What an RAF Flight Lieutenant payslip looks like
A typical UK raf flight lieutenant payslip is paid monthly and shows a basic pay line at the top. Flight Lieutenant is the senior junior officer rank; typically Squadron Executive Officer or Flight Commander. The line items below depend on grade, shift pattern and contractual additions, but the structure usually mirrors HMRC's recommended payslip layout: a payments block, a deductions block, a year-to-date column, and a net pay summary.
Common employers in this occupation include Royal Air Force. Each employer runs payroll slightly differently, but the underlying PAYE computation against tax code 1257L and Class 1 National Insurance is identical across the UK (excluding Scotland for income tax). The biggest variability between two raf flight lieutenant payslips at the same gross will be in the additions block: Flight Lieutenant is OF-2, £54,716 to £64,852. Eight increment levels make it the longest officer ladder and the rank most RAF officers spend the largest part of a career in.
Year-to-date columns are critical to verify on this role because the additions and salary sacrifice items change month to month. If your YTD gross divided by months elapsed in the tax year does not match your expected annual run-rate, that is the single best signal that something is mis-coded.
Flight Lieutenant (OF-2): £54,716 to £64,852 from 1 April 2026
OF2 is the longest officer ladder at eight levels and the rank most RAF officers spend the largest part of a career in.
- From £54,716 to £64,852 is £10,136 of gross progression and £5,879 after deductions, which is £490 a month, or 58p in the pound.
- Every step starts £4,446 or more above £50,270, so the whole grade is in the 40% band: of the £64,852 at the top, £14,582 is taxed at 40%.
- Squadron Leader (OF3-01) starts at £68,624, £3,772 above the top of this grade and about £182 a month more in the hand.
AFPRB 55th Report 2026, Appendix 1. Trade Supplement 1 and inclusive of the 14.5% X-factor, which is how the AFPRB publishes them, so they will not match a JPA basic-pay line on their own. Net figures are estimates on 1257L with rUK bands and no student loan, no pension line because Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2015 is non-contributory. Full scale, allowances and Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2015 tiers.
Take-home by salary
Detailed monthly breakdowns for common raf flight lieutenant salary anchors:
Common deductions for an RAF Flight Lieutenant
- PAYE income tax.Calculated against tax code 1257L. Cumulative coding means refunds can appear if you start mid-year.
- National Insurance (Class 1).8% between £12,570 and £50,270 of annual earnings, then 2% above. Period-by-period method is standard.
- Pension.Auto-enrolment minimum 5% employee on qualifying earnings (£6,240 - £50,270), unless your employer runs a more generous scheme such as the NHS, Teachers Pension or Civil Service alpha.
- Salary sacrifice patterns.Common in this occupation: cycle-to-work, electric-car salary sacrifice, additional pension contributions, and where applicable workplace nursery vouchers (still tax-efficient via pre-existing schemes).
- Union or professional body.Tax-deductible for HMRC-listed bodies. RAF Flight Lieutenants commonly hold subscriptions covered by section 344 ITEPA 2003 (List 3).
RAF Flight Lieutenant payslip FAQ
How much does an RAF Flight Lieutenant earn in 2026/27?
Flight Lieutenant (OF-2) is published at £54,716 to £64,852, effective 1 April 2026, in AFPRB 55th Report 2026, Appendix 1. Trade Supplement 1 and inclusive of the 14.5% X-factor, which is how the AFPRB publishes them, so they will not match a JPA basic-pay line on their own.
What is the take-home pay for an RAF Flight Lieutenant?
At the top of the grade, £64,852, income tax and National Insurance come to about £16,680 a year, leaving roughly £4,014 a month. At the bottom of the grade, £54,716, it is roughly £3,524 a month. Estimated on tax code 1257L with England, Wales and Northern Ireland bands and no student loan.
What is unusual about an RAF Flight Lieutenant payslip?
Flight Lieutenant is OF-2, £54,716 to £64,852. Eight increment levels make it the longest officer ladder and the rank most RAF officers spend the largest part of a career in.
Which tax code should an RAF Flight Lieutenant typically be on?
Most people in this role on standard PAYE will see 1257L. Check the prefix and suffix carefully: a K-prefix means deductions exceed your allowance (often after a bonus or P11D benefit), 0T means you have no allowance left at this employer, and BR means basic rate on the whole job (common in second jobs).
Related roles
Pay figures: AFPRB 55th Report 2026, Appendix 1, the determination in force from 1 April 2026. Tax, National Insurance and pension figures are estimates from this site's 2026/27 engine.