Civil service pay remit published

The civil service pay remit guidance covers the civil service, including ministerial departments, non-ministerial departments, agencies as well as non-departmental public bodies and arm’s length bodies.

 

The figure issued today for 2025-2026 is 3.25% and comes only the day after the latest rate of inflation was announced as 3.5%.

 

This means that departments are able to make average pay awards of up to 3.25% and they have also been given permission to use an extra 0.5% to be targeted at specific issues including low pay.

 

Responding to the pay remit guidance, PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “While we have shifted the government in talks from its original proposal of 2.8%, we’re disappointed with the headline figure of 3.25% as inflation hits 3.5%.

 

"With increasing pay compression at lower paid grades, the 0.5% extra allocated to address low pay is derisory when tens of thousands of civil servants are paid at or barely above the minimum wage.

 

“Civil servants deserve a fair pay rise and PCS will continue to make that case in negotiations.“

 

Our national executive committee will meet shortly to considered our response and to determines our forward strategy.”