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South Australia Police · Pay

SA Police salary 2026
every SAPOL rank and allowance

What SAPOL pays at every rank from the first full pay period of 2026, what the 23% Response Allowance and other loadings add, what you actually take home, and where the proposed 2027-2030 agreement stands.

Updated 9 October 2026 16 min read Sources checked 9 October 2026 Independent, not advice

The short answer

A SAPOL Probationary Constable earns $83,398 base from January 2026, rising to $102,491 at the top of the Constable scale and $135,363 for a top-increment Sergeant. Shift loadings are paid on top: officers on the metropolitan response roster get a 23% Response Allowance. Cadets at the Academy earn $71,872.

Probationary Constable

$83,398

base, from Jan 2026

Cadet at the Academy

$71,872

domestic recruits

Response roster allowance

23%

of base, metro response teams

Top Sergeant

$135,363

Increment 5, base

Contents +
  1. 12026 pay table
  2. 2Inspector and above
  3. 3Last rise and what changed
  4. 4Next rise (proposed)
  5. 5What the salary includes
  6. 6Cadet and recruit pay
  7. 7Every allowance
  8. 8Overtime and on call
  9. 9Take-home pay examples
  10. 10Leave
  11. 11Super
  12. 12SA vs other forces
  13. 13Pay deal status
  14. 14FAQs
  15. 15Sources

SAPOL pay scale 2026: what every rank earns

From the first full pay period on or after 1 January 2026 (SAPOL published range: lowest and highest increment of each rank only). Annual base salary before shift loadings, allowances, overtime and tax.

South Australia Police pays a single salary scale for sworn officers, set by the SA Police Enterprise Agreement 2021 as varied, and lifted since January 2025 by a two-year deal between the Government and the Police Association of South Australia (PASA). The rates below took effect from the first full pay period on or after 1 January 2026.

SAPOL publishes only the lowest and highest increment of each rank, so that's what we show. We don't fill in the increments in between, because they aren't published at current rates and guessing them would mislead you.

SAPOL cadets to Senior Sergeant, from 1 January 2026

Cadet

Annual salary
$71,872

Probationary Constable

Annual salary
$83,398

Constable

Increment
Increment 1 (minimum)
Annual salary
$86,125

Constable

Increment
Increment 7 (maximum)
Annual salary
$102,491

Senior Constable

Increment
Increment 1 (minimum)
Annual salary
$102,990

Senior Constable

Increment
Increment 6 (maximum)
Annual salary
$117,542

Senior Constable 1st Class

Increment
Increment 1 (minimum)
Annual salary
$105,901

Senior Constable 1st Class

Increment
Increment 6 (maximum)
Annual salary
$120,453

Sergeant

Increment
Increment 1 (minimum)
Annual salary
$122,740

Sergeant

Increment
Increment 5 (maximum)
Annual salary
$135,363

Senior Sergeant

Increment
Increment 1 (minimum)
Annual salary
$140,121

Senior Sergeant

Increment
Increment 5 (maximum)
Annual salary
$149,806

Source: SAPOL career progression and salaries page. Base salary only; SAPOL says shift allowances are paid in addition to normal salaries. Senior Constable 1st Class is reached by merit selection or by completing the Sergeant Qualification Program and 12 months on Senior Constable Increment 4.

Constable scale

$86,125–$102,491

Increment 1 to 7

Senior Constable scale

$102,990–$117,542

in situ after 5 years as Constable

Sergeant scale

$122,740–$135,363

merit selection

Two things stand out. First, the jump from Probationary Constable to Constable Increment 1 is only $2,727: the real gains come from moving up the increments and into Senior Constable. Second, the top of the Constable scale ($102,491) sits just below the bottom of the Senior Constable scale ($102,990), so the move to Senior Constable after five years is more about the six further increments it unlocks than an immediate jump.

Progression to Senior Constable is "in situ" five years after permanent appointment, as long as you qualify for the rank, and Senior Constables then move up by years of service to Increment 6 (EA clauses 10.2 and 10.3). Sergeant and above is by merit selection with study, exam and training prerequisites. Read more in SA Police promotion.

Latest

SA police pay vote 2026: what the proposed 4% a year deal is worth at every rank, and how the members' vote works.

Inspector, Superintendent and Commander pay

Commissioned officers in SAPOL are called "Officers of Police". Their salaries are much higher, but the way they're paid for extra hours is different too: instead of shift loadings they receive a Flexibility Allowance of 8% on day work or 15% on shift work (EA clause 43.2), and an extended duties allowance of 100% in place of the award's 80% (clause 43.1).

