Colonel pay 2026/27 (OF5)

Take-home pay a month

£6,216.33

£74,595.98 a year from a salary of £115,881.00

Your details

Where you pay income tax

Pay level

Share of full time %

Percent of a full-time post

Student loan Postgraduate loan as well

Where your salary goes
	A year
Salary	£115,881.00
Income tax	£36,956.80
National Insurance	£4,328.22
Take-home pay	£74,595.98

How this was worked out

Salary: £115,881
Personal allowance: £4,630. Payroll applies it as tax code 463L, which gives £4,639 of tax-free pay.
Taxable income: £115,881 − £4,639 = £111,242
Basic rate: £37,700 × 20% = £7,540
Higher rate: £73,542 × 40% = £29,416.80
Income tax: £36,956.80
National Insurance: (£50,270 − £12,570) × 8% = £3,016, plus (£115,881 − £50,270) × 2% = £1,312.22, total £4,328.22
Take-home pay: £115,881 − £36,956.80 − £4,328.22 = £74,595.98

The government accepted the AFPRB's 2026 Armed Forces pay award recommendations in full.

Tax year: 2026/27. Tax code: 1257L. Income tax nation: England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Pension: No Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2015 member contribution is taken from salary. Student loan: none unless selected in the calculator.
Full-time basic pay, for a full tax year. Money is rounded to the nearest penny.

An OF5 officer earns £115,881 to £127,272 in 2026/27. After income tax and National Insurance that leaves roughly £6,216.33 to £6,603.38 a month.

Colonel pay 2026/27 (OF5) Regular Forces pay after tax, 2026/27
Pay level	Trade supplement	Salary	Take-home a year	Take-home a month
OF5-01	—	£115,881	£74,595.98	£6,216.33
OF5-02	—	£115,881	£74,595.98	£6,216.33
OF5-03	—	£117,780	£75,317.40	£6,276.45
OF5-04	—	£119,678	£76,038.24	£6,336.52
OF5-05	—	£121,577	£76,759.66	£6,396.64
OF5-06	—	£123,475	£77,480.50	£6,456.71
OF5-07	—	£125,374	£78,234.62	£6,519.55
OF5-08	—	£127,272	£79,240.56	£6,603.38

Pay scale: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a27f8383b15d05a7ce31f52/AFPRB_55th_Report_2026.pdf

OF5 ranks

OF5 is Colonel in the Army and the Royal Marines, Captain in the Royal Navy and Group Captain in the RAF. There are 8 levels, the first two paying the same.

Inside the taper

Most of the OF5 scale lies in the range where the personal allowance is being withdrawn, and at those levels part of the allowance is left. The top two levels are above the point where it is gone entirely, and a slice of their pay is taxed at the additional rate.

The step that carries pay out of the taper is taxed partly inside it and partly at the additional rate. The last rows of the table show the effect on take-home.

Planning and other income

Any other income, such as rent or savings interest, pushes an OF5 officer further through the taper. The income tax rates page lists the thresholds for 2026/27, and the take-home pay calculator can add other income to a salary to show the combined effect.

Questions

Is a Royal Navy captain paid the same as an Army colonel?

Yes, both are OF5, with RAF Group Captains, on one shared table.

Does a colonel pay the additional rate of tax?

Only at the top two OF5 levels, on the slice of pay above the additional rate threshold.

How much does an OF5 officer take home?

Around £6,216.33 to £6,603.38 a month in 2026/27.