common Sense Isn't That Common explains why it should go straight into savings. For the background to this year's pay round, see what we knew before the report.
Source
Armed Forces' Pay Review Body Fifty-Fifth Report 2026 — GOV.UK