SAPOL Officers of Police, from 1 January 2026

Inspector

Increment
Increment 1 (minimum)
Annual salary
$168,670

Inspector

Increment
Increment 3 (maximum)
Annual salary
$187,683

Chief Inspector

Annual salary
$186,091

Superintendent

Increment
Increment 1 (minimum)
Annual salary
$194,139

Superintendent

Increment
Increment 3 (maximum)
Annual salary
$211,175

Chief Superintendent

Annual salary
$219,220

Commander

Annual salary
$226,534

As published by SAPOL. On SAPOL's page the top Inspector increment ($187,683) is slightly above the single Chief Inspector rate ($186,091); we show both exactly as published.

The step from top Senior Sergeant ($149,806) to Inspector Increment 1 ($168,670) is the largest single jump in the SAPOL structure, worth $18,864 a year before the Flexibility Allowance. At the top, a Commander earns $226,534. Ranks above Commander are not on this scale.

The last pay rise: what changed in January 2026

We can't show you a side-by-side table of the old and new rates, and we'd rather say so than guess. SAPOL's salary page only shows current pay, and our research didn't capture a full official table for January 2025 or earlier. What we can tell you is how the current rates were set.

  1. 1

    2021 enterprise agreement

    Base instrument

    Approved by the SA Employment Tribunal on 23 March 2021 (ET-21-00375) for three years from January 2021. Its salary schedules were varied on 13 April 2023 and 27 February 2024 (ET-24-00737). Its nominal term ended around January 2024, but it still operates.

  2. 2

    January 2025: 4% plus $2,500

    Paid

    Under the 16 December 2024 Government-PASA attraction and retention deal, salaries rose 4% from January 2025 plus a $2,500 police-specific retention salary increase. Junior cadet rates were abolished.

  3. 3

    January 2026: 4% or the national midpoint

    Current rates

    The second step was 4% or an adjustment to the national midpoint salary, whichever was higher, plus a $3,500 one-off payment. SAPOL's FAQ confirms the $83,398 Probationary Constable rate from 1 January 2026.

Was your rise 4% or more?

The deal promised 4% or the national midpoint, whichever was higher. Neither SAPOL nor the Government has published which applied to each rank and increment, so we can't tell you the exact percentage for yours. Compare your December 2025 and January 2026 payslips, or ask PASA.

The $3,500 one-off payment in 2026 was not added to salary, so it doesn't appear in the table. The $2,500 retention increase in 2025 was described as a salary increase, so it should already be built into the current rates.

The next SA Police pay rise: proposed, not yet ratified

Not ratified as at 9 October 2026

PASA announced the terms of a proposed new enterprise agreement on 16 September 2026. It still has to pass a member vote and be approved by the SA Employment Tribunal. We found no ratification by 9 October 2026, so none of the figures below are in force, and we haven't built any pay table from them.

Proposed SAPOL pay rises, 2027 to 2030

1 January 2027

Proposed change
4% from the first full pay period on or after 1 Jan 2027 under the new enterprise agreement announced by PASA on 16 Sep 2026
Status
Proposed, not ratified

1 January 2028

Proposed change
4% or the police-specific inter-jurisdictional midpoint, if greater, from 1 Jan 2028
Status
Proposed, not ratified

1 January 2029

Proposed change
4% from 1 Jan 2029
Status
Proposed, not ratified

1 January 2030

Proposed change
4% or the midpoint, if greater, from 1 Jan 2030
Status
Proposed, not ratified

Source: PASA announcement via Medianet, 16 September 2026. Dates are the first full pay period on or after the date shown.

To give you a feel for the numbers: if the first 4% lands as announced, a Probationary Constable on $83,398 today would move to about $86,734, and a top-increment Sergeant from $135,363 to about $140,778. That is our arithmetic on today's rates, not an official rate: the agreement's own schedule could round differently.

The midpoint clauses in 2028 and 2030 matter. In those years SAPOL pay would rise by 4% or to the police-specific inter-jurisdictional midpoint, whichever is greater, so if pay in other forces has moved faster, SA catches up to the middle rather than falling further behind. PASA says the total increase between January 2025 and January 2030 is at least 28.11% to 31.48%, depending on rank and increment.

Also in the proposal (no amounts published yet)

  • ✓ A new percentage-based allowance for experienced uniform front-line operational police
  • ✓ Improved specialist allowances and a redesigned on-call model
  • ✓ Better regional and remote incentives, including Level 3 incentives for Coober Pedy
  • ✓ Expanded flexible rostering, long service leave cash-out and fatigue protections

Follow the vote, the tribunal hearing and back pay timing on our SA Police pay deal tracker.

What the SAPOL salary figure includes, and what it doesn't

This is where SA differs from NSW and Victoria. A SAPOL salary is plain base pay. There's no loading or commuted penalty folded into it, so the figure you see in the table is the floor, and shift work is paid on top.

