What would promotion actually add to your pay?
Compare two published NJC pay points and see the estimated change in gross and monthly take-home pay—not just the headline salary difference.
Promotion pay is more than the salary gap
A move from competent firefighter to crew manager changes basic pay and can change the value of overtime hours. It may also move actual pensionable earnings into a different FPS 2015 member-contribution band. This model applies 2026/27 Income Tax, National Insurance and the relevant England or Scotland pension estimate to both sides of the comparison.
What the result does not decide
Development-to-competent progression, temporary responsibility, flexible-duty allowances and local role structures are governed by the vacancy, contract and service agreement. Confirm which pay point applies, whether additions are pensionable and which overtime arrangements continue after promotion.
Frequently asked questions
Does acting up always use the target salary?
No. Temporary responsibility and acting arrangements must be checked against the Grey Book and local agreement; do not treat this permanent-promotion comparison as an acting-up payroll quote.
Are national rates the same in every service?
The NJC circular provides the national basic rates. London weighting, flexible-duty payments and other additions can be local.