What an RAF Sergeant payslip looks like
A typical UK raf sergeant payslip is paid monthly and shows a basic pay line at the top. RAF Sergeant is the senior NCO rank, leading flights of 10-30 personnel and managing trade specialist functions. 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 sergeant payslips at the same gross will be in the additions block: RAF Sergeant is OR-6, £46,022 to £50,598 on the base trade supplement. Trade supplement matters here: the same increment levels pay materially more on Trade Supplement 4, so check yours on JPA rather than assuming the base table applies.
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.
Sergeant (OR-6): £46,022 to £50,598 from 1 April 2026
The top of OR6 is where a Sergeant on Trade Supplement 1 first crosses the higher-rate income tax threshold.
- From £46,022 to £50,598 is £4,576 of gross progression and £3,249 after deductions, which is £271 a month, or 71p in the pound.
- The grade crosses £50,270 at OR6-06, £50,598. At the top step, £328 of £50,598 is taxed at 40% and the rest at 20%.
- Flight Sergeant (OR7-01) starts at £51,615, £1,017 above the top of this grade and about £49 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 sergeant salary anchors:
Common deductions for an RAF Sergeant
- 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 Sergeants commonly hold subscriptions covered by section 344 ITEPA 2003 (List 3).
RAF Sergeant payslip FAQ
How much does an RAF Sergeant earn in 2026/27?
Sergeant (OR-6) is published at £46,022 to £50,598, 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 Sergeant?
At the top of the grade, £50,598, income tax and National Insurance come to about £10,694 a year, leaving roughly £3,325 a month. At the bottom of the grade, £46,022, it is roughly £3,055 a month. Estimated on tax code 1257L with England, Wales and Northern Ireland bands and no student loan.
What is unusual about an RAF Sergeant payslip?
RAF Sergeant is OR-6, £46,022 to £50,598 on the base trade supplement. Trade supplement matters here: the same increment levels pay materially more on Trade Supplement 4, so check yours on JPA rather than assuming the base table applies.
Which tax code should an RAF Sergeant 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.