Included in the salary figure

  • ✓Your rank and increment rate under the 2021 EA as varied
  • ✓The January 2025 and January 2026 increases, including the $2,500 retention salary increase
  • ✓Nothing else: no loading, composite or allowance is built in

Paid on top (if you qualify)

  • ✕Night shift loading 20% and late night 25%
  • ✕23% Response Allowance (metro response roster) or 18.5% Flexible Shiftwork Allowance (specialist areas)
  • ✕Country and remote loadings of 35% to 45%
  • ✕Overtime, on-call payments and dollar allowances such as the detective allowance

That means a straight comparison of SAPOL's $83,398 with NSW's headline figure is unfair to SA, because the NSW figure already includes an 11.5% loading. A SA Probationary Constable on the response roster earns $102,580 once the 23% Response Allowance is added. The national police pay comparison lines every force up on the same basis.

One more detail: SAPOL's job adverts describe pay as "base salary plus super". Super is paid into Triple S on top of salary and isn't take-home pay. See the super section below.

Cadet and recruit pay while you train

Cadet (domestic recruit)

$71,872

at the Academy, from Jan 2026

Transition recruit

$83,398

paid as Probationary Constable

Cost-of-living allowance

$4,531

country and interstate recruits, once

Domestic recruits start as cadets at the SA Police Academy at Taperoo, in Adelaide's north-west, on $71,872 a year. Academy training has run for about six months since mid-2020, Monday to Friday, followed by graduation as a Probationary Constable within a 2.5-year Constable Development Program. The six-month figure comes from a summary of SAPOL's training-change page rather than a page we could read in full.

Cadet pay is $11,526 below the Probationary Constable rate, so graduating brings an immediate rise of about 16%. The 2024 deal abolished the old junior cadet rates, so younger recruits are no longer paid less.

Experienced officers from other Australian forces, and from the UK, Ireland, Guernsey, Canada and New Zealand, join through a 15-week Transition Program and are paid as Probationary Constables throughout. Interstate and NZ officers can claim relocation of up to $10,000, and prior service is recognised up to seven years for probation and Constable increments. Former Sergeants and above can be appointed Senior Constable Increment 1 after probation.

A Probationary Constable with a relevant bachelor degree can be started at Constable Increment 2 on permanent appointment, at the Commissioner's discretion (EA clause 42.4). For the full recruit pathway, see how to become a police officer in SA and recruit pay while training in every force.

Every SAPOL allowance, loading and incentive

SA pays most shift and specialist work as a percentage of base salary, and most specialist roles and hard-to-fill postings as fixed dollar amounts. The table lists every allowance in the 2021 agreement and SAPOL's recruitment pages that we could confirm. Dollar amounts in Schedule 4 are the 1 January 2024 rates, the last ones in the agreement; any later increase isn't confirmed.

SAPOL allowances and loadings

Night shift loading

Amount
20% of the EA rate
Who gets it
Officers working night shifts
Detail
EA cl 15, in lieu of the award's 15%.

Late night shift loading

Amount
25% of the EA rate
Who gets it
Officers on any shift finishing after 2.30am but before noon
Detail
EA cl 15.

Day-working Senior Sergeant shift loadings

Amount
15% afternoon, 20% night, 25% late night
Who gets it
Day-working Senior Sergeants who work afternoon, night or late-night shifts
Detail
EA cl 11.9. Value shown is the afternoon rate. The award's general afternoon-shift and weekend penalty rates (cl 4.11/5.1) were not retrieved.

Response Allowance (Response Extended Hours Roster)

Amount
23% of base salary, all-inclusive
Who gets it
Metropolitan Response Teams on the 24/7 Response Extended Hours Roster
Detail
EA cl 31. Paid in lieu of paid meal breaks and shift/weekend penalties; excludes public holiday penalties and overtime. This is the 'up to 23% shift penalties and allowances' in SAPOL job ads. Annual leave loading for REHR is calculated on the 23% allowance.

Flexible Shiftwork Allowance

Amount
18.5% of base salary
Who gets it
Listed specialist and investigative areas (CIB, STAR Group, Major Crime, etc., Schedule 2)
Detail
EA cl 30. In lieu of shift and weekend penalties; excludes public holidays and overtime. FSA recipients get 20% annual leave loading.

Comcen Extended Hours Roster allowance

Amount
23% of base salary
Who gets it
Communications centre (Comcen) staff on the extended hours roster
Detail
EA cl 16. Excludes public holiday penalties.

One/two-person country station allowance

Amount
35% of base salary, inclusive of on-call and recall
Who gets it
One and two-person country stations and small country CIBs
Detail
EA cl 14.3.

