NHS Pay Calculator

Pick your band and pay point. NHS Pension contributions are taken before tax (net pay arrangement) at a tiered rate based on your pensionable pay.

Updated 2026-10-03 · 2026/27 HMRC rates

Band 5 take-home pay per month£2,380.80£28,570 a year from £39,043 gross · 2026/27 england pay scales

Basic pay	£39,043
High cost area supplement	£0
NHS Pension (9.8% tier)	£3,826
Income tax	£4,529
National Insurance	£2,118
Student loan	£0
Take-home pay	£28,570

Take-home £28,570 73.2%
Income tax £4,529 11.6%
NI £2,118 5.4%
NHS Pension £3,826 9.8%

Your result is ready

NHS pay by band 2026/27

Key facts

England 2025/26: Agenda for Change staff received a 3.6% pay rise, backdated to 1 April 2025 (DHSC, 22 May 2025).
England 2026/27: the NHS Pay Review Body (39th report, 12 February 2026) recommended a consolidated 3.3% rise for all AfC pay points from 1 April 2026; NHS Employers has published the 2026/27 rates following the government's announcement.
England 2026/27 pay runs from £25,272 (Band 2) to £129,783 (top of Band 9). Band 1 is closed to new entrants.
Pay progression: Bands 2–3 reach the top after 2 years, Band 4 after 3 years, Band 5 has steps at 2 and 4 years, and Bands 6–9 have steps at 2 and 5 years.
London weighting (HCAS) 2026/27: Inner London 20% of basic pay (£5,794–£8,746), Outer London 15% (£4,870–£6,137), Fringe 5% (£1,346–£2,270).
NHS Pension (England & Wales) member contributions from 1 April 2026 range from 5.2% (pensionable pay up to £13,259) to 12.5% (£67,669 and above).
Scotland: a two-year deal gave 4.25% in 2025/26 (raised to 4.4% after the inflation guarantee was triggered, paid from February 2026 with arrears in March) and 3.75% from 1 April 2026 (circular PCS(AFC)2026/1).
Scotland 2026/27 pay runs from £26,557 (Band 1) to £133,044 (top of Band 9). Scotland has its own pension tiers, from 5.7% to 12.7%.

NHS take-home pay by band in 2026/27 (England)

This table shows monthly take-home pay at the entry and top point of each Agenda for Change band in England, using the 2026/27 pay scales, the NHS Pension tier that applies to that pay and 2026/27 tax and NI. It assumes full-time hours, no London weighting, no student loan and a standard tax code.

Band	Entry salary	Take-home a month	Top salary	Take-home a month
Band 2	£25,272	£1,700.11	–	–
Band 3	£25,760	£1,727.27	£27,476	£1,822.80
Band 4	£28,392	£1,873.79	£31,157	£1,990.32
Band 5	£32,073	£2,040.21	£39,043	£2,380.80
Band 6	£39,959	£2,429.77	£48,117	£2,865.96
Band 7	£49,387	£2,933.86	£56,515	£3,308.99
Band 8a	£57,528	£3,352.53	£64,750	£3,662.95
Band 8b	£66,582	£3,741.70	£77,368	£4,135.69
Band 8c	£79,504	£4,225.58	£91,609	£4,735.00
Band 8d	£94,356	£4,850.60	£108,814	£5,459.04
Band 9	£112,782	£5,626.03	£129,783	£6,115.48

How the NHS Pension contribution changes your tax

NHS Pension contributions are taken from your pay before income tax is worked out, so you get tax relief at your top rate automatically. They are not taken off before National Insurance, so NI is charged on your full salary.

A Band 6 at the entry point earns £39,959. Their 10% contribution is £3,916 a year, but take-home falls by only £3,133 compared with paying nothing, because income tax drops by £783.

The contribution tier is set by your actual annual pensionable pay, not the full-time equivalent. A part-time Band 6 on 60% hours earns £23,975 and pays 7%, not 10%. The 2015 Scheme is a career average scheme: each year's pension is based on that year's pensionable pay and is revalued every year until you retire or leave.

Unsocial hours payments

If your standard hours fall at unsocial times, you are paid an enhancement on top of your basic hourly rate. Unsocial hours are all day Saturday, all day Sunday and public holidays (midnight to midnight), and any weekday time after 8pm and before 6am. The rates depend on your band:

Band	Saturdays and weekday nights	Sundays and public holidays
Band 1	Time plus 47%	Time plus 94%
Band 2	Time plus 41%	Time plus 83%
Band 3	Time plus 35%	Time plus 69%
Bands 4 to 9	Time plus 30%	Time plus 60%

London weighting and Scottish pay compared

Staff in and around London receive a High Cost Area Supplement on top of basic pay. In Inner London it is 20% of basic pay, between £5,794 and £8,746. For a Band 5 at the entry point that adds £6,415 a year. HCAS is taxed and NI'd like the rest of your salary.

NHS Scotland has its own pay scales and pension tiers. A Band 5 at the entry point earns £34,544 in Scotland against £32,073 in England. After Scottish income tax and the Scottish pension tier of 8.7%, monthly take-home is about £2,167.21, compared with £2,040.21 in England. So higher Scottish pay outweighs the higher tax at this level.

Student loans on NHS pay

Many newly qualified nurses, midwives and allied health professionals repay a student loan. Repayments are based on gross pay, so NHS Pension contributions do not reduce them. At the Band 5 entry point of £32,073, a Plan 2 loan costs about £241 a year (9% of pay above £29,385).

Graduates on Plan 5, which started repayments in April 2026, repay 9% above £25,000, so the same salary costs about £636 a year. Choose your plan in the calculator to see the effect on monthly take-home pay.

Reading your NHS payslip

NHS payslips use the same structure across trusts. Check these lines when the figures do not match this calculator.

Basic pay is your annual salary ÷ 12, adjusted for your contracted hours.
The superannuation line is your NHS Pension contribution. Its percentage should match your pensionable pay tier.
Tax code and NI letter: most staff should see 1257L (S1257L in Scotland) and letter A.
Student loan deductions start above your plan threshold, £29,385 for Plan 2 and £25,000 for Plan 5.

Frequently asked questions

How much is NHS pension contribution?

Between 5.2% and 12.5% of pensionable pay depending on your tier. It is deducted before income tax, so the real cost is lower.

How much does a Band 5 nurse take home a month?

At the 2026/27 entry point of £32,073 in England, about £2,040.21 a month after tax, NI and the 8% NHS Pension contribution, before any unsocial hours or London weighting.

Is my NHS Pension tier based on whole-time pay?

No. NHSBSA bases tiers on your actual annual pensionable pay, so part-time staff are tiered on what they actually earn.

What times count as unsocial hours in the NHS?

All of Saturday, Sunday and public holidays, plus weekday time after 8pm and before 6am, for standard hours within the 37.5-hour week.

Is High Cost Area Supplement taxed?

Yes. HCAS is part of your pay, so income tax and NI apply.

Sources

Figures are taken from official government publications and were last reviewed on 2026-10-03.