Assumptions and pay data
Pay data: Civil Service pay structure. HEO: illustrative £37,712 to £41,453, 2026/27 figures. Checked 4/9/2026.
- Full time is 37 hours a week.
- A 4-day week counts as 80% of full time and a 9-day fortnight as 90%: fewer hours for less pay. Compressed hours, where you work all 37 hours in fewer, longer days, keep full pay, so they need no calculation.
- Term-time only pay is your paid weeks over 52: the weeks you work plus your paid holiday. The box opens at 44.6 weeks (39 term weeks plus 5.6 weeks' holiday), 85.8% of full time, or £32,345 on the £37,712 the box is pre-filled with.
- Annualised hours divide your yearly hours by 37 × 52 = 1,924. The box opens at 1,400 hours, 72.8% of full time, or £27,441 on the £37,712 the box is pre-filled with. Annualised hours and Custom FTE stop at 95%.
- The salary is the one you type, before tax, National Insurance and pension. The £37,712 it starts with is the bottom of our illustrative HEO range, not a national rate for this role.
Reduced/Compressed Hours Calculator
UK (department-delegated pay below SCS)Your department or agency (no automatic national progression)Reviewed 4/9/2026
Enter your actual salary or hours first. National band defaults are not used for this role.
Loading calculator…
Guide for Fast Stream
This guide explains reduced and compressed working patterns for Fast Stream on HEO at Civil Service. Not every employer offers every pattern; use this for pay impact, then confirm eligibility with HR.
Reduced hours for Fast Stream
This page models named patterns (four-day week, nine-day fortnight, term-time only, annualised hours) for Fast Stream on HEO at Civil Service. Pay is pro-rated from full-time Civil Service pay structure basic pay unless your contract uses a different formula.
Reduced and compressed hours
A four-day week is typically 0.8 FTE. A nine-day fortnight is 0.9 FTE (nine working days in ten). Term-time-only staff are paid for the weeks they work plus their paid holiday, spread across the year. Annualised hours contracts spread agreed hours across the year rather than fixed weekly patterns.
Employer variation
Not every employer offers every pattern. Some use a 0.89 FTE term-time formula for support staff. The calculator uses straightforward pro-rata from full-time band pay; your payroll may differ.
Example scenario
Example on the bottom of our illustrative HEO range (£37,712), not a national rate for this role. At 80% that is £30,170; the calculator works from the salary you type.
| Band / grade | HEO |
|---|---|
| Full-time gross (example) | £37,712 |
| At 0.8 FTE (example) | £30,170 |
| Annual difference vs full-time | £7,542 |
Frequently asked questions
Is a 4-day week the same as compressed hours?
No. Here a 4-day week means working 4 of your usual days, 80% of full time, so the £37,712 the calculator starts with becomes £30,170. Compressed hours means fitting your full 37 hours into 4 longer days, and your pay stays the same because your hours do not change.
What does a 9-day fortnight pay?
As reduced hours, 9 days in 10 is 90% of full time: £33,941 a year instead of the £37,712 the calculator starts with, £3,771 less. If you work all 74 hours of the fortnight in 9 days instead, that is compressed hours and your pay does not change.
How is term-time only pay worked out?
From paid weeks: the weeks you work plus your paid holiday, divided by 52. With 39 term weeks and 5.6 weeks' holiday that is 44.6 weeks, 85.8% of full time, or £32,345 instead of the £37,712 the calculator starts with. Your contract or payroll gives your exact number of paid weeks.
How do annualised hours work here?
You enter your contracted hours for the year and the calculator divides them by 1,924, which is 37 hours × 52 weeks. The 1,400 hours it opens with is 72.8% of full time, £27,441 a year. Anything above 95% of 1,924 hours is counted as 95%.
Do reduced hours change my leave and pension?
Yes, in proportion. Paid leave is pro-rated to your hours, and the annual leave calculator for a Fast Stream works it out. Public service pensions are career average schemes, so your pension builds up on the pay you actually earn: 80% of the pay builds 80% of the pension for those years.
Are the results gross or net? Do you store my data?
Unless this page says otherwise, figures are gross (before tax, National Insurance and pension). Your calculator inputs and results stay in your browser and are not stored. We only collect your name and email if you choose to give them, for example to download your results or sign up for email updates. We store them with MailerLite, our email provider, along with the page you were on. See our privacy policy.
About this role
What is a Fast Stream?
A Fast Streamer is on the Civil Service Fast Stream, a graduate programme that rotates through roles and leads to promotion. Pay is typically EO/HEO with rapid progression.
Typical demands, progression and balance
The Fast Stream offers variety and accelerated progression. Pay and satisfaction depend on scheme and department. Most progress to SEO/G7 within a few years.
What about 4-day weeks or compressed hours?
Many employers support 4-day weeks, 9-day fortnights, term-time only or annualised hours. Use the calculator above to compare full-time pay with your chosen pattern for your band.
Disclaimer
Illustrative estimates, not financial or career advice. Your payslip and contract decide what you are actually paid.