Members overwhelmingly approve three‑year Home Office pay deal

PCS members across the Home Office have voted decisively to accept a new three‑year pay package, paving the way for above‑remit salary rises and improved family‑friendly policies. The ballot, held between 9 and 30 March, saw a turnout of 60.4%, with an overwhelming 93.7% voting in favour of the offer.

The acceptance means the department’s Pay Flex Business Case - covering 2025/26, 2026/27 and 2027/28 - will now move forward. PCS has notified the Home Office that it is prepared to enter a formal collective agreement alongside other unions that also endorsed the package.

The vote brings to a close more than a year of negotiations, consultation and detailed work between PCS and the department. The group president has thanked branch representatives, the group executive, the NEC and national president Martin Cavanagh for their contributions, while emphasising that the offer was shaped by members’ engagement throughout the process.

The deal delivers guaranteed minimum pay rises of 6% in the first year, 5.5% in the second and 4% in the third. Many members - particularly those on the lowest pay grades - will see higher increases (up to 7.74%, 7.29% and 4.66% for administrative officers and executive officers).

By July 2027, all staff will earn at least £15 per hour (administrative assistants national £29,050), while administrative officers and executive officers (EOs) who make up around 67% of the workforce, predominantly in frontline operational roles, will receive increases of up to 20% over the period. EO staff will move to a spot rate system by 2027 aimed at resolving long‑standing progression issues – putting EOs in London on £40,000 basic before allowances and £36,000 nationally.

The agreement includes improvements to maternity, paternity and adoption leave from July 2026, and places Home Office staff among the best‑paid in Whitehall. Around 7,500 staff on pre‑modernised terms will transition to modernised conditions, with compensation payments ranging from £3,000 to £5,000.

With the offer now accepted, PCS expects updated pay to be reflected in April salaries, including backdating to July 2025 (excluding the 3% interim payment made in December 2025). The union will monitor implementation closely and encourages members to check their entitlements using the department’s pay calculator.

A break clause has also been secured should the civil service pay remit guidance exceed 5.5% in 2026 or 3.6% in 2027.

The deal is a substantial achievement, marking continued progress since the industrial action of recent years and delivering meaningful long‑term gains for members.