NHS Band 5 Salary 2026/27: Pay Scale, Hourly Rate & Take-Home
Agenda for Change Band 5 in England pays £32,073 rising to £39,043 in 2026/27, after a 3.3% rise — £16.40 an hour at entry. After income tax, National Insurance and NHS Pension that is about £2,040.21 a month take-home (£2,380.80 at the top of the band).
Updated 2026-10-03 · NHS Employers 2026/27 pay scales · HMRC 2026/27 tax
Band 5 pay points 2026/27
| Pay point | Annual | 2025/26 | Monthly gross | Hourly | Pension rate | Take-home / month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | £32,073 | £31,049 | £2,672.75 | £16.40 | 8.3% | £2,040.21 |
| After 2 years | £34,592 | £33,487 | £2,882.67 | £17.69 | 8.3% | £2,177.41 |
| Top (after 4 years) | £39,043 | £37,796 | £3,253.58 | £19.97 | 9.8% | £2,380.80 |
- Gross / month
- Take-home / month
Progression is automatic once you meet the pay-step requirements (an appraisal and completed mandatory training). The step from entry to the top of Band 5 is worth £6,970 a year before tax, or £340.59 a month after tax and pension.
What comes out of a Band 5 payslip
| Monthly | Entry (£32,073) | Top (£39,043) |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | £2,672.75 | £3,253.58 |
| NHS Pension | -£221.84 | -£318.85 |
| Income tax | -£280.68 | -£377.45 |
| National Insurance | -£130.02 | -£176.49 |
| Take-home | £2,040.21 | £2,380.80 |
NHS Pension contributions are deducted before tax (net pay arrangement), so a 8.3% contribution costs you less than it looks. With a Plan 2 student loan, entry-level take-home falls to £2,020.13 a month (£20.08 repaid).
Band 5 in London (HCAS)
High cost area supplements are a percentage of basic pay, subject to a minimum and maximum.
| Area | Supplement | Entry with HCAS | Top with HCAS | Take-home / month (entry) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inner London | 20% (min £5,794, max £8,746) | £38,488 | £46,852 | £2,351.10 |
| Outer London | 15% (min £4,870, max £6,137) | £36,943 | £44,899 | £2,268.52 |
| Fringe | 5% (min £1,346, max £2,270) | £33,677 | £40,995 | £2,127.55 |
Unsocial hours and overtime for Band 5
- Saturdays and weekday nights (8pm–6am): +30% — £21.32 an hour at entry.
- Sundays and bank holidays: +60% — £26.24 an hour at entry.
- Overtime: time and a half (£24.60 an hour), or double time on bank holidays (£32.81).
Example: one 12.5-hour Sunday shift a month adds £123 of enhancement on top of basic pay at entry level — about £80 a month after tax, NI and pension.
Band 5 in Scotland, 2026/27
NHS Scotland has its own pay scales and a 3.75% rise for 2026/27. Band 5 pays £34,544 to £43,039 — £2,471 more than in England at entry — but Scottish income tax rates apply.
| Pay point | Scotland | Take-home / month (Scotland) | England take-home / month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | £34,544 | £2,167.21 | £2,040.21 |
| After 2 years | £36,911 | £2,293.70 | £2,177.41 |
| Top (after 4 years) | £43,039 | £2,590.01 | £2,380.80 |
Typical Band 5 jobs
- Newly qualified nurse or midwife
- Paramedic (newly qualified)
- Physiotherapist, occupational therapist, radiographer
- Operating department practitioner
- Dietitian
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 6 starts at £39,959 (£916 above the top of Band 5). Band 4 tops out at £31,157.