Remote (Level 2) loading - APY Lands, Yalata Lands, Oodnadatta

Amount
45% of base salary
Who gets it
Officers at AP Lands, Yalata Lands and Oodnadatta
Detail
EA cl 40.8. In lieu of penalties, overtime, on call and recall.

Police Band allowance

Amount
10%
Who gets it
Police Band members
Detail
EA cl 17.

Officers of Police Flexibility Allowance - day working

Amount
8%
Who gets it
Officers of Police (Inspector and above) on day work
Detail
EA cl 43.2.

Officers of Police Flexibility Allowance - shift working

Amount
15%
Who gets it
Officers of Police (Inspector and above) on shift work
Detail
EA cl 43.2. Officers of Police also get an extended duties allowance of 100% in lieu of the award's 80% (cl 43.1).

General Duties Sergeant Allowance

Amount
1.5% of salary (phase 1)
Who gets it
General Duties Sergeants
Detail
EA cl 21.

On call - single night or between shifts

Amount
$33.65 per on-call period (rate from 1 Oct 2019; current indexed rate not verified) unconfirmed
Who gets it
Officers rostered on call
Detail
EA cl 13.3. Rates rise in line with the SA public sector salaried EA on-call rates, so the current amount is higher than shown. On call is normally limited to 7 days in 21. The Dec 2024 deal committed to on-call reforms and the proposed 2026 EA has a redesigned on-call model.

On call - Saturday, Sunday, public holiday or rostered day off

Amount
$58.85 per on-call period (rate from 1 Oct 2019; current indexed rate not verified) unconfirmed
Who gets it
Officers rostered on call
Detail
EA cl 13.3. Indexed to the SA public sector salaried EA on-call rates; current amount not verified.

Detective Attraction and Retention Allowance

Amount
$10,682 a year (from 1 Jan 2024)
Who gets it
Detectives
Detail
EA cl 25, Sch 4. In lieu of the award's out-of-pocket and plain clothes allowances; not part of salary for super or overtime. 1 Jan 2024 is the last rate in the EA; any 2025/2026 increase is not verified.

Prosecutor allowance

Amount
$8,128 a year (from 1 Jan 2024)
Who gets it
Police prosecutors
Detail
EA Sch 4.

STAR Group and Water Operations allowance

Amount
$1,526 a year (from 1 Jan 2024)
Who gets it
STAR Group and Water Operations members
Detail
EA Sch 4.

Accredited Expert allowance

Amount
$3,714 a year (from 1 Jan 2024)
Who gets it
Accredited experts
Detail
EA Sch 4.

Brevet Sergeant allowance

Amount
$1,613 a year (from 1 Jan 2024)
Who gets it
Brevet Sergeants
Detail
EA Sch 4.

Senior Sergeant 1st Class allowance

Amount
About $7,177 a year (from 1 Jan 2024; partly illegible in the scanned agreement) unconfirmed
Who gets it
Senior Sergeants 1st Class
Detail
EA Sch 4. The figure was partly illegible in the scanned agreement; to be confirmed.

Rotational Shift Allowance for Long Term Patrol - Tier 1

Amount
$1,613 a year (from 1 Jan 2024)
Who gets it
Officers with 8+ years in uniform 24/7 patrol
Detail
EA Sch 4.

Rotational Shift Allowance for Long Term Patrol - Tier 2 (Sergeant)

Amount
$2,402 a year (from 1 Jan 2024)
Who gets it
Sergeants with 8+ years in uniform 24/7 patrol
Detail
EA Sch 4.

Senior Patrol Officer allowance

Amount
$1,613 a year (from 1 Jan 2024), paid daily (/218)
Who gets it
Senior Patrol Officers
Detail
EA Sch 4.

General Duties Sergeant daily higher duties

Amount
$31.80 a day (from 1 Jan 2024)
Who gets it
Officers acting as General Duties Sergeant
Detail
EA Sch 4.

Patrol Tutor allowance

Amount
$16.30 a day (from 1 Jan 2024)
Who gets it
Patrol tutors
Detail
EA Sch 4.

Country Relief allowance

Amount
$172 a week (from 1 Jan 2024)
Who gets it
Officers on country relief
Detail
EA Sch 4.

Hard to Fill Level 1 - lifestyle payment

Amount
$3,334 (from 1 Jan 2024)
Who gets it
Level 1 locations: Ceduna, Marla, Roxby Downs, Coober Pedy, Peterborough, Leigh Creek and other gazetted stations (maximum 4 years)
Detail
EA cl 40, Sch 3. Level 1 also gives rent-free or 70% rent-subsidy housing, storage up to $3,896 a year, utility reconnection up to $172, TV/internet up to $1,072 and a guaranteed metropolitan posting after the tenure.

