NHS Band 2 Salary 2026/27: Pay Scale, Hourly Rate & Take-Home
Agenda for Change Band 2 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
Band 2 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 2 has a single pay point, so pay only rises with the annual pay award.
What comes out of a Band 2 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 2 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 2
- Saturdays and weekday nights (8pm–6am): +41% — £18.22 an hour at entry.
- Sundays and bank holidays: +83% — £23.65 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 £134 of enhancement on top of basic pay at entry level — about £90 a month after tax, NI and pension.
Band 2 in Scotland, 2026/27
NHS Scotland has its own pay scales and a 3.75% rise for 2026/27. Band 2 pays £26,696 to £28,988 — £1,424 more than in England at entry — but Scottish income tax rates apply.
| Pay point | Scotland | Take-home / month (Scotland) | England take-home / month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | £26,696 | £1,784.46 | £1,700.11 |
| Top (after 2 years) | £28,988 | £1,900.61 | £1,700.11 |
Typical Band 2 jobs
- Healthcare assistant
- Domestic support worker
- Porter
- Housekeeper
- Catering assistant
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 3 starts at £25,760 (£488 above the top of Band 2). Band 1 tops out at £25,272.
Calculate your own Band 2 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 1 · Band 3 · Band 4 · Band 5 · Band 6 · Band 7 · Band 8a · Band 8b · Band 8c · Band 8d · Band 9
Band 2 pay compared with the minimum wage
Band 2 is the lowest band open to new NHS staff in England, and it now sits only just above the legal minimum. The 2026/27 rate of £25,272 is £12.92 an hour on the standard 37.5-hour week, against a National Living Wage of £12.71 from April 2026. That is a margin of £0.21 an hour, or about £419 a year for full-time hours.
It is also below the voluntary Real Living Wage of £13.45 an hour quoted in the Scottish Government's January 2026 pay circular. NHS Scotland pays its Band 2 £26,696 rising to £28,988 after two years, on a 36-hour week: £14.22 to £15.44 an hour. England's Band 2 has a single pay point, so in England pay only rises with the annual award or a move to Band 3.
What Band 2 jobs look like
Band 2 covers roles scoring 161 to 215 points under the NHS Job Evaluation Scheme. NHS Employers' national profile index lists 27 Band 2 profiles, including:
- Nursing Band 2 (healthcare assistant), scoring 179 to 212
- Phlebotomist, scoring 199
- Clinical support workers in physiotherapy, occupational therapy, podiatry and speech and language therapy
- Pharmacy support worker and healthcare science assistant
- Patient Transport Services carer and entry-level call handler
- Clerical officer, receptionist, HR assistant and entry-level secretary
- Catering assistant, estates support worker and the generic support services support worker
London weighting is worth proportionally more on Band 2
High cost area supplements are a percentage of basic pay with a floor, and Band 2 (with legacy Band 1 on the same rate) is where the floor matters most. In Inner London, 20% of £25,272 would be £5,054, but the minimum payment is £5,794, so a Band 2 actually receives 22.9% on top of basic pay. In Outer London the floor lifts the 15% to 19.3%, and in the fringe the 5% becomes 5.3%.
HCAS is pensionable, so it counts toward your NHS Pension and your contribution tier, but it is not used to calculate overtime or unsocial hours enhancements, which are based on basic pay only. Inner London means the old Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea, Westminster, Camden, Islington, City & Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Lambeth, Lewisham, Southwark and Wandsworth primary care trust areas.
Unsocial hours and sick pay on Band 2
Bands 1 to 3 receive higher unsocial hours percentages than Bands 4 to 9, which makes weekend and night work a bigger share of Band 2 earnings. One rule catches many Band 2 staff out: since July 2018, unsocial hours payments are not paid during sickness absence for anyone who started on these terms after 30 June 2018 or whose basic pay is above £18,160. Band 2 basic pay of £25,272 is well above that figure, so a week off sick on a night rota pays basic pay only. The exception is injury or illness caused by your NHS work.
Frequently asked questions
How much is NHS Band 2 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 2 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 2 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 2?
Band 2 has one pay point.
Is NHS Band 2 above the minimum wage?
Yes, but narrowly. 2026/27 Band 2 pay of £25,272 is £12.92 an hour on a 37.5-hour week, £0.21 above the £12.71 National Living Wage.
Does a Band 2 get the full London weighting?
More than the headline rate. Because of the minimum payment, a Band 2 in Inner London gets £5,794 a year, which is 22.9% of basic pay rather than 20%.
Why does Band 2 have two pay points in Scotland but one in England?
The two nations agreed different pay structures. NHS Scotland's Band 2 runs from £26,696 to £28,988 after two years; England's Band 2 is a single point of £25,272.
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 Employers – National job profiles and profile index (January 2026)
- NHS Terms and Conditions Handbook – Section 1: Pay structure (job weight by band, pay on promotion)
- NHS Terms and Conditions Handbook – Section 2: Unsocial hours (England)
- NHS Terms and Conditions Handbook – Section 4 and Annex 9: High cost area supplements
- NHS Terms and Conditions Handbook – Annex 8: HCAS payment zones
- GOV.UK – National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates
- NHS Terms and Conditions Handbook – Section 1: Pay structure (Scotland)