Understanding Firefighter Salary: Hourly Rates and Annual Pay

If you’re looking to convert an hourly rate into an annual salary – or vice versa – the firefighter pay structure offers a clear example of how public sector roles are calculated. This guide covers the latest firefighter salary figures for 2026/27, including the official NJC pay scales, how hourly rates are derived, and what London weighting means for take-home pay.

How Firefighter Pay Is Calculated

Firefighters in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (Scotland has its own arrangements) are paid under the National Joint Council (NJC) for Local Authority Fire and Rescue Services. The standard working week for a wholetime firefighter is 42 hours. To convert an annual salary to an hourly rate, the NJC uses this formula:

Hourly rate = Annual salary ÷ 52.143 ÷ 42

The divisor 52.143 represents the exact number of weeks in a year (365 ÷ 7). This is slightly more than 52 weeks, which means the hourly rate is marginally lower than if you simply divided by 52. For quick estimates, you can use 52 weeks – the difference is about 0.3%.

For example, a Competent Firefighter earning £40,358 per year (from July 2026) has an hourly rate of £18.43. Multiply that by 42 hours and 52.143 weeks, and you get back to £40,358.

If you want to go the other way – from hourly to annual – use:

Annual salary ≈ Hourly rate × 42 hours × 52 weeks

This gives a close approximation. For a more precise figure, use 52.143 weeks. Our hourly calculator can do the maths for you.

Firefighter Pay Scales 2026/27

The NJC agreed a 3.8% pay increase effective 1 July 2026. Below are the key rates for firefighting roles, as published by the Fire Brigades Union and confirmed in the NJC circular.

Role	Basic Annual Salary	Basic Hourly Rate	Overtime Rate
Firefighter Development	£31,539	£14.40	£21.60
Firefighter Competent	£40,358	£18.43	£27.65
Crew Manager Competent	£44,742	£20.43	£30.65
Watch Manager Competent B	£50,034	£22.85	£34.28
Station Manager Competent B	£57,402	£26.21	£39.32
Group Manager Competent B	£66,445	£30.34	Not applicable
Area Manager Competent B	£77,186	£35.24	Not applicable

Note: Overtime is typically paid at time-and-a-half for roles up to Station Manager. Group Manager and above do not receive overtime.

These rates are for wholetime firefighters. Fire Control Operators and Junior Firefighters have separate scales, with some rates uplifted to meet the National Living Wage.

Average Firefighter Salary in the UK

The Local Government Association’s Firefighters’ Workforce Survey 2025 provides a snapshot of actual earnings. For wholetime firefighting roles:

• Average basic annual salary: £42,474.48
• Average gross annual pay (including overtime and allowances): £44,760.00
• Average overtime received (46% of staff): £3,945.84 per year

The survey also found that 90% of wholetime firefighters are male, and the average age is 41. Full-time male firefighters earn about 5% more in basic pay than female colleagues, and 7% more in gross pay.

London Firefighter Salary

Firefighters in London earn significantly more than the UK average. According to ONS ASHE data (via Salary Scout), the median firefighter salary in London for 2025/26 is £49,992, with a mean of £53,204. This is about 22.6% above the UK-wide median for firefighters (£40,775). The higher pay reflects London weighting, higher living costs, and possibly a greater proportion of experienced staff.

At the median of £49,992, the hourly rate (using the NJC formula) is approximately £22.83. After income tax and National Insurance (2025/26 rates, no pension), monthly take-home pay would be around £3,293.

Overtime and Additional Allowances

Overtime is common in the fire service. The LGA survey found that 46% of wholetime firefighters received overtime, averaging £3,945.84 per year. Overtime is paid at 1.5x the basic hourly rate for most operational roles. In addition, some firefighters receive Continual Professional Development (CPD) payments (average £1,106.64 per year) and Additional Responsibility Allowance (ARA) (median £750 per year).

For retained (on-call) firefighters, the average annual retainer is just £4,493.88, but gross total pay (including call-out fees and overtime) averages £10,496.64.

Converting Your Hourly Rate to Annual Salary

If you’re a job seeker or employee comparing offers, use this simple rule:

Annual salary ≈ Hourly rate × hours per week × 52

For a standard 42-hour week (firefighter), multiply your hourly rate by 2,184 (42 × 52). For a 37.5-hour week (common in other roles), multiply by 1,950.

Remember that actual pay may vary due to:

• Unpaid overtime or shift patterns
• Holiday pay (firefighters receive paid leave on top of salary)
• Pension contributions (firefighters are in the Firefighters’ Pension Scheme)
• London weighting or other location allowances

Our salary articles cover more conversion examples, and the salary data page has benchmarks for many occupations.

Summary

The firefighter salary in 2026/27 ranges from around £31,500 for a trainee to over £77,000 for senior managers. The average wholetime firefighter earns about £42,500 basic, rising to £44,760 with overtime. London firefighters earn a median of £49,992. Hourly rates are calculated using a 42-hour week and 52.143 weeks per year, making conversion straightforward once you know the annual figure.

For more help converting your own pay, try our hourly calculator or browse topics on UK salary benchmarks.