Hard to Fill Level 1 - storage

Amount
Up to $3,896 a year (from 1 Jan 2024)
Who gets it
Level 1 Hard to Fill locations
Detail
EA cl 40, Sch 3.

Hard to Fill Level 2 - remote allowance

Amount
Up to $4,892 a year (from 1 Jan 2024)
Who gets it
Level 2 locations: APY Lands, Yalata, Oodnadatta
Detail
EA cl 40, Sch 3. Level 2 also gives the 45% loading, rent-free housing, utilities up to $6,322, food freight up to $1,732, 5 extra days' 'special annual leave', a monthly respite flight (APY) and a guaranteed posting afterwards.

Hard to Fill Level 2 - lifestyle payment

Amount
$7,902 (from 1 Jan 2024)
Who gets it
Level 2 locations: APY Lands, Yalata, Oodnadatta
Detail
EA cl 40, Sch 3.

Hard to Fill Level 3 - attraction and retention payment

Amount
About $5,747 a year for the minimum tenure (from 1 Jan 2024; unclear in the scanned agreement) unconfirmed
Who gets it
Level 3: gazetted larger country stations
Detail
EA cl 40, Sch 3. Includes a guaranteed posting afterwards. The dollar figure may be an the scanned copy misread of the scanned EA; to be confirmed.

Cost-of-living allowance for country and interstate recruits

Amount
$4,531.28, paid on starting at the Academy
Who gets it
Country and interstate recruits

Interstate and NZ relocation reimbursement

Amount
Up to $10,000
Who gets it
Interstate transition officers and NZ officers

Public holiday penalty

Amount
Not retrieved (set by the Police Officers Award) unconfirmed
Detail
The FSA, Response and Comcen allowances exclude public-holiday penalties, which are paid separately. A REHR rest day falling on a Monday-Friday public holiday attracts an extra 7.6 hours' pay (cl 31.12.3).

Sources: SA Police Enterprise Agreement 2021 (clause and schedule numbers in the detail column), SAPOL recruitment and interstate transition pages. 'unconfirmed' marks a figure we couldn't confirm at current rates, including amounts read from the scanned agreement where the OCR was unclear.

The three big roster allowances

The Response Allowance (Response Extended Hours Roster) is 23% of base salary, all-inclusive. It replaces paid meal breaks and shift and weekend penalties for metro response teams on the 24/7 extended-hours roster, but public holidays and overtime are still paid separately. Annual leave loading on this roster is calculated on the allowance too.

The Flexible Shiftwork Allowance of 18.5% of base salary covers listed specialist and investigative areas such as CIB, STAR Group and Major Crime. Those officers also get a 20% annual leave loading. Detectives get the $10,682 a year (from 1 Jan 2024) detective attraction and retention allowance on top, which replaces the award's plain clothes allowance and doesn't count for super or overtime.

Country policing is where allowances become serious money. One- and two-person country stations attract 35% of base salary, inclusive of on-call and recall, and postings to the APY Lands, Yalata and Oodnadatta attract a loading of 45% of base salary, paid in lieu of penalties, overtime, on-call and recall. Add housing, lifestyle payments and a guaranteed posting afterwards, and remote SA postings can lift total pay well above the metro rate. More on this in remote and rural policing incentives.

SAPOL overtime, on call and public holidays

We don't quote an SA overtime multiplier

SAPOL overtime rates are in the Police Officers Award (clause 5.2), which we haven't been able to retrieve. Some sites assume time and a half; we won't, because we can't check it. If you need the exact rate, check your payslip or ask PASA.

What the enterprise agreement does tell us is how overtime works in practice:

  • Time off in lieu hour for hour if requested, but at the award overtime rate where overtime is unavoidable or operational (EA cl 33).
  • Response Extended Hours Roster: overtime starts after the rostered shift length (cl 31.4); recall on REHR rest days is paid as overtime.
  • The 23% Response Allowance, 23% Comcen allowance and 18.5% Flexible Shiftwork Allowance all exclude overtime, which is paid separately.
  • The 35% one/two-person country station allowance includes on-call and recall; the 45% Level 2 remote loading is in lieu of overtime, on call and recall.
  • Officers of Police get an extended duties allowance of 100% in lieu of the award's 80% (cl 43.1).

On call is paid per on-call period. The agreement's figures are the 1 October 2019 rates ($33.65 for a single night or between shifts, $58.85 for a weekend, public holiday or rostered day off). They rise in line with SA public sector on-call rates, so the current amounts are higher, but we haven't confirmed them. On call is normally limited to 7 days in 21, and both the 2024 deal and the 2026 proposal promise a redesigned on-call model.

