NHS Band 8d Salary 2026/27: Pay Scale, Hourly Rate & Take-Home
Agenda for Change Band 8d in England pays £94,356 rising to £108,814 in 2026/27, after a 3.3% rise — £48.25 an hour at entry. After income tax, National Insurance and NHS Pension that is about £4,850.60 a month take-home (£5,459.04 at the top of the band).
Updated 2026-10-03 · NHS Employers 2026/27 pay scales · HMRC 2026/27 tax
Band 8d pay points 2026/27
| Pay point | Annual | 2025/26 | Monthly gross | Hourly | Pension rate | Take-home / month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | £94,356 | £91,342 | £7,863.00 | £48.25 | 12.5% | £4,850.60 |
| After 2 years | £100,140 | £96,941 | £8,345.00 | £51.21 | 12.5% | £5,094.01 |
| Top (after 5 years) | £108,814 | £105,337 | £9,067.83 | £55.65 | 12.5% | £5,459.04 |
- 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 8d is worth £14,458 a year before tax, or £608.44 a month after tax and pension.
What comes out of a Band 8d payslip
| Monthly | Entry (£94,356) | Top (£108,814) |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | £7,863.00 | £9,067.83 |
| NHS Pension | -£982.88 | -£1,133.48 |
| Income tax | -£1,704.72 | -£2,126.41 |
| National Insurance | -£324.81 | -£348.91 |
| Take-home | £4,850.60 | £5,459.04 |
NHS Pension contributions are deducted before tax (net pay arrangement), so a 12.5% contribution costs you less than it looks. With a Plan 2 student loan, entry-level take-home falls to £4,363.35 a month (£487.25 repaid).
Band 8d 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) | £103,102 | £117,560 | £5,218.66 |
| Outer London | 15% (min £4,870, max £6,137) | £100,493 | £114,951 | £5,108.86 |
| Fringe | 5% (min £1,346, max £2,270) | £96,626 | £111,084 | £4,946.13 |
Unsocial hours and overtime for Band 8d
- Saturdays and weekday nights (8pm–6am): +30% — £62.73 an hour at entry.
- Sundays and bank holidays: +60% — £77.21 an hour at entry.
- Overtime: Band 8d staff are not normally paid overtime under Agenda for Change; extra hours are usually given back as time off in lieu.
Example: one 12.5-hour Sunday shift a month adds £362 of enhancement on top of basic pay at entry level — about £183 a month after tax, NI and pension.
Band 8d in Scotland, 2026/27
NHS Scotland has its own pay scales and a 3.75% rise for 2026/27. Band 8d pays £107,810 to £112,426 — £13,454 more than in England at entry — but Scottish income tax rates apply.
| Pay point | Scotland | Take-home / month (Scotland) | England take-home / month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | £107,810 | £5,155.51 | £4,850.60 |
| Top (after 5 years) | £112,426 | £5,332.51 | £5,094.01 |
Typical Band 8d jobs
- Deputy director
- Deputy chief nurse
- Director of a major service
- Senior consultant clinical scientist
- Chief pharmacist (large trusts)
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 9 starts at £112,782 (£3,968 above the top of Band 8d). Band 8c tops out at £91,609.
Calculate your own Band 8d pay
| Basic pay | £108,814 |
| High cost area supplement | £0 |
| NHS Pension (12.5% tier) | £13,602 |
| Income tax | £25,517 |
| National Insurance | £4,187 |
| Student loan | £0 |
| Take-home pay | £65,508 |
- Take-home £65,508 60.2%
- Income tax £25,517 23.5%
- NI £4,187 3.8%
- NHS Pension £13,602 12.5%
Your result is ready
All bands: Band 1 · Band 2 · Band 3 · Band 4 · Band 5 · Band 6 · Band 7 · Band 8a · Band 8b · Band 8c · Band 9
Band 8d and the £100,000 tax trap
Band 8d's top two points are above £100,000 (£100,140 after two years and £108,814 after five), the level at which the personal allowance starts to be withdrawn by £1 for every £2 of adjusted net income. But because NHS Pension contributions come off before tax, a Band 8d paying 12.5% has adjusted net income of about £87,623 at the two-year point and £95,212 at the top, still below £100,000. A full-time Band 8d with no other income keeps the whole £12,570 personal allowance.
The margin at the top point is about £4,788. Extra taxable income, such as rental profit, savings interest above your allowance or a second NHS job, can use that up. Opting out of the NHS Pension would also push adjusted net income to the full £108,814.
What a re-earnable cut would mean at the top of 8d
As with Bands 8c and 9, once you have been at the top of Band 8d for a year, 5% or 10% of basic pay has to be re-earned each year by meeting the Annex 23 standards. A 10% reduction would take £108,814 down to £97,933, below the £100,140 two-year point, and cut take-home by about £457.93 a month. Full pay is restored at the end of the following year once the standards are met again.
Band 8d posts
Band 8d covers 675 to 720 points. National profiles starting at 8d include Consultant Clinical Scientist Head of Service (691 to 728), Public Health Consultant (677 to 726), Healthcare Scientist Consultant, Clinical Psychologist Consultant and Head of Psychology Services (681 to 756), and Director of Estates and Facilities (695 to 722). NHS Health Careers lists consultant psychologist, chief nurse and chief finance manager as 8d examples.
In Scotland Band 8d pays £107,810 to £112,426, and Scottish taxpayers at this level pay the 45% advanced rate on income above £75,000 rather than England's 40%.
Frequently asked questions
How much is NHS Band 8d per hour?
£48.25 an hour at entry and £55.65 at the top in 2026/27, based on a 37.5-hour week (annual ÷ 52.143 ÷ 37.5).
What is Band 8d take-home pay per month?
About £4,850.60 at entry in England with no student loan, after income tax, NI and a 12.5% NHS Pension contribution. At the top of the band it is about £5,459.04.
How much did Band 8d go up in 2026/27?
Entry pay rose from £91,342 to £94,356 (+£3,014), the 3.3% pay award from 1 April.
How long does it take to reach the top of Band 8d?
after 5 years, subject to meeting pay-step requirements.
Does a Band 8d lose the personal allowance?
Not on NHS pay alone. Pension contributions bring adjusted net income at the top point down to about £95,212, under £100,000.
What is the highest Band 8d salary?
£108,814 in England in 2026/27, after five years in the band, and £112,426 in Scotland.
What job evaluation score is Band 8d?
675 to 720 points under the NHS Job Evaluation Scheme.
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
- GOV.UK – Income Tax if you earn over £100,000
- NHS Terms and Conditions Handbook – Annex 23: Pay progression (England)
- NHS Employers – National job profiles and profile index (January 2026)
- NHS Health Careers – Agenda for Change pay rates and example jobs
- GOV.UK – Income Tax in Scotland