From Cadet to Constable: RCMP Pay inYour First Three Years
RCMP cadet pay is a $1,000 weeklytraining allowance at Depot, about $26,000 over 26 weeks. On graduation day,constable pay starts at $71,191, jumps to $92,497 after six months of FieldCoaching, and reaches the $115,350 ceiling at month 36.
The early yearsof an RCMP career have a pay curve unlike most jobs. You start as a paidtrainee with almost no living costs, then move through five pay steps in 36months. Here is what the first three years actually look like, week by week andstep by step.
Cadet Pay at Depot: $1,000 a Week
Traininghappens at Depot Division in Regina. As of April 2026, cadets receive atraining allowance of $1,000 per week, up from $525 before April 1, 2026. TheCadet Training Program runs 26 weeks, which adds up to about $26,000 grossduring training.
The allowanceis not regular employment income. Cadets are federal trainees, not swornmembers, so pension, health and dental coverage do not start until graduation.What you do not pay matters as much as what you earn: accommodation, meals,uniforms and travel to Regina are covered, so there is no tuition and no rentin training.
Graduation Day: Constable Pay Begins
The day youswear in, the pay grid takes over. Constable Level 1 pays $71,191 a year, whichworks out to about $34.23 an hour, $1,369 a week, or $2,738 gross every twoweeks on a standard 40 hour week. It is a serious jump from cadet allowanceterritory, and it arrives with the full benefits package attached.
The Six Month Jump After Field Coaching
Your firstposting includes the Field Coaching Program, a structured on the job periodwhere a coach constable supervises your work. Finish it, and you move fromLevel 1 to Level 2: from $71,191 to $92,497. That single step is worth about$21,000 in base pay, the largest raise on the constable grid.
No applicationand no negotiation are involved. The National Police Federation collectiveagreement sets the steps, and the higher rate shows up on your next cheque whenyou reach each interval.
First three years:cadet allowance to constable ceiling
Stage
Timing
Pay
Depot cadet allowance
Weeks 1 to 26
$1,000 per week
Constable Level 1
Graduation day
$71,191
Constable Level 2
After 6 months of Field Coaching
$92,497
Constable Level 3
At 12 months
$100,356
Constable Level 4
At 24 months
$108,220
Constable maximum
At 36 months
$115,350
Year One to Year Three: Reaching the Ceiling
Level 3, at 12months, is the first six figure rate: $100,356. Level 4 follows at 24 months,$108,220. The constable maximum lands at month 36 at $115,350, about $55.46 anhour or $2,218 a week on a 40 hour week. After that, base pay holds steadyuntil promotion to corporal.
After the ceiling: Base payis flat after month 36, but total pay is not. Overtime at 1.5 times the gridrate, court duty, callback pay, shift premiums and remote posting allowanceskeep earnings moving.
Budgeting Through the Transition
The jump fromcadet to constable is the biggest financial change of the first three years. Intraining, housing and meals are covered, so the allowance stretches far. Atyour first posting, relocation is covered under the National Joint Councildirective, but rent, food and transport become your problem overnight.
Plan around netpay, not gross. A new constable on $71,191 takes home roughly $53,400 a year inAlberta, $52,900 in British Columbia and $52,600 in Ontario, after tax, CPP, EIand about 9 to 10 percent pension contributions. For the complete grid, provincialtake home estimates and allowance rules in one place, the step bystep RCMP salary guide at JoinRCMP.ca tracks every stage from cadetweek one to the sergeant rate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How much do RCMP cadets get paid?
A: Cadets earna $1,000 weekly training allowance, about $26,000 over 26 weeks.
Q: Is cadet pay considered a salary?
A: No. Theallowance is training income for federal trainees, not sworn members.
Q: What happens to pay after Field Coaching?
A: Base payjumps from $71,191 to $92,497, the biggest single step.
Q: When does RCMP constable pay max out?
A: At about 36months after graduation, at $115,350 a year.
Sources
Figures reflectthe 2026 National Police Federation collective agreement and the April 2026 cadet training allowance. Official references: RCMP salary and benefits and Treasury Board of Canada rates of pay at canada.ca.
