NHS Band 9 Salary 2026/27: Pay Scale, Hourly Rate & Take-Home
Agenda for Change Band 9 in England pays £112,782 rising to £129,783 in 2026/27, after a 3.3% rise — £57.68 an hour at entry. After income tax, National Insurance and NHS Pension that is about £5,626.03 a month take-home (£6,115.48 at the top of the band).
Updated 2026-10-03 · NHS Employers 2026/27 pay scales · HMRC 2026/27 tax
Band 9 pay points 2026/27
| Pay point | Annual | 2025/26 | Monthly gross | Hourly | Pension rate | Take-home / month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | £112,782 | £109,179 | £9,398.50 | £57.68 | 12.5% | £5,626.03 |
| After 2 years | £119,583 | £115,763 | £9,965.25 | £61.16 | 12.5% | £5,835.00 |
| Top (after 5 years) | £129,783 | £125,637 | £10,815.25 | £66.37 | 12.5% | £6,115.48 |
- 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 9 is worth £17,001 a year before tax, or £489.46 a month after tax and pension.
What comes out of a Band 9 payslip
| Monthly | Entry (£112,782) | Top (£129,783) |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | £9,398.50 | £10,815.25 |
| NHS Pension | -£1,174.81 | -£1,351.91 |
| Income tax | -£2,242.14 | -£2,964.00 |
| National Insurance | -£355.52 | -£383.86 |
| Take-home | £5,626.03 | £6,115.48 |
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 £5,000.61 a month (£625.42 repaid).
Band 9 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) | £121,528 | £138,529 | £5,888.49 |
| Outer London | 15% (min £4,870, max £6,137) | £118,919 | £135,920 | £5,816.72 |
| Fringe | 5% (min £1,346, max £2,270) | £115,052 | £132,053 | £5,710.39 |
Unsocial hours and overtime for Band 9
- Saturdays and weekday nights (8pm–6am): +30% — £74.98 an hour at entry.
- Sundays and bank holidays: +60% — £92.29 an hour at entry.
- Overtime: Band 9 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 £433 of enhancement on top of basic pay at entry level — about £165 a month after tax, NI and pension.
Band 9 in Scotland, 2026/27
NHS Scotland has its own pay scales and a 3.75% rise for 2026/27. Band 9 pays £127,521 to £133,044 — £14,739 more than in England at entry — but Scottish income tax rates apply.
| Pay point | Scotland | Take-home / month (Scotland) | England take-home / month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | £127,521 | £5,699.02 | £5,626.03 |
| Top (after 5 years) | £133,044 | £5,820.39 | £5,835.00 |
Typical Band 9 jobs
- Director-level posts below the board
- Chief nurse / director of nursing (some trusts)
- Director of operations
- Head of a large clinical division
- Senior consultant clinical scientist
Banding is set by job evaluation against national profiles, so the same job title can sit in a different band at another trust. Band 8d tops out at £108,814.
Calculate your own Band 9 pay
| Basic pay | £129,783 |
| High cost area supplement | £0 |
| NHS Pension (12.5% tier) | £16,223 |
| Income tax | £35,568 |
| National Insurance | £4,606 |
| Student loan | £0 |
| Take-home pay | £73,386 |
- Take-home £73,386 56.5%
- Income tax £35,568 27.4%
- NI £4,606 3.5%
- NHS Pension £16,223 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 8d
Band 9 pay inside the 60% tax band
Band 9 is the only Agenda for Change band where basic pay falls inside the personal allowance taper. The entry point of £112,782 is just safe: after the 12.5% pension contribution, adjusted net income is about £98,684, under £100,000. From the two-year point (£119,583) adjusted net income is about £104,635, and at the top (£129,783) it is about £113,560, so part of the personal allowance is lost.
The effect on pay steps is stark. Of the £6,801 step from entry to the two-year point, 63% goes in income tax, NI and pension, and of the £10,200 step to the top, 67%. Monthly take-home at the top point is about £6,115.48, compared with £5,626.03 at entry.
Re-earnable pay inside the taper
Band 9 also has re-earnable pay: a year after reaching the top, 5% or 10% of basic salary has to be re-earned annually under Annex 23. Because the top slice of Band 9 pay is in the personal allowance taper, a 10% cut of £12,978 would reduce take-home by only about £356.90 a month, 33% of the gross reduction. It also lowers that year's 2015 Scheme build-up by £240 of annual pension, because pension builds on actual pensionable pay.
Who is on Band 9
Band 9 covers jobs scoring 721 to 765 points, the top of the pay spine. Only two national profiles start at Band 9: Podiatric Consultant (Surgery) Head of Service (726 to 731 points) and Professional Manager at corporate level (723 to 742). Several others can reach it, including Nursing and Midwifery 8c–9, AHP Consultant, Director of Estates and Facilities and Healthcare Scientist Head of Service. NHS Health Careers lists director of estates and facilities and chief finance manager as Band 9 examples. Board-level directors are paid outside Agenda for Change, and the handbook lets the same separate arrangements apply to other posts that evaluate above 630 points.
In Scotland Band 9 pays £127,521 at entry and £133,044 after five years. The Scottish top point is above £125,140, where the personal allowance is fully withdrawn, but the 12.7% Scottish pension contribution brings adjusted net income back below it.
Frequently asked questions
How much is NHS Band 9 per hour?
£57.68 an hour at entry and £66.37 at the top in 2026/27, based on a 37.5-hour week (annual ÷ 52.143 ÷ 37.5).
What is Band 9 take-home pay per month?
About £5,626.03 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 £6,115.48.
How much did Band 9 go up in 2026/27?
Entry pay rose from £109,179 to £112,782 (+£3,603), the 3.3% pay award from 1 April.
How long does it take to reach the top of Band 9?
after 5 years, subject to meeting pay-step requirements.
Do NHS Band 9 staff pay 60% tax?
Effectively, yes, from the two-year point. Adjusted net income after pension is about £104,635 at £119,583, so the personal allowance is being withdrawn and extra pay is taxed at an effective 60% plus 2% NI.
How can a Band 9 avoid the personal allowance taper?
Pension contributions under the net pay arrangement already reduce adjusted net income. Additional pension contributions or Gift Aid donations reduce it further; HMRC explains the rules on its income over £100,000 page.
What is the top of NHS Band 9?
£129,783 in England in 2026/27 after five years, and £133,044 in Scotland.
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
- NHS Terms and Conditions Handbook – Section 1: Pay structure (job weight by band, pay on promotion)
- NHSBSA – 2015 Scheme members guide (1/54th build-up rate, Treasury Order plus 1.5% revaluation)