Additional pay and special allowances for police officers
Police officers may receive extra pay and allowances in certain situations. These benefits help cover the costs related to unique operational assignments, travel, and professional development. On this page you'll find some of the additional compensation and benefits, but a complete list is outlined in the RCMP Regular Members and Reservists Collective Agreement.
Extra-duty pay
You may be asked to work extra-duty. If that happens, there are different types of pay you could receive:
- overtime
- Hours beyond your regular service
- shift premiums
- Evening and overnight hours outside of assigned shifts
- callback
- Off-duty member called back to work
- court duty
- Reporting to court for work
- travel time and transportation
- Work-related travel
Isolated post allowance
Allowance amounts depend on whether you have dependents. There are five types of allowances that can be assigned to an isolated post:
- Environment
- Living cost differential
- Fuel and utilities differential
- Shelter cost differential
- Special cost allowance
Vacation travel assistance
If you are assigned to an isolated post, you may be entitled to vacation travel assistance. The rates depend on the province or territory you travel to. View the latest rates on the National Joint Council's website.
Other paid allowances and support
- Bilingual allowance
- If you speak French and English, you may be entitled to an $800 bonus per year.
- Educational or tuition reimbursement
- The RCMP may cover up to $1,500 per year for training from accredited educational institutions. This applies to training that is relevant to your role or part of your professional development for succession planning.
- Government housing
- The Government of Canada offers employee housing in most parts of the country where no suitable living accommodations are available nearby.
Family benefits and parental leaves
Family is important to the RCMP. We want to make sure you and your family have access to benefits, including dental and family health plans, and group life insurance.
Police officers at all ranks get 40 hours of leave per year for family related reasons.
Women police officers receive 93% of their weekly rate of pay for a maximum of 17 weeks with their maternity allowance. Parental allowance grants all police officers 93% of their weekly rate of pay for a maximum of 37 weeks. There are conditions with both allowances, and additional leave without pay options for police officers.
Policing is a demanding career that requires focus, resilience and adaptability. To support your wellbeing, police officers receive 8 hours of wellness leave per fiscal year in addition to other leave provisions.
Income tax exemption for First Nations police officers
First Nations police officers are exempt from income tax under paragraph 81(1)(a) of the Income Tax Act, and section 87 of the Indian Act if income is earned on a reserve. Contact the Canada Revenue Agency to confirm if you're eligible for this tax exemption.
Note
The term "Indian" is only used in reference to the Act.
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