All the ways we’ll support you
A career at the Home Office isn’t just about the work you do – it’s about how you’re supported to do it. No matter your role or location, we’ll give you all you need to grow, contribute, and feel valued from day one.
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Pay, pensions and performance
- Competitive starting salary
- Civil Service pension with employer contributions at least 28.97%
- In-year recognition scheme that rewards exceptional individual or team achievements
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Work-life balance
- Flexible working arrangements (where possible)
- Opportunities to take future career breaks
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Holiday and leave
- 25 days’ annual leave (rising with service), plus eight bank holidays and one privilege day
- Up to five days’ paid leave each year for volunteering
- Additional paid leave for public duties, such as being a school governor, local councillor, magistrate or special constable
- Study leave for any accredited learning relevant to your role
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Family support
- 26 weeks’ maternity, adoption, or shared parental leave at full pay, followed by 13 weeks’ statutory pay and 13 weeks’ unpaid (after qualifying service)
- Paid leave for the fostering approval process
- Support for foster-to-adopt arrangements and when a child is placed with you
- Resources for guardians and kinship carers with free membership to ‘Employers for Carers’ and a Carer’s Passport to discuss workplace needs
- Time off for emergencies and other unplanned circumstances
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Health and wellbeing
- Wellbeing networks and a dedicated employee assistance programme covering health, debt advice, financial support, legal issues, and one-to-one counselling
- Vouchers for eye tests and contributions towards glasses if you use screens for work
- Occupational health support when you need it
- Ethos membership offering discounted sports, social, and wellbeing activities
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Everyday savings
- Discounts on gym memberships, cinema tickets, restaurants, day trips and shopping
- Discounts and vouchers across a range of retailers
- Interest-free season ticket loans and a cycle-to-work scheme
- The ability to apply for a rental deposit loan
- Access to travel, home and motor insurance through the Civil Service Insurance Society
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Community rewards
- Support for reservists before, during and after mobilisation plus 15 days’ paid leave each year for training
- The option to donate to charity tax-free through payroll giving
- Reimbursement of professional body membership fees (for example accountancy, law or human resources)
FAQs
Pay and allowances
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We state the starting salary at the bottom of the grade clearly in each job advert. Progression happens through the annual pay award cycle.
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Sometimes. If you have specialist skills that are critical to our work, you may start above the grade minimum if you’re joining from outside the Civil Service. This will only go up to the grade maximum and won’t apply where the job advert states the salary must be at the pay band minimum.
Some specialist skills may also attract a Recruitment and Retention Allowance (RRA). The job advert will confirm this or any other specialist supplement applies.
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If you join us on promotion from another government department, you’ll usually receive either a 10% increase to your current salary (basic pay plus London Allowance, if paid separately), or the minimum of the higher grade – whichever is greater.
If this calculation results in a salary above the Home Office maximum for the new grade, we’ll cap your pay at that maximum.
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If you’re transferring at level and staying in the same location:
- You’ll usually retain your basic pay
- If your new role is London-based, we’ll continue to pay any London allowance
If you’re moving to a different region:
- You’ll be placed on the Home Office pay range for your grade and location
- All other allowances will end, and we’ll list any applicable allowances in the job advert
Pensions
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As a Home Office civil servant, we’ll invite you to join the Civil Service Pension scheme, which includes:
- A defined benefit (DB) scheme, with member contribution ranging from 4.6% to 8.05%, based on your pensionable earnings
- Employer contributions of at least 26.6%, rising to 30.3% depending on your salary
- Death in service benefits, including lump-sum payments for your loved ones
- Options to increase your pension
- Ill-health retirement options
- A defined contribution option if a DB scheme isn’t right for you
Pensions are a complex subject, so this is just a summary of what may be available to you. You can find more information through the Civil Service Pension website.
You may also find it useful to visit the government’s free, impartial Money and Pensions Service. It explains any technical jargon and can help you decide what’s right for you.
Additional questions
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Yes, we do. We manage our scheme through Edenred, giving colleagues the chance to save on the cost of a new bike and safety equipment. By allocating part of their salary over 12 or 18 months, colleagues can reduce the tax and National Insurance they pay while spreading the cost.
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We have a recognition scheme that lets managers celebrate colleagues’ excellent performance with vouchers for a variety of high street retailers. Managers can also recognise sustained excellence with cash payments through payroll.