Public holiday penalties also sit in the award and weren't retrieved. We do know that the Response, Flexible Shiftwork and Comcen allowances exclude public holidays, so those are paid separately, and that a Response roster rest day falling on a weekday public holiday earns an extra 7.6 hours' pay (clause 31.12.3). Compare overtime rules across forces in police overtime and penalty rates.

What SA police actually take home: three worked examples

Here's what three SAPOL officers would take home in 2026-27 after income tax and the 2% Medicare levy. We've used each officer's base salary plus the roster allowance that applies to them, with no overtime (because SA overtime rates aren't confirmed), no HELP debt and no salary packaging.

SAPOL take-home pay examples, 2026-27 tax year

Probationary Constable, metro response roster

How gross pay is built
$83,398 + 23% Response Allowance
Gross a year
$102,580
Tax + Medicare
$23,345
Take-home a year
$79,234
Per fortnight
$3,047

Senior Constable Increment 6, CIB

How gross pay is built
$117,542 + 18.5% Flexible Shiftwork Allowance
Gross a year
$139,287
Tax + Medicare
$35,392
Take-home a year
$103,895
Per fortnight
$3,996

Sergeant Increment 5, day work

How gross pay is built
$135,363 base, no loadings
Gross a year
$135,363
Tax + Medicare
$33,862
Take-home a year
$101,501
Per fortnight
$3,904

Our calculation using 2026-27 resident tax rates, the Low Income Tax Offset and the Medicare levy. Excludes the detective allowance, overtime, on-call pay, HELP, salary packaging and any compulsory Triple S member contribution, which comes out of after-tax pay.

Probationary Constable, no loadings

$2,546

per fortnight

Same officer on the response roster

$3,047

per fortnight

Worth of the 23% after tax

$502

extra per fortnight

The Response Allowance is worth about $502 a fortnight after tax to a new officer. Most of that allowance is taxed at 32% (30% plus Medicare), so you keep about two-thirds of it. The Senior Constable example crosses into the 37% bracket above $135,000, so each extra dollar from that point is taxed at 39% including Medicare.

Free tool

Work out your own SAPOL take-home pay

Pick your rank, add your roster allowance, night shifts and HELP debt, and see your fortnightly pay after 2026-27 tax.

Open the SA calculator →

Annual leave and other leave for SA police

SAPOL leave entitlements (EA 2021)

Annual leave

Entitlement
6 weeks (30 working days / 240 hours) a year (EA cl 36.5). Annual leave loading is 17.5% for day workers; shift workers get more (Flexible Shiftwork Allowance recipients 20%; REHR loading is calculated on the 23% allowance), with the balance paid at the end of the financial year (cl 37, 30.14, 31.10).

Sick leave

Entitlement
Ordinarily 12 working days (96 hours) a year, credited in hours (cl 36.2); up to 10 days of it can be used as family carer's leave (cl 32.1).

Long service leave

Entitlement
Set by the Police Regulations/award; the accrual rate was not verified. Payment in lieu of LSL may be applied for if at least 30 days' credit is kept (EA cl 39). The proposed 2026 EA adds LSL cash-out arrangements.

Parental leave

Entitlement
Paid maternity, adoption and conforming surrogacy leave: 16 weeks after 12 months' service, 20 weeks after 5 years' service; total paid and unpaid leave up to 104 weeks (cl 32.3). Paid partner leave is also provided (detail not extracted).

Police Service Leave

Entitlement
4 calendar weeks' paid leave credited at 20 years' service and every 5 years after; maximum 1 week a year; can be cashed out (cl 38).

Programmed Hours Off

Entitlement
8 consecutive working hours off without loss of pay every 28 days, maximum 96 hours a year, on a 38-hour week (cl 35).

Six weeks of annual leave is generous by national standards, and SAPOL adds two things most forces don't have. Programmed Hours Off gives you eight consecutive working hours off without loss of pay every 28 days. Police Service Leave adds four calendar weeks once you reach 20 years' service, then again every five years, and it can be cashed out.

The leave loading matters for pay, not just time off. Day workers get 17.5%, Flexible Shiftwork Allowance recipients get 20%, and on the Response roster it's calculated on the 23% allowance, with the balance paid at the end of the financial year. See SA Police leave for how each type works.

SA Police super: Triple S

New SAPOL officers must join Super SA Triple S (the Southern State Superannuation Scheme). It's an untaxed scheme, and police can access it on retirement from age 50, five years earlier than other members.

What we could and couldn't confirm

10% or the Commonwealth Superannuation Guarantee rate, whichever is greater, for compliant police members; that means 12% from 1 Jul 2025. The 12% is inferred from the SG rate and the rule comes from public summaries of Super SA material, so it is not verified.

Reported member contribution: at least 4.5% of super salary after tax, or 5.3% before tax. On a Probationary Constable's salary, 4.5% would be about $3,753 a year (our arithmetic on a rule we haven't confirmed).

