NHS Band 1 Salary 2026/27: Pay Scale, Hourly Rate & Take-Home
Agenda for Change Band 1 in England pays £25,272 in 2026/27, after a 3.3% rise — £12.92 an hour at entry. After income tax, National Insurance and NHS Pension that is about £1,700.11 a month take-home.
Updated 2026-10-03 · NHS Employers 2026/27 pay scales · HMRC 2026/27 tax
Is NHS Band 1 still used?
Not for new staff in England. Under the 2018 Agenda for Change pay deal, Band 1 closed to new entrants in England on 1 December 2018, and existing Band 1 staff were offered training to move to Band 2 by 31 March 2021. Band 1 pay in England has since been set equal to the Band 2 rate (£25,272 in 2026/27), so anyone still on Band 1 is paid the same as Band 2.
NHS Scotland publishes its own Band 1 rate. It pays £26,557 in 2026/27 — £1,285 more than the England rate. If you are on Band 1 in England, check with your employer whether you should have moved to Band 2 duties: the pay is now the same, but the job profile and progression differ.
See Band 2 pay and take-home for the band most former Band 1 roles moved into.
Band 1 pay points 2026/27
| Pay point | Annual | 2025/26 | Monthly gross | Hourly | Pension rate | Take-home / month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | £25,272 | £24,465 | £2,106.00 | £12.92 | 6.5% | £1,700.11 |
- Gross / month
- Take-home / month
Band 1 has a single pay point, so pay only rises with the annual pay award.
What comes out of a Band 1 payslip
| Monthly | Entry (£25,272) |
|---|---|
| Gross pay | £2,106.00 |
| NHS Pension | -£136.89 |
| Income tax | -£184.32 |
| National Insurance | -£84.68 |
| Take-home | £1,700.11 |
NHS Pension contributions are deducted before tax (net pay arrangement), so a 6.5% contribution costs you less than it looks. With a Plan 2 student loan, entry-level take-home falls to £1,700.11 a month (£0.00 repaid).
Band 1 in London (HCAS)
High cost area supplements are a percentage of basic pay, subject to a minimum and maximum.
| Area | Supplement | Entry with HCAS | Take-home / month (entry) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inner London | 20% (min £5,794, max £8,746) | £31,066 | £1,985.36 |
| Outer London | 15% (min £4,870, max £6,137) | £30,142 | £1,935.03 |
| Fringe | 5% (min £1,346, max £2,270) | £26,618 | £1,775.04 |
Unsocial hours and overtime for Band 1
- Saturdays and weekday nights (8pm–6am): +47% — £19.00 an hour at entry.
- Sundays and bank holidays: +94% — £25.07 an hour at entry.
- Overtime: time and a half (£19.39 an hour), or double time on bank holidays (£25.85).
Example: one 12.5-hour Sunday shift a month adds £152 of enhancement on top of basic pay at entry level — about £101 a month after tax, NI and pension.
Band 1 in Scotland, 2026/27
NHS Scotland has its own pay scales and a 3.75% rise for 2026/27. Band 1 pays £26,557 — £1,285 more than in England at entry — but Scottish income tax rates apply.
| Pay point | Scotland | Take-home / month (Scotland) | England take-home / month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | £26,557 | £1,776.72 | £1,700.11 |
Typical Band 1 jobs
- Closed to new entrants since 2018 — staff were offered Band 2
Banding is set by job evaluation against national profiles, so the same job title can sit in a different band at another trust. Moving up to Band 2 starts at £25,272 (£0 above the top of Band 1).