Calculate your own Band 5 pay
| 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
All bands: Band 1 · Band 2 · Band 3 · Band 4 · Band 6 · Band 7 · Band 8a · Band 8b · Band 8c · Band 8d · Band 9
The Band 5 to Band 6 review after qualifying
Band 5 is where most graduate-entry clinical roles start, and it has a rule no other band has. Annex 20 of the Agenda for Change handbook says that for roles such as nursing, midwifery and the allied health professions which quickly require autonomous decisions and clinical risk beyond Band 5, the role should be reviewed using the NHS Job Evaluation Scheme no earlier than one year and no later than two years after qualifying. If the role evaluates at Band 6, you move up without having to apply for a new post.
This does not mean every newly qualified practitioner reaches Band 6 within two years: the review is of the role, not the person, and only roles that evaluate at 396 points or more move. Band 5 itself covers 326 to 395 points.
Who is on Band 5
NHS Employers lists 65 national Band 5 profiles, more than any band below it. Common ones:
- Nursing Band 5 (staff nurse), Theatre Nurse and Midwifery Band 5
- Paramedic Entry Level, scoring 376 to 388 (qualified paramedics in ambulance trusts are on the Band 6 profile)
- Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist, Speech and Language Therapist, Dietitian, Podiatrist and Orthoptist
- Diagnostic radiographer, and operating department practitioner (ODP Band 5i and 5ii)
- Pharmacist Entry Level, Biomedical Scientist and Clinical Physiologist
- Social Work Entry Level, HR Advisor, Finance Analyst and Communications Officer
Worked example: a Band 5 nurse on a rotating rota
Take a newly qualified nurse at the £32,073 entry point (£16.40 an hour) who works, in a typical month, four weekday night shifts of 11.5 hours, two Saturday long days and one Sunday long day of 12.5 hours. Night shifts where more than half the hours fall between 8pm and 6am are enhanced in full at 30%; Saturdays are 30% and Sundays 60%.
That rota earns about £472 a month in enhancements, or £5,669 a year. Unsocial hours payments are pensionable, so they count for the pension tier: total pensionable pay of £37,742 is in the 9.8% tier. Monthly take-home rises from £2,040.21 to about £2,311.22. If you are off sick, enhancements are not paid during sickness absence (unless the illness was caused by your NHS work), so a sick week on nights costs more than it would on days.
What Band 5 builds in the NHS Pension
The 2015 NHS Pension Scheme builds 1/54th of each year's pensionable pay, revalued every April by the Treasury Order plus 1.5% until you retire or leave. A year at the Band 5 entry point builds £594 of annual pension; a year at the top (£39,043) builds £723. The top point is also where the contribution rate rises from 8.3% to 9.8%, because it is above £35,155.
Frequently asked questions
How much is NHS Band 5 per hour?
£16.40 an hour at entry and £19.97 at the top in 2026/27, based on a 37.5-hour week (annual ÷ 52.143 ÷ 37.5).
What is Band 5 take-home pay per month?
About £2,040.21 at entry in England with no student loan, after income tax, NI and a 8.3% NHS Pension contribution. At the top of the band it is about £2,380.80.
How much did Band 5 go up in 2026/27?
Entry pay rose from £31,049 to £32,073 (+£1,024), the 3.3% pay award from 1 April.
How long does it take to reach the top of Band 5?
after 4 years, subject to meeting pay-step requirements.
Do NHS Band 5 nurses automatically become Band 6 after two years?
Not automatically. Annex 20 requires the role to be re-evaluated between one and two years after qualification; you move to Band 6 without applying only if the role evaluates at Band 6.
How much do night shifts add to Band 5 pay?
Weekday nights and Saturdays add 30% of the hourly rate and Sundays 60%. In our example rota, four nights and three weekend long days add about £472 a month at entry.
Is a newly qualified paramedic Band 5 or Band 6?
The national Paramedic Entry Level profile is Band 5 (376 to 388 points); the Paramedic profile used for qualified paramedics in ambulance trusts is Band 6.
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 – Annex 20: Development of professional roles
- 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)
- NHSBSA – 2015 Scheme members guide (1/54th build-up rate, Treasury Order plus 1.5% revaluation)