Officers who joined before 1 June 1990 may still be in the closed SA Police Superannuation Pension Scheme, a defined-benefit lifetime pension. Everyone else is in Triple S, which includes default death, TPD and income protection cover paid from your super. Police-specific cover levels aren't confirmed.

The compulsory member contribution is a real difference from forces like the AFP or NSW, where take-home pay isn't reduced by a mandatory member contribution. Factor it in when you compare. Read SA Police super for detail.

How SA police pay compares with the other forces

Headline pay in every Australian police force, current rates

NSW Police

First-year constable
$92,576
Top senior constable
$139,688
Top sergeant
$157,203
Inspector entry
$178,719
Employer super
12%

Victoria Police

First-year constable
$84,060
Top senior constable
$118,945
Top sergeant
$149,358
Inspector entry
$170,644
Employer super
12% minimum (scheme varies)

QPS

First-year constable
$78,505
Top senior constable
$118,127
Top sergeant
$133,671
Inspector entry
$179,870
Employer super
18%

WA Police

First-year constable
$94,651
Top senior constable
$124,558
Top sergeant
$135,005
Inspector entry
$173,361
Employer super
12%

SAPOL (this page)

First-year constable
$83,398
Top senior constable
$117,542
Top sergeant
$135,363
Inspector entry
$168,670
Employer super
12% minimum (scheme varies)

Tasmania Police

First-year constable
$73,518
Top senior constable
$107,420
Top sergeant
$125,625
Inspector entry
$170,026
Employer super
12%

NT Police

First-year constable
$87,005
Top senior constable
$120,539 calc
Top sergeant
$139,008 calc
Inspector entry
no equivalent published
Employer super
12% minimum (scheme varies)

AFP

First-year constable
$72,317
Top senior constable
$111,861 calc
Top sergeant
$132,185 calc
Inspector entry
no equivalent published
Employer super
15.4%

Headline figures are not like for like. NSW includes its 11.5% loading and Victoria its 13% commuted penalty; most others are base salary with shift loadings or composites paid on top. 'calc' marks a figure calculated by us from the agreement; 'unconfirmed' marks a reported figure. Employer super shown where a force-specific rate is confirmed; Victoria's operational police are in a defined benefit scheme.

On base salary alone, SAPOL's $83,398 first-year rate sits in the middle of the pack. Because NSW and Victoria build loadings into their headline salary and SA doesn't, the gap with those states looks bigger than it is. The fairest comparison is a response-roster officer: $102,580 in SA, with six weeks' leave and access to super from 50.

SAPOL's salary is the floor, not the package: the 23% Response Allowance turns a $83,398 base into $102,580 in your first year.

Higher up, SA's top Senior Constable rate ($117,542) and top Sergeant rate ($135,363) are competitive on base pay. The 2028 and 2030 midpoint clauses in the proposed agreement are designed to stop SA drifting below the national middle. If you're weighing a move, see WA police salary, NT police salary and Tasmania police pay.

SA Police pay deal status

Current instrument

EA 2021

as varied, plus the Dec 2024 deal

Rates in force from

1 January 2026

first full pay period on or after

Next rise

Proposed Jan 2027

subject to vote and SAET approval

SAPOL pay still rests on the SA Police Enterprise Agreement 2021, approved by the SA Employment Tribunal on 23 March 2021 for three years and varied in 2023 and 2024. Its nominal term has ended, but it keeps operating, read with the Police Officers Award. Since January 2025, rises have come from the separate two-year deal the Government struck with PASA in December 2024, which delivered its final step in January 2026.

The proposed 2027-2030 agreement is the next step. Until members vote it up and the tribunal approves it, today's rates stay in place. We'll update this page and the pay table the day new rates are confirmed. For negotiations, voting dates and back pay, see the SA Police pay deal page, and compare every force's agreement on the pay deal tracker.

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Frequently asked questions

How much does a SAPOL police officer earn?

From the first full pay period in January 2026, a Probationary Constable earns $83,398 base and a Constable $86,125 to $102,491. Senior Constables earn $102,990 to $117,542 and Sergeants $122,740 to $135,363. Shift loadings or the 23% Response Allowance are paid on top for officers who qualify.

How much do SAPOL cadets get paid?

Domestic cadets are paid $71,872 a year at the Academy at Taperoo. Interstate and international officers on the Transition Program are paid as Probationary Constables ($83,398) during their 15-week course. Country and interstate recruits also get a one-off $4,531.28 cost-of-living allowance when they start.

When is the next SA Police pay rise?

Not confirmed yet. PASA announced terms of a proposed new enterprise agreement on 16 September 2026, with 4% from the first full pay period on or after 1 January 2027 and three further rises to 2030. It must pass a member vote and SA Employment Tribunal approval. As at 9 October 2026 we had found no ratification.