Calculate your own Band 1 pay
| Basic pay | £25,272 |
| High cost area supplement | £0 |
| NHS Pension (6.5% tier) | £1,643 |
| Income tax | £2,212 |
| National Insurance | £1,016 |
| Student loan | £0 |
| Take-home pay | £20,401 |
- Take-home £20,401 80.7%
- Income tax £2,212 8.8%
- NI £1,016 4.0%
- NHS Pension £1,643 6.5%
Your result is ready
All bands: Band 2 · Band 3 · Band 4 · Band 5 · Band 6 · Band 7 · Band 8a · Band 8b · Band 8c · Band 8d · Band 9
Why Band 1 still appears on NHS pay scales
Band 1 covers jobs that score 0 to 160 points under the NHS Job Evaluation Scheme, the lowest job-weight range in table 1(a) of the Agenda for Change handbook. In England it closed to new starters on 1 December 2018. The handbook now tells employers to "periodically discuss" a move to Band 2 with anyone who chose to stay in a legacy Band 1 role after 31 March 2021, and to support them if they want to move.
England, Northern Ireland and Scotland each closed Band 1 on their own terms, which is why you will still see it on some payslips:
- England: closed to new entrants from 1 December 2018; the remaining Band 1 rate is set equal to Band 2 (£25,272 in 2026/27).
- Northern Ireland: closed to new starters from 15 January 2020, with Band 1 roles reviewed and upskilled to Band 2 since 31 March 2021.
- Scotland: Band 1 is also closed, but the handbook notes some staff chose to stay on it locally. It is a single spot point of £26,557 in 2026/27.
Band 1 hourly pay: England vs Scotland
The two remaining Band 1 rates are not directly comparable because the working week differs. England's £25,272 is based on 37.5 hours, which gives £12.92 an hour. NHS Scotland's 2026/27 rates are based on a 36-hour week, so Scotland's £26,557 works out at £14.15 an hour — £1.22 more per hour for fewer contracted hours.
Both rates sit above the £12.71 National Living Wage. The Scottish Government's pay circular says its lowest 2026/27 salary was set to stay above the Real Living Wage of £13.45 an hour; England's Band 1 and Band 2 rate of £12.92 does not reach that level.
On take-home pay, a full-time Band 1 in England keeps about £1,700.11 a month after tax, NI and the 6.5% pension contribution. Each year in the 2015 NHS Pension Scheme also builds £468 of annual pension (1/54th of pensionable pay), revalued every April until you retire or leave.
Frequently asked questions
How much is NHS Band 1 per hour?
£12.92 an hour at entry in 2026/27, based on a 37.5-hour week (annual ÷ 52.143 ÷ 37.5).
What is Band 1 take-home pay per month?
About £1,700.11 at entry in England with no student loan, after income tax, NI and a 6.5% NHS Pension contribution.
How much did Band 1 go up in 2026/27?
Entry pay rose from £24,465 to £25,272 (+£807), the 3.3% pay award from 1 April.
How long does it take to reach the top of Band 1?
Band 1 has one pay point.
Can I still be appointed to NHS Band 1 in England?
No. Band 1 closed to new starters in England on 1 December 2018. New support roles at that level are evaluated and advertised as Band 2.
What job evaluation score is Band 1?
Band 1 covers jobs with a job weight of 0 to 160 points under the NHS Job Evaluation Scheme. Band 2 starts at 161.
What is NHS Band 1 hourly pay in Scotland?
£14.15 an hour in 2026/27, from an annual salary of £26,557 based on NHS Scotland's 36-hour week.
Sources
Figures are taken from official government publications and were last reviewed on 2026-10-03.
- NHS Employers – Pay scales for 2026/27
- NHS Pay Review Body Thirty-Ninth Report 2026
- NHSBSA – Cost of being in the Scheme (contribution tiers)
- Scottish Government circular PCS(AFC)2026/1 – AfC pay 2025-26 and 2026-27
- SPPA – NHS Scotland member contributions
- NHS Employers – NHS Terms and Conditions of Service (Agenda for Change) Handbook
- NHS Terms and Conditions Handbook – Section 1: Pay structure (job weight by band, pay on promotion)
- NHS Terms and Conditions Handbook – Section 1: Pay structure (Northern Ireland)
- NHS Terms and Conditions Handbook – Section 1: Pay structure (Scotland)
- GOV.UK – National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates
- NHSBSA – 2015 Scheme members guide (1/54th build-up rate, Treasury Order plus 1.5% revaluation)