What is the SAPOL Response Allowance?

It's an all-inclusive allowance of 23% of base salary for officers in metropolitan response teams on the 24/7 Response Extended Hours Roster (EA clause 31). It replaces paid meal breaks and shift and weekend penalties, but public holiday penalties and overtime are paid separately. It's the "up to 23%" quoted in SAPOL job ads.

Do SA police get paid overtime?

Yes. Overtime rates are set by the Police Officers Award, which we haven't been able to retrieve, so we don't quote a multiplier. The enterprise agreement says you can take time off in lieu hour for hour if you ask, but unavoidable or operational overtime is paid at the award rate. The Response, Comcen and Flexible Shiftwork allowances don't cover overtime.

What super do SA police get?

New officers must join Super SA's Triple S scheme. Reported rules say the employer pays 10% or the Superannuation Guarantee rate, whichever is higher, which means 12% now, and members must contribute at least 4.5% after tax. We haven't confirmed those rates on a primary source. Police can access Triple S on retirement from age 50.

How many weeks of annual leave do SA police get?

Six weeks (30 working days) a year under EA clause 36.5, with a 17.5% leave loading for day workers and more for shift workers. Officers also get Programmed Hours Off (8 hours every 28 days) and 4 weeks of Police Service Leave at 20 years' service and every 5 years after.

Why are only two increments shown for each SAPOL rank?

SAPOL publishes only the lowest and highest increment of each rank. The in-between increments (for example Constable increments 2 to 6) aren't published, and the 2021 agreement scan doesn't hold current rates for them. We don't estimate them. Your payslip or PASA can confirm your exact increment rate.

Evidence

Sources and how we checked them

Every figure on this page comes from the sources below, read on 9 October 2026. Pay rates and rules change when new agreements are made, so check the source for the date you're reading this. Where we couldn't confirm something from an official source, the page says so instead of guessing. Spotted an error? Read our corrections policy.

  1. SAPOL: Career progression and salaries — current pay range for every rank
  2. SAPOL: International applicants FAQ — dates the Probationary Constable rate to 1 January 2026
  3. South Australia Police Enterprise Agreement 2021 (SAET ET-21-00375) — allowances, leave, overtime rules; scanned PDF
  4. AGD SA: ET-24-00737 SA Police Enterprise Agreement 2021 Variation — 2024 salary schedule variation
  5. AGD SA: New agreement to attract and retain police (16 Dec 2024) — the 2025 and 2026 rises
  6. PASA via Medianet: proposed enterprise agreement (16 Sep 2026) — proposed, not ratified
  7. SAPOL: Recruitment process — cost-of-living allowance
  8. SAPOL: Interstate transition — relocation reimbursement
  9. Super SA: Triple S — police super scheme
  10. ATO: Tax rates for Australian residents — 2026-27 rates used in the take-home examples

Related guides

How to become a police officer in SA → Eligibility, the TAFE SA test, the fit-for-duty test and the Academy. SA Police super → Triple S, the closed pension scheme and access from age 50. Transferring interstate → How SAPOL's Transition Program compares with other forces.

Pay

More in this series

Pay deals Police pay deal tracker Live status of every force's award or agreement: current rates, next rise, expiry, votes and back pay. Pay deals NSW police pay deal The 2024 award's 4%, 4% and 5% rises, what each is worth at your rank, and what happens after June 2027. Pay deals Victoria Police pay deal Why the '4.5% a year' deal is a 3% base rise plus phased allowances, and what each step is worth. Pay deals Queensland police pay deal The 2025 certified agreement, its CPI uplift clause, and what March 2027 CPI could add to your pay. Pay deals WA police pay deal The 12.75% agreement, the shift allowance rise, back pay, and the 2027 bargaining under a new wages policy. Pay deals SA Police pay deal PASA's proposed 4%-a-year EA from 2027, what it's worth at each rank and how the vote and SAET approval work. Pay deals Tasmania Police pay deal Police Award No. 2 of 2026: 3%, 3% and 2.75%, the 28% shift allowance and the unconfirmed uplift guarantee. Pay deals NT Police pay deal The 2025 Consent Agreement: 5%, 4%, 3% and 3% or CPI, back pay from August 2025 and what each rise is worth. Pay deals AFP pay deal AFP EA 2024-2027 for police, ACT Policing and PSOs: the 2.7% rise on 9 December 2026 and the next agreement.
See every pay guide →

General information, not advice. This guide explains published rules and rates. It doesn't consider your personal circumstances and isn't financial, legal, tax or credit advice. Confirm anything you rely on with your force, your police association, the ATO or a